Mukul Dev
Indian actor (1970–2025)
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Mukul Dev Kaushal (/ˈmʊkʊl dɛv ˈkaʊʃəl/; 17 September 1970 – 23 May 2025) was an Indian television and film actor. He was renowned for his roles in Hindi and Punjabi films, TV series, and music albums, and also appeared in Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu films.[1]
17 September 1970
Early life
Mukul Dev was born in New Delhi into a Punjabi family with roots in a village near Jalandhar[2] and grew up in Delhi. He was the younger brother of actor and model Rahul Dev.[3] They also have a sister. He studied at St. Columba's School, Delhi.[4]
Mukul stated that he was exposed to Afghan culture through his father, who could speak Pashto and Persian.[5] His father, Hari Dev, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, died on April 17, 2019, at the age of 91.[6]
In class 8, he won his first pay cheque when he impersonated Michael Jackson for a dance show organized by Doordarshan.[7] He was a trained pilot from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi.[8]
Career
Television
Mukul Dev made his acting debut on TV as Piyush Raheja in the first of its kind Indian television series called A Mouthful of Sky which aired in 1995 on DD National. It was the first serial in English to be produced in India. He also later acted in the serial Mumkin playing the role of Vijay Pandey in 1996.[9] He also acted in Doordarshan's Ek Se Badkar Ek, a comedy Bollywood countdown show.
He was also the host of Fear Factor India Season 1.[10] He acted in several television serials in the 2000s such as Kahin Diyaa Jale Kahin Jiyaa (2001), Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2003) and Pyar Zindagi Hai (2003). He participated in the dance competition show Kabhi Kabhii Pyaar Kabhi Kabhii Yaar in 2008.[11]
In 2018, he appeared in 65 episodes of the television series 21 Sarfarosh - Saragarhi 1897.
Films
Dev was spotted by Amitabh Bachchan's company ABCL and got a role for a movie titled Naam Kya Hai but it got shelved.[7] He made his film debut in 1996 with Dastak[12] as ACP Rohit Malhotra in the same movie which also introduced Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen. He appeared in several films such as Qila (1998), Wajood (1998), Mere Do Anmol Ratan (1998), Kohram (1999) and Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (2001). He also appeared in many regional films in Punjabi, Bengali and Telugu languages.
In recent years he played supporting roles in the Hindi films Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Son of Sardaar (2012), R... Rajkumar (2013) and Jai Ho (2014).
Shortly before his death, he shot for Son of Sardaar 2 which will mark his final film appearance.[13]
Death
In May 2025, Dev was hospitalised for an illness. His health worsened and despite being moved to the intensive care unit, he died in New Delhi on 23 May, at the age of 54.[14][15][16][17]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dastak | ACP Rohit Malhotra | Hindi | |
| 1998 | Wajood | Inspector Nihal Joshi | [18] | |
| Iski Topi Uske Sarr | Raj | |||
| Himmatwala | Suraj | |||
| Qila | Amar A. Singh | |||
| Mere Do Anmol Ratan | Surinder (Suren) | |||
| Sar Aakhon Par | Himself[19] | |||
| 1999 | Kohram | Monty | ||
| 2001 | Ittefaq | Vikram Singh | ||
| Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao | Monty | |||
| Guru Mahaaguru | Ajay | |||
| 2003 | Hawayein | Punjabi | ||
| 2005 | Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena | Bhatia | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Chor Mandli | Hero | ||
| 2007 | Just Married | Shoib Mirza | ||
| 2008 | De Taali | Sunil | ||
| Krishna | Jakka | Telugu | ||
| 2009 | Rajani | Jakka | Kannada | |
| Ek Niranjan | Kailash | Telugu | ||
| Sidham | Bilal | |||
| 2010 | Kedi | Human Bomb | ||
| Adhurs | Rasool | |||
