Rahul Singh is an Indian actor, playwright and screenwriter.[1] He is known for his work in movies including Zubeidaa (2001), Khiladi 786 (2012), Kaante (2002), Stanley ka Dabba (2011), The Ghazi Attack (2017), Delhi Belly (2011) and serials like 24: India (2014).[2][3] He has played a diverse range of characters and acted in Bollywood-Hindi as well as Punjabi and Telugu films.
Rahul Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 October 1976 |
| Citizenship | India |
| Alma mater | Mayo College, Ajmer RADA, London |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Known for | Khiladi 786 Delhi Belly |
| Spouse | Vartika Singh |
| Mother | Prabha Thakur |
| Website | Rahul Singh on Instagram |
Personal life and background
editHe is the son of Prabha Thakur, poet and a member of Rajya Sabha. His forefathers played a prominent role in the Freedom struggle.[4] Singh attended school at Mayo College in Ajmer and graduated from St. Xavier's College. In early years, he aspired to become a sportsman or work as a cop.[5] While in college, he wrote more than 50 street plays and was part of an acting group that performed for various social organizations. Singh studied acting overseas at the Royal Academy of Drama and the British Film Institute in London.[6]
Singh acknowledged that his mother's poetry influenced him as a writer, both genetically and through the inspiration it provides, also expressing the enjoyment of scriptwriting and its connection to his previous experience in street theatre.[3] He considers Madhur Bhandarkar as his mentor and friend along with Akshay Kumar and Judy Dench.[7][6][8]
Rahul stated that he believes in slowly and steadily building his career, and his acting skills have been appreciated, leading to more offers. Singh values versatility and chooses roles based on their script and his character's importance. He is open to playing different types of roles whether as antagonist or doing comedy given that it should justify his "love for acting". He states, "So even while I sign a big budget film like a Khiladi 786 or a limited-budget film like Tere Bin Laden, I listen to the narration and read the script of the film. My role and my lines are important to me."[9]
Singh has been actively involved in environmental conservation campaigns and has previously worked with organizations for elephant conservation in West Bengal. In 2020, he joined the campaign to remove invasive plant species called Lantana, which was causing habitat loss for wildlife at the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Udaipur.[10][11]
Career
editFilm & television
editIn 2001, Singh made a strong debut in the film Zubeidaa winning him nomination for the best actor award.[12] In 2006, Singh was seen in the starring role as in Randhir Singh in Kachchi Sadak. The story is part fiction part reality, penned by Rahul Singh himself. The story follows a boy named who grows up on the streets after his mother's failed marriage. He becomes involved in the liquor trade and gains enemies. Later, he is asked to help a politician in the elections against a liquor baron, but destiny has different plans for him. The film was incidentally the last acting role of veteran actor Amrish Puri.[13]
In 2009, he appeared in Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail in the role of a prisoner awaiting trial for murder, a character Bhandarkar wrote keeping Singh in mind. The positive response to the film helped him garner other major projects. Reflecting on his role, he stated, "Looking back at my career so far, I can say that though Zubeidaa won me nomination as the best actor and my best performance as an actor was in Kachchi Sadak, with Jail, the truth of my performance has gone up by many more degrees."[6][14] He was seen in the role of radio jockey and voice over artiste Qureshi in Tere Bin Laden (2010) and its 2016 sequel.
