# Jaideep Ahlawat

Jaideep Ahlawat (born 8 February 1980) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and series. After graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India, he played minor roles in several films before appearing in the crime film Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). This was followed by supporting roles in several films, including Commando: A One Man Army (2013), Gabbar Is Back (2015), Vishwaroopam II (2018).
Ahlawat gained wider recognition for his roles in the mainstream films Raees (2017) and Raazi (2018). In 2020, he gained acclaim for starring as a cop in the streaming series Paatal Lok, winning a Filmfare OTT Award. He received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in An Action Hero (2022), and has since starred in the 2023 films Jaane Jaan and Three of Us.

## Early life and education

Jaideep was born in Kharkara, Meham Chaubisi in Rohtak district of Haryana state. He got his high school certificate from Govt. High School, Kharkara. He attended Jat College, Rohtak. After his graduation, Ahlawat did a MA in English from Maharshi Dayanand University in 2005. He completed his acting graduation from FTII in 2008, where Rajkummar Rao, Vijay Varma, and Sunny Hinduja were his acting mates.

## Career
### Early Struggles and initial work (2008–2011)

Jaideep did theatre at a young age but wanted to be an Indian Army officer. However, after not clearing his SSB interviews, multiple times, he ventured into acting. He used to do stage shows in Punjab and Haryana. He started to take acting seriously only after his graduation. He entered the film world the hard way, without any godfather. After completing his education in 2008, he headed to Mumbai to pursue his dreams to become an actor. He started his career in Bollywood.

### Breakthrough and recognition (2012–2019)

He was first noticed in a negative character portrayal in Priyadarshan's Khatta Meetha (2010). In the same year he appeared in Aakrosh with Ajay Devgn. Thereafter he did more films including Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam (2012). Gangs of Wasseypur came as a turning point in Jaideep’s life, as its success helped him gain enough recognition in India. Jaideep then appeared in a Tamil spy thriller film Vishwaroopam with Haasan, which turned out to be a great success in the south in 2013. He appeared in a Hindi version of the same film called Vishwaroop, made in the same year, which gave him more recognition. Impressed by his acting skills and popularity, Haasan got him into the sequel Vishwaroopam 2 as well, which released in 2016.

### Rise to Prominence (2020–Present)

He was also seen in the series Bard of Blood, and played a negative character in Bollywood film, Khaali Peeli, which was released in October 2020.
He has also appeared in multiple series in 2022. His performance in series like Bloody Brothers (2022) and The Broken News (2022) has been appreciated by the critics.
Ahlawat received widespread acclaim for his reprising his role as Hathi Ram Chaudhary in season 2 of the Web Series Paatal Lok. The series in itself was universally lauded for its direction, acting and handling of sensitive issues. Ahlawat will next be seen in the Netflix show Jewel Thief slated to release in 2025, opposite Saif Ali Khan.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Narmeen | Guest Role | Short film |
| 2010 | Aakrosh | Pappu Tiwari | |
| 2010 | Khatta Meetha | Sanjay Rane | |
| 2011 | Chittagong | Anant Singh | |
| 2011 | Rockstar | Trilok | |
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur | Shahid Khan | |
| 2013 | Vishwaroopam | Salim | Tamil film |
| 2013 | Vishwaroop | Salim | |
| 2013 | Commando: A One Man Army | Amrit Kanwal "AK 74" | |
| 2013 | Aatma - Feel it around you | Inspector Raza | |
| 2015 | Gabbar is Back | CBI officer Kuldeep Pahwa | |
| 2015 | Meeruthiya Gangsters | Nikhil | |
| 2017 | Raees | Nawab | |
| 2018 | Raazi | Khalid Mir | |
| 2018 | Lust Stories | Sudhir | |
| 2018 | Vishwaroopam II | Salim | Tamil film |
| 2018 | Bhaiaji Superhit | Helicopter Mishra | |
| 2020 | Baaghi 3 | Inder Paheli Lamba "IPL" | |
| 2020 | Khaali Peeli | Yusuf | |
| 2021 | Ajeeb Daastaans | Babloo | |
| 2021 | Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar | Tushar | |
| 2021 | Tryst With Destiny | Kuber | |
| 2022 | An Action Hero | Bhoora Solanki | |
| 2022 | Three of Us | Pradip Kamat | |
| 2023 | Jaane Jaan | Naren Vyas | |
| 2024 | Maharaj | Maharaj Jadunath | |
| 2025 | Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins † | TBA | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012 | Upnishad Ganga | Multiple |
| 2019 | Bard of Blood | Shehzad Tanveer |
| 2020–2025 | Paatal Lok | Hathi Ram Chaudhary |
| 2022 | Bloody Brothers | Jaggi |
| 2022–2024 | The Broken News | Deepankar Sanyal |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2013 | 19th Screen Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | Gangs of Wasseypur | Nominated |
| 2014 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Commando | Nominated |
| 2014 | 20th Screen Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role – Male | Commando | Nominated |
| 2019 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male | Raazi | Nominated |
| 2019 | 26th Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Raazi | Nominated |
| 2020 | 2020 Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Paatal Lok Season 1 | Won |
| 2023 | 68th Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actor | An Action Hero | Nominated |
| 2023 | 24th IIFA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | An Action Hero | Nominated |
| 2024 | 69th Filmfare Awards | Best Actor (Critics) | Three of Us | Nominated |
| 2025 | 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor in a Web Original Film | Jaane Jaan | Nominated |
| 2025 | 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor (Critics) in a Web Original Film | Jaane Jaan | Won |
| 2025 | 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film | Maharaj | Won |
| 2025 | 25th IIFA Awards | Best Actor in a Series | The Broken News Season 2 | Nominated |
| 2025 | 25th IIFA Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Web Film | Maharaj | Nominated |