Aftab Shivdasani

Indian actor and producer Aftab Shivdasani studied at St.Xaviers High School and H.R. College. He had always been in front of the camera since a young age and knew that he wanted to pursue a career in acting.

His acting career started from the age of seven with him featuring in over three hundred commercials and six Hindi feature films including the iconic film, "Mr India," in 1987 at the age of nine.

As a child actor he also featured in, "Awwal Number," "Shahenshah," "ChaalBaaz," "Insaniyat," and "CID."

In 1999, at the age of 21, Aftab made his big debut as the lead role in Ram Gopal Varma's film, "Mast," opposite Urmila Matondkar. The film won him commercial acclaim for his performance leading him to win the Zee cine award for "Best male debut," and the Star Screen award for the "Most Promising Newcomer - Male."

In 2001, Shivdasani shocked the audience by portraying a negative character which was completely opposite to his character in his first film, he went from the loveable guy next door to playing a cold blooded murderer in "Kasoor". This performance of his earned him a Filmfare nomination for the "Best Villain," and a Zee cine Award for the "Best Actor in a negative role."

In Ram Gopal Varma's, "Love Ke Liya Kuch Bhi Karenga," audiences were able to then see a funnier side of the actor where his chemistry and comic timing in his scenes with Johnny Lever were much talked about as one of the highlights of the film. Later that year "Pyaar Ishq aur Mohabbat," also released.

In 2002 Shivdasani had five releases, "Koi Mere dil se Pooche," "Kya Yehi Pyaar hai," "Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani, "Pyaasa," and his multi starrer, "Awara Paagal Deewana," which became the seventh highest grossing film of that year.

2003 saw him in the thriller/horror, "Darna Mana Hai," where his short story, "Stop/Move" gave him a lot of critical acclaim. His next release was Priyadarshan's cult comedy film, "Hungama," which was a huge box office success. Again his comic timing in the film was largely talked about especially his confrontation scene with co