Singh played the lead role of Brij Bhushan Singh in the TV serial Sapno Ke Bhanwar Mein.[8][15] As a recurring cast member in 1st season of 24: India, he played the character Vikrant Maharia.[16] In 2012, he was chosen by Akshay Kumar to play the main antagonist Azad Reddy in Khildai 786. He portrays an extremely colorful antagonist whose character undergoes a transformation from being funny to ironical to serious to tragically comic and ultimately becomes an action-oriented figure.[17] He appeared in Chandraprakash Dwivedi's movie Zed Plus (2014) playing the title role of a commando, and in John Abraham produced film, 'Satra Ko Shaadi Hai'.[3]
Rahul Singh received praise for his performance in the role of Pakistani naval commander Razaq Moh'd. Khan in the 2017 film The Ghazi Attack. For this role, he spent a week with the Indian Navy to familiarize himself with the marine environment. The actor also received praise from various individuals, including army and navy officers.[18]
Despite losing 18kg due to health issues, he continued playing the role of Aurangzeb in 2017 series Peshwa Bajirao. Despite the pain, Rahul stated he believes in the saying "the show must go on" and didn't want to say no to work. He mentioned that losing weight actually helped him portray the aged character of Aurangzeb.[19]
In 2021, Rahul joined the cast of the Ullu web series A Crime To Remember in the role of the investigator, a show inspired by a high-profile murder investigation.[20] In 2023, he was cast in the Hindi fantasy drama series Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu.[21]
Writer
editSingh is known for writing screenplays and dialogues including Sanjay Dutt starrer Kaante (2002) and Kachchi Sadak (2006). In addition, he writes and improvises his scenes in movies stating, "I improvise a lot of dialogues and scenes with the director's permission. Most of my dialogues are my improvisations."[3]
In 2014, he wrote the dialogues for two movies directed by Nila Madhab Panda.[3]
Theatre
editSingh has written and acted in stage plays for the 'Jagrut' theatre group, which he founded.[12] He has directed and acted in nearly fifty stage plays fostering awareness for rising social issues.[17][22][9]
He has also performed in cultural festivals including Mood Indigo, and Malhar. Rahul has performed in The Shawl by David Mamet, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, and The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe, among others. He has also performed in several classical and modern plays for the English theatre and Hindi theatre in the Oval House Theatre.[23]
Filmography
editWriting credits
edit| Year | Film | Dialogues | Screenplay | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kaante | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Rani | Yes | No | Shelved film |
| 2006 | Kachchi Sadak | No | Yes | [13] |
Acting Credits
editFilms
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dushman | Taxi Driver | |
| Ghulam | Assistant officer #3 | ||
| 1999 | Baadshah | Chai Person | |
| 2001 | Zubeidaa | Uday Singh | |
| Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai | Yashwant Rane | ||
| 2003 | Darna Mana Hai | Dev Bohra | |
| 2004 | Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... | Banna | |
| 2005 | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero | Mohd Zaman Kiani (Chief of INA) | |
| 2006 | Kachchi Sadak | Randhir Singh Chaudhry | [13] |
| 2008 | Firaaq | Rajat | |
| 2009 | Well Done Abba | Rohan Kapoor | [24] |
| Jail | Abdul Gani | ||
| 2010 | Tere Bin Laden | Qureishi Ahmed | |
| 2011 | Chalo Dilli | Bhairon Singh Gurjar | |
| Delhi Belly | Rajeev Khanna | [25] | |
| Stanley Ka Dabba | School Principal | ||
| Hum Tum Shabana | Ravi Aggarwal | ||
| Chitkabrey | Jayan Mangatram Patel | ||
| 2012 | Chaar Din Ki Chandni | Lt. Shaitan Singh | |
| Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid | Veera Boxer | ||
| Khiladi 786 | Azad Reddy | ||
| Rush | Cujo | ||
| 2013 | Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story | Dutta Bhai | |
| Jal | Kisna Prasad | ||
| 2014 | Zed Plus | Inspector Rajesh | |
| 2015 | Satra Ko Shaadi Hai | Corporate honcho | |
| 2016 | Saadey CM Saab | Inder | Punjabi film |
| Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive | Radio Jockey/Voiceover artiste Qureshi | ||
| 2017 | The Ghazi Attack | Commander Razaq Moh'd. Khan | |
| Dragon | Surya | ||
| Rogue | Bilingual film | ||
