Aditya Roy Kapur (born 16 November 1985) is an Indian actor who works in
Hindi films
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...
. After working as a
VJ, he made his acting debut with the musical drama ''
London Dreams'' (2009). Kapur had his first commercial success with the romance ''
Aashiqui 2
''Aashiqui 2'' () is a 2013 Indian romantic musical drama film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the Vishesh Films and T-Series Films, with Mahesh Bhatt also serving a ...
'' (2013). In the same year, the romantic comedy ''
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
''Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'' (), also abbreviated as ''YJHD'', is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Ayan Mukerji, written by Mukerji and Hussain Dalal, and produced by Karan Johar under Dharma Produc ...
'' emerged as his highest-grossing release, and won him the
IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor in addition to a nomination for the
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards starte ...
.
Following a career downturn, with critical and commercial failures such as ''
Daawat-e-Ishq'' (2014), ''
Fitoor'' (2016), ''
Ok Jaanu'' (2017) and ''
Kalank'' (2019), Kapur starred in the thriller film ''
Malang
Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
'' (2020), the black comedy ''
Ludo
Ludo (; ) is a Abstract strategy game, strategy-based board game for two to four players, in which the players race game, race their four from start to finish according to the rolls of a single dice, die. Like other cross and circle games, Ludo ...
'' (2020) and the thriller series ''
The Night Manager'' (2023).
Early life and family
Kapur was born in Bombay on 16 November 1985
to a
Punjabi Hindu
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...
father,
Kumud Roy Kapur, and a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
mother Salome Aaron.
His paternal grandfather, Raghupat Roy Kapur, was a film producer in the early 1940s.
Kapur is the youngest of the three siblings; his eldest brother,
Siddharth Roy Kapur, was the chief executive officer of
UTV Motion Pictures and is married to actress
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fil ...
. His second elder brother,
Kunaal Roy Kapur
Kunaal Roy Kapur (born 13 February 1979) is an Indian people, Indian actor, best known for his roles in ''Delhi Belly (film), Delhi Belly'' (2011), ''Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'' (2013) and ''TVF Tripling'' (2016–2022).
Background and personal l ...
, is also an actor.
His maternal grandparents, Sam and Ruby Aaron, were qualified dance teachers who introduced the Sama dance to India.
He did his schooling from G.D. Somani Memorial School in Cuffe Parade, where both his siblings studied and his mother directed school plays.
Kapur enrolled in St. Xavier's in Class XI, but failed. He had to enroll in
St. Andrew's College to avoid losing a year.
Subsequently, he graduated from
St. Xavier's College, affiliated to the
University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges.
It was est ...
.
During his school years, he wanted to be a cricketer but he quit cricket coaching after sixth standard.
Career
Early work and acting debut (2009–2012)
Kapur was initially a
VJ on the music channel
Channel V India
Channel India was an Indian television channel affiliated to the international Channel launched on 27 May 1994, as Channel South Beam on the AsiaSat 2 satellite. The channel owned by STAR India and 21st Century Fox broadcasts a mix of mu ...
, where his comic timing and "unique style of hosting" was appreciated.
He starred in a show titled ''Pakao'' and also hosted the popular show, ''India's Hottest'' with
VJ Bruna Abdullah till 2008.
Kapur made his acting debut with a supporting role in the musical drama ''
London Dreams'' (2009) starring
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...
,
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
and
Asin Thottumkal in lead roles. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a below-average grosser at the box-office. The series of supporting roles continued with his two releases in 2010–the
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
-
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
-starrer science-fiction romantic comedy ''
Action Replayy'' and the
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
-Rai-starrer drama ''
Guzaarish''. However, none of these films performed well at the box office but gained Kapur notice among the audience. For his performance in ''Guzaarish'', ''
Khaleej Times
''Khaleej Times'' is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched on 16 April 1978, ''Khaleej Times'' is the UAE's longest-running English daily newspaper.
History and profile
A partnership between the U ...
'' stated, "Kapur is natural and vivacious and in-sync with the film’s spirit of celebrating life."
Breakthrough and career fluctuations (2013–present)
Kapur achieved his breakthrough with the musical romance ''
Aashiqui 2
''Aashiqui 2'' () is a 2013 Indian romantic musical drama film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the Vishesh Films and T-Series Films, with Mahesh Bhatt also serving a ...
'' (2013) co-starring
Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987)Rishita Roy Chowdhury (3 March 2022)"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kapoor! Tiger Shroff to Anushka Sharma, celebs wish the actress" ''India Today''. said she turned 35 on 3 March 2022"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kap ...
. Premiering on 26 April 2013, ''Aashiqui 2'' emerged as a commercial success at the box-office and was one of the
highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2013, earning worldwide within the first four weeks.
