Nakuul Mehta

Nakuul Mehta (born 17 January 1983) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi television. Mehta is known for his portrayal of Shivaay Singh Oberoi in Ishqbaaaz and Ram Kapoor in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2. He is a recipient of five ITA Awards, four Gold Awards and three Indian Telly Awards.

Mehta made his television debut in 2012 with Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara playing Aditya Kumar, which earned him two Best Debut Male awards. Later, he earned critical acclaim with his portrayals in Ishqbaaaz and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2. Both these shows earned him two ITA Awards for Best Actor Popular and led to him establishing himself as a leading actor.

Mehta made his web debut in 2016 with I Don't Watch TV, which he co-produced. He has since starred in the series Never Kiss Your Best Friend (2020-2022), the short film Ved and Arya (2020) and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3 (2023). Mehta is married to singer Jankee Parekh with whom he has a son.

Nakuul Mehta's family hails from Udaipur, Rajasthan. His father, Pratap Singh Mehta, is a veteran of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, while his great-great grandfather Laxmilal Mehta was the military commander of the Mewar region.

Mehta completed his Master of Commerce from Mumbai University. He was also trained in dance forms including jazz, hip hop, break, folk, salsa and contemporary. He is a trained ballroom dancer having learned under India's foremost ballroom teacher and Bollywood choreographer Sandip Soparrkar. He represented Maharashtra in the All India Dance Sport Federation in June 2011. He was a silver medalist in the Latin Ballroom Category and is a gold medal winner in the Standard Ballroom category.

Mehta did commercials, music videos, and was associated with theatre for a long time. He made his acting debut with the 2005 Telugu film, Abhimaani and then worked in another Telugu film Indian Beauty in 2006. In 2008, he made his Hindi film debut with Haal-e-Dil, playing a painter Shekhar opposite Amita Patak. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama noted, "Nakuul Mehta in all fairness, is very confident, a bundle of energy and knows his job well. His expressions are perfect at all times." In 2011, he appeared in the short film Avant Garde, which received praises and was showcased at various film festivals. The film was a box office failure.[10]

From 2012 to 2014, Mehta played Aditya Kumar in his television debut Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara, opposite Disha Parmar.[11] For his work in the show, he won the Indian Telly Award for Fresh New Face - Male and the Gold Award for Debut in a Lead Role - Male.[12][13] In 2015, Mehta hosted India's Got Talent 6.[14]

From 2016 to 2018, Mehta played Shivaay Singh Oberoi in Ishqbaaaz opposite Surbhi Chandna.[15][16] The show proved to be a major success for him and earned him recognition. For playing Shivaay, he won numerous accloades including ITA Award for Best Actor - Popular, Indian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role and his pairing with Chandna won them Gold Best Onscreen Jodi award.[17] In 2017, he played Shivaay in Indian television's first spin-off series, Dil Boley Oberoi opposite Surbhi Chandna.[18] Also, from 2018 to 2019, he played Shivansh Singh Oberoi opposite Niti Taylor, post leap in Ishqbaaaz.[19][20]

In 2016, Mehta made his web debut with I Don't Watch TV, which he also co-produced. It is a satire on the Indian television industry.[21] In 2020, Mehta first appeared in the short film Ved and Arya alongside Sanaya Irani, playing a supportive brother. Rahul Desai of Film Companion stated, "Nakuul Mehta doesn't overdo the urbane drawl-coolness while reacting to his sister's confessions. His eyes are softer than his mannerisms."[22]

Later in 2020, Mehta expanded his web career with Never Kiss Your Best Friend, playing Sumer Singh Dhillion, opposite Anya Singh.[23] Shweta Keshri of India Today noted, "Nakuul Mehta played the 20 something Sumer with ease. The actor easily transitioned from a grown-up to a college boy in the flashback scenes." In the same year, he appeared in another series, BAE Control, playing Shyam.[24]

From 2021 to 2023, Mehta played Ram Kapoor in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2, reuniting with Disha Parmar.[25] The show won him an ITA Award for Best Actor - Popular and two ITA Award for Best Actor - Drama.[26] In 2021, he played Vishal in a segment of the series Zindagi in Short.

In 2022, Mehta first played Somesh alongside Naveen Kasturia in the short film Tasalli Se. Archika Khurana of The Times of India praised Mehta's for his "believable and restrained" performance.[27] In the same year, he reprised Sumer Singh Dhillon in the second season of Never Kiss Your Best Friend, opposite Anya Singh and Sarah-Jane Dias.[28] News18' s Zinia Bandyopadhyay stated, "Nakuul Mehta is a good actor, and that translates on the screen here as well."[29]

In 2023, Mehra played Ram Kapoor in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3, a sequel to the previous seasons, opposite Disha Parmar.[30]

Mehta met singer Jankee Parekh in his teenage and the couple was in a relationship for over a decade. On 28 January 2012, Mehta married Parekh in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.[31][32] The couple had their first child on 3 February 2021, a boy, Sufi.[33][34]

In June 2022, Mehta was hospitalised for 2 days in Sujoy Hospital in Juhu, Mumbai, with appendicitis. He underwent appendectomy, a minor surgery, and had his appendix removed.[35]

Adit Ganguly of Cosmopolitan India termed him "charming, classy and charismatic" and noted, "Mehta is one of the biggest names in Indian television today and is perennially expanding the scope of his art and talent."[36] Asjad Nazir from Eastern Eye noted Mehta's dashing "good looks" and ability to deliver a "winning performance".[37] In the UK-based newspaper Eastern Eye's list of 50 Sexiest Asian Men, Mehta was placed 35th in 2017 and 16th in 2018.[38][39] In the Times' Most Desirable Men on TV, Mehta was placed 15th in 2017.[40]

Apart from his acting career, he is a celebrity endorser for several brands and products such as Westside, Fair & Handsome, Karbonn Mobiles and UltraTech Cement.[41] He also featured in an Amazon Audible's ad film with Rithvik Dhanjani.[42] Mehta has also hosted many award shows and events such as he hosted the Indian Television Academy Awards in 2014 and 2023.[43] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote and performed poems under the initiative #PoemsForHumanity, to raise funds for the needy.[44] Mehta is also widely known for his fashion style.[45]