| 2011 | Bejawada | Vijay Krishna | ||
| Abhisandhi | Bengali | |||
| Money Money, More Money | Abbas | Telugu | ||
| Yamla Pagla Deewana | Gurmeet 'Billa' Singh Brar | Hindi | ||
| 2012 | Burrraahh | Gurpartap Singh Nazi | Punjabi | |
| Son of Sardaar | Tony Sandhu | Hindi | ||
| Awara | Tony Bharadwaj | Bengali | ||
| Chaar Din Ki Chandni | Udaybhan | Hindi | ||
| Nippu | Shankar Khakha | Telugu | ||
| 2013 | R... Rajkumar | Qamar Ali | Hindi | |
| Bhai | Anthony | Telugu | ||
| Heer and Hero | Inspector Zaildar | Punjabi | ||
| War Chhod Na Yaar | Afghani Ghuspetia | Hindi | ||
| 2014 | Creature 3D | Professor Sadana | ||
| Bachchan | Underworld King Master | Bengali | ||
| Baaz | Darbara | Punjabi | ||
| Jal | Hindi | |||
| Jai Ho | Shreekanth Paatil | |||
| 2015 | Meeruthiya Gangsters | R.K. Singh | ||
| Bhaag Johny | ACP Pathan | |||
| Shareek | Dara Brar | Punjabi | ||
| Ishq Vich: You Never Know[20] | Unknown | |||
| Hero 'Naam Yaad Rakhi' | Jeet | |||
| 2016 | Saka - The Martyrs of Nankana Sahib | Sardar Kartar Singh Jhabbar | ||
| Nagarahavu | Cameo | Kannada | ||
| Zorawar | Samarjeet Singh | Punjabi | ||
| Jora 10 Numbaria | Shera | |||
| 2018 | Pagalpanti | Inspector Ram Sharma | Gujarati | |
| Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle | Arru Bhai | Hindi | ||
| My Story | Sunil | Malayalam | ||
| Sultan: The Saviour | Dinesh Roy / Sarkaar | Bengali | ||
| Nirdosh | Rana | Hindi | ||
| Omerta | – | Screenwriter[21] | ||
| 2019 | Daaka | Inspector Kuldeep Singh | Punjabi | |
| Saak | Karam Singh's friend | |||
| Barefoot Warriors | Daman Singh | English | ||
| Munda Faridkotia | Darvesh | Punjabi | ||
| Sarabha: Cry for Freedom | Harnam Singh Tundilat | Also released in English and Hindi | ||
| 3rd Eye | Malik | Hindi | ||
| 2022 | Anth The End | |||
| 2025 | Son of Sardaar 2 | Tony Sandhu | Hindi | Posthumous release |
Television
| Year | Serial | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | A Mouthful of Sky | Piyush | ||
| 1996 | Mumkin | Vijay Pandey | ||
| 2000–2003 | Gharwali Uparwali | Ravi | [22] | |
| 2002 | Hare Kanch Ki Chudian | Amar | Telefilm | |
| 2002 | Ek Tukdaa Chaand Ka | Akash Kapoor | ||
| 2002 | Kahin Diyaa Jale Kahin Jiyaa | Rohit Rajvansh | [23] | |
| 2003 | Kutumb | Abhijat Desai | ||
| 2003–2004 | Gharwali Uparwali Aur Sunny | Ravi | [24] | |
| 2004 | Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat - Kab Kaisey Kahan | Himanshu | One episode | |
| Bhabhi | Tilak Chopra | [24] | ||
| 2004–2006 | K. Street Pali Hill | Arindam Keshav | ||
| 2005 | Kasshish | Aman | ||
| 2006 | Fear Factor India | Host | [24] | |
| Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai - Waaris | Kunwar Virendra Pratap Singh | One episode | [24] | |
| 2008 | Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan | Pulkit | ||
| Arslaan | Zakfaar | [25] | ||
| Kabhi Kabhii Pyaar Kabhi Kabhii Yaar | Himself | Winner | [26] | |
| 2009 | Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai - Thakur Ki Dulhan | Thakur Virendra Pratap Singh | ||
| 2018 | 21 Sarfarosh - Saragarhi 1897 | Gul Badshah | [26] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Maaya Season 3 | Dr. Akash Arora | |
| 2020 | State Of Siege: 26/11 | Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi | [27][28][29] |
Dubbing roles
Live action films
| Title | Actor(s) | Character(s) | Dubbed Language | Original Language | Original year release | Dubbed year release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Panther | Andy Serkis | Ulysses Klaue | Hindi | English | 2018 | 2018 | Pawan Shukla dubbed this character in Avengers: Age of Ultron |
| Captain Marvel | Jude Law | Yon-Rogg | Hindi | English | 2019 | 2019 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan | Won | [30] |
| 2019 | Indian Telly Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role (Jury) | 21 Sarfarosh – Saragarhi 1897 | Won | [31] |