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journ ...
of
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides n ...
praised his performance, writing that "...Aditya Roy Kapur's depiction of the intense character is outstanding...
hich
Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
clearly demonstrates his potency as an artist of caliber and competence." ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' critic
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-de ...
noted that Kapur "gives Rahul's angst a certain charm... He is earnest and broken."
The same year, Kapur played Avinash Arora in the romantic comedy ''
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
''Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'' (), also abbreviated as ''YJHD'', is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Ayan Mukerji, written by Mukerji and Hussain Dalal, and produced by Karan Johar under Dharma Produc ...
'', which not only became one of the
highest grossing Indian films but also the highest grossing film of his career. Praising him,
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand (born 13 March 1976) is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films rel ...
of ''
CNN-IBN
CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...
'' stated, "Aditya Roy Kapur is entirely likeable as the goofy Avi." While Rachit Gupta of ''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
'' opined, "Aditya seems to be picking up where he left off in ''Aashiqui 2'' and it works for him."
In 2014, he played Tariq Haider in the romantic comedy ''
Daawat-e-Ishq'' alongside
Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1987) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Parineeti Chopra, several accolades, including a Filmfare Awar ...
. The film released to average reviews by critics, and was financially unsuccessful. Sarita A. Tanwar of ''
Daily News and Analysis
The ''Daily News and Analysis'', abbreviated as ''DNA'', is a Hindi-language news program on Zee news that was earlier an English-language newspaper with multiple local city editions across India. ''DNA'' was first launched as a broadsheet newsp ...
'' stated, "Aditya play his part well and manages to hold his own but the film belongs to the leading lady." In 2016, Kapur starred as Noor Nizami in the romantic drama film ''
Fitoor'' alongside
Tabu and
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Rosemary Turcotte, 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received numerous accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee C ...
based on
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
' 1861 novel ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
''. Sweta Kaushal of ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' found Tabu and Aditya as "undoubtedly the best bets" in ''Fitoor''. Kapur also made cameo appearances in films ''
Dear Zindagi'' and ''
Welcome To New York''.
In 2017, Kapur starred as Aditya Gunjal in the romantic drama film ''
Ok Jaanu'' alongside
Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987)Rishita Roy Chowdhury (3 March 2022)"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kapoor! Tiger Shroff to Anushka Sharma, celebs wish the actress" ''India Today''. said she turned 35 on 3 March 2022"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kap ...
which received mixed reviews from critics, ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides n ...
'' wrote, "Aditya Roy Kapur plays his part well, though he struggles with the emotional scenes. His portrayal of an urban career oriented boy is very believable."
In 2019, he starred as Dev Chaudhry in the romantic drama film ''
Kalank'' alongside
Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. Known for Alia Bhatt filmography, her portrayals of women in challenging circumstances, she has received List of awards and nomin ...
,
Varun Dhawan and
Sonakshi Sinha
Sonakshi Sinha (; born 2 June 1987) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and series. The daughter of actors and politicians Poonam Sinha, Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha, she has appeared in ''Forbes India'' Forbes Celebrity 100, Celebrity ...
. The film received mixed reviews upon release, and was unsuccessful at the box office.
Shomini Sen of ''
WION
WION (World is One News) is an Indian English language news channel headquartered in Noida, India. WION is owned by the Essel Group and is a part of the Zee Media network of channels, whose majority owner is Subhash Chandra and family. As o ...
'' wrote, "Aditya, is pitch perfect as the righteous, lonesome Dev who is stuck between his two wives."

Kapur had three releases in 2020. He first starred as Adavit Thakur in the romantic action thriller ''
Malang
Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
'' alongside
Disha Patani
Disha Patani (; born 13 June 1992) is an Indian actress primarily working in Hindi films. Patani made her acting debut with the Telugu film '' Loafer'' (2015), and had her first Hindi film release with the biopic '' M.S. Dhoni: The Untold St ...
. Kapur's performance got positive reviews from critics. Harshada Rege of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' wrote, "Aditya impresses in the role of a guy whose life goes through a major upheaval. He shows restraint and finesses in his performance. The actor's physical transformation adds weight to all the kicks and punches he pulls in the film." ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides n ...
'' called his performance as "very convincing as a fearless man with a vengeance who can take on dozens of goons.
He then starred as Vishal Agnihotri in the road film ''
Sadak 2'' alongside
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films.
...
and
Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. Known for Alia Bhatt filmography, her portrayals of women in challenging circumstances, she has received List of awards and nomin ...
, which released on the streaming platform
Disney+ Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar, also known as JioHotstar or simply Hotstar, is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Disney Star. The brand was introduced as Hotstar for a streaming service carrying content from Di ...
