Rajesh Tailang

Tailang was born in Bikaner, Rajasthan, to Shrikrishna Tailang.^[6][7] His brother, the late Sudhir Tailang, was a noted political cartoonist and a recipient of the Padma Shri. Tailang is an alumnus of the National School of Drama.^[8] Tailang married Shalini Yadav in 2000.^[9] The couple later divorced in 2016. They have one son.^[9]

Tailang began his acting career in 1994 with DD National's first daily soap, Shanti – Ek Ghar Ki Kahani.^[10][11] His first film appearance was in Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa.^[12] He went on to appear in films such as Jayate, Thakshak, Dev, Mangal Pandey, and Amal, along with several television serials and telefilms.^[11][13]

In 2013, Tailang gained mainstream recognition with the film Siddharth, directed by Richie Mehta, for which he received a nomination for Best Actor at the Canadian Screen Awards.^[14] The film received positive reviews from international critics, who particularly praised Tailang's performance.^[15][16][17]

In 2015, he appeared in several notable projects, including Umrika, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Phantom.^[18][19]

He further expanded his filmography with roles in Omerta, Mukkabaaz, Haseena Parkar, and Aiyaari. His portrayal of Ramakant Pandit in the web series Mirzapur, Mohan Kumar in Selection Day, Bhupendra Singh in Delhi Crime, and Rajendra Rathore in Bandish Bandits brought him wide recognition in the OTT space.^[20][21][22]

He later appeared in films such as Commando 3, Panga, Comedy Couple, Pagglait, Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 – Agni Pariksha, Chhatriwali, and Ulajh.^[21][23][24]

Tailang has also featured in several web series, including Rangbaaz, Dahan, Crackdown, and Trial by Fire.^[25][26]

Tailang authored the poetry collection Chaand Pe Chai, published by Vani Prakashan in 2022.^[27][28]