| 2018 | Side A & Side B | Rajan | |
| Gauru: Journey of Courage | Jaisal Dhadvi | ||
| 2021 | Dhananjay | ||
| Wild Dog | Nawaz | Telugu film | |
| 2022 | 36 Farmhouse | Gajendra Singh | |
| Thar | Hanif Khan |
Television
edit| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Captain Vyom | Chandrakant "Chandu" Shastri | |
| 2013 | 24 | Vikrant Maharia | |
| Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India | Acharya Kriplani | [4] | |
| Sapno Ke Bhanwar Me | Brij Bhushan Singh - Politician (Main Lead - Antagonist) | ||
| 2016-2017 | Peshwa Bajirao | Aurangzeb | |
| 2018 | Chandrashekhar | Ram Prasad Bismil | |
| 2019–2020 | Meri Gudiya | Dr. Rudraksh Kaushal | [26] |
| 2020 | Damaged 2 | Deshraj Duggal | |
| 2021 | Naam Ghum Jayega | [27] | |
| 2023 | Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu | Hooda Sir |
References
edit- ^ "Rahul Singh, Rahul Singh Photo Gallery, Rahul Singh Wallpapers, Rahul Singh Videos, Fans, Gossip, News". Movies.sulekha.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ Rajesh, Srividya (14 April 2018). "Bollywood actor Rahul Singh to enter Star Bharat's Chandrashekar". IWMBuzz. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Performance-centric". The Hindu. 7 August 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ a b "The other Rahul". DNA India. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Even a Salman Khan needs a good script: Rahul Singh". The Times of India. 16 December 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ a b c Malhotra, Jatin (18 November 2009). "I have become addicted to Madhur Bhandarkar: Rahul Singh : Star Talk". topnews.in. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "When Rahul Singh met Madam M, Judi Dench". DNA India. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Akshay Kumar is Rahul Singh's 'godbrother'!". Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ a b Batish, Ashima S (2014). "Slow, steady and sure-footed". The Tribune. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "पहल:आईजी बिनीता के साथ जंगल में लेंटाना की झाड़ियां काट रहे बाॅलीवुड एक्टर राहुल सिंह". Dainik Bhaskar. 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "उदयपुर आईजी की मुहिम से जुड़े फिल्म अभिनेता राहुल सिंह". udaipurtimes.com (in Hindi). 1 September 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Rahul Singh's visit to Genesis Global School: On Screen Principal meets the off Screen Principal". Genesisglobalschool.com. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "Kachchi Sadak". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Jail bails out Rahul's talent". The Times of India. 11 November 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- ^ Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Anil Kapoor and team celebrate success of '24'". The Indian Express. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Akshay finds new action star for KHILADI 786 - bollywood news : glamsham.com". 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "पाकिस्तानी कमांडर बनने के बाद इस बॉलीवुड एक्टर ने देश से मांगी माफी". Dainik Bhaskar. 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Rahul Singh: I lost 18kg due to ill health but it helped me essay my new role on TV". The Times of India. 15 March 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Rahul Singh roped in for ULLU's next tentatively titled 'A Crime To Remember'". Mumbai Live. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive! Khiladi 786 fame Rahul Singh to be part of the web series 'Parth aur Jugnu'". Tellychakkar.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Akshay Praises actor Rahul Singh". Bollywood Bytes. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "rahul singh Filmography, Wallpapers, Pictures, Photo Gallery, News, Videos, Events & Parties". Glamsham.com. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Well Done Abba hits cinemas today". Hindustan Times. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Delhi Belly fame Rahul Singh joins star cast of Shaadi Ke Siyape". www.serialsindia.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Rahul Singh donning the wackiest outfits effortlessly in the show 'Meri Gudiya'". Tellychakkar.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive! Romiit Raaj and Rahul Singh roped in for Ullu's web series". Tellychakkar.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
External links
edit- Rahul Singh at IMDb
- Rahul Singh on Instagram