. The film was universally panned by critics, with criticism for its performance, script, dialogues and use of clichés.
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-de ...
of ''
Film Companion
Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...
'' wrote, "The storytelling, performances dialogue, cinematography, songs, background music – all seem to belong to the 90's". He starred in the black comedy crime film ''
Ludo
Ludo (; ) is a Abstract strategy game, strategy-based board game for two to four players, in which the players race game, race their four from start to finish according to the rolls of a single dice, die. Like other cross and circle games, Ludo ...
'' as Aakash Chauhan alongside
Sanya Malhotra which released on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
as his last film of the year.
Tanul Thakur of ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
'' noted, "Kapur is easily the best of the lot, assured, funny, relaxed, lending Ludo the breeziness it badly needs."
Kapur and
Sanjana Sanghi
Sanjana Sanghi (born 2 September 1996) is an Indian actress and model who works in Hindi films. She made her acting debut as a child artist in the 2011 film '' Rockstar'' and after appearing in a few supporting roles, she had her breakthrough w ...
starred in the action thriller film ''
Rashtra Kavach Om''.
It released theatrically in 2022 with received negative response from critics towards the storyline eventually became
Box office bomb
A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...
. Nairita Mukherjee of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' wrote "Aditya Roy Kapur's glistening biceps, though impressive, may not be strong enough to hold the weight of this strictly average actioner".
In 2023, Kapur starred in ''
The Night Manager'', a remake of the British television series of the
same name, playing the part originally played by
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is a British actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with ''Thor (film), Thor'' in 2011 and incl ...
.
Saibal Chatterjee
Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, editor and documentary screenwriter. He was a columnist at ''BBC News'', ''Business Standard'', ''Hindustan Times'' and '' The Financial Express''. He has also written for ''The Telegraph'', ''The Tim ...
of ''
NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy.
NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
'' opined, "Kapur's performance isn't a patch on Hiddleston's. But the adaptation allows him to be himself. That works to his advantage." In April 2023 he starred in ''
Gumraah'' alongside
Mrunal Thakur, which was the Hindi remake of the 2019 Tamil film ''
Thadam''. Zinia Bandyopadhyay of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' noted, "Aditya Roy Kapur is earnest in playing both the characters and tries to make you feel how they are starkly different from each other with his performance." The film underperformed commercially, becoming a box-office disaster.
Kapur will be next seen in ''Metro… In Dino'' in 2024 alongside
Sara Ali Khan, directed by
Anurag Basu
Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1970) is an Indian director, screenwriter, actor and producer in Hindi cinema. He is best known for films that tackle bold themes of passion, envy, and adultery.
After initial setbacks, he achieved his breakthrough with ...
.
Other work and media image

In addition to acting, Kapur is a football enthusiast and supports charities and organisations.
He has often participated in football matches for charity. Kapur has also been involved with the "Pillars Of Humanity" initiative by the Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust, and has also contributed to the environment, with planting 150 trees with
Pragya Kapoor.
Kapur performed in various cities in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
for the "Dream Team" tour in August 2016, alongside
Karan Johar
Karan Yash Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful ac ...
,
Varun Dhawan,
Sidharth Malhotra,
Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1987) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Parineeti Chopra, several accolades, including a Filmfare Awar ...
,
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Rosemary Turcotte, 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received numerous accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee C ...
,
Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. Known for Alia Bhatt filmography, her portrayals of women in challenging circumstances, she has received List of awards and nomin ...
and
Badshah.
Kapur is frequently featured in the
Times 50 Most Desirable Men list. He was ranked 28th in 2018, 11th in 2019 and 3rd in 2020 Kapur is a celebrity endorser for brands and products, including
Nautica,
Diesel,
Oppo
Oppo (sometimes stylized as OPPO) is a private company, private China, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong.
Founded in 2004, its major product lines include Oppo phones, smartphones, Smart device, sm ...
and
Slice among others. In 2019, Kapur launched his own fashion label named Single, in partnership with Universal Sportsbiz. Kapur was included in ''
Femina Indias list of "Beautiful Indians 2022". He won the Standout Performer Of The Year - Male, at the ceremony for winning hearts on-screen and making the world a better place off-screen. ''
GQ India'' placed Kapur in their list of "Best Dressed Indians" of 2021.
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of Indian film actors
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapur, Aditya Roy
1985 births
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Living people
Male actors from Mumbai
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni
Indian video jockeys
21st-century Indian male actors
Punjabi Hindus
Indian male actors
Screen Awards winners
International Indian Film Academy Awards winners
University of Mumbai alumni
Indian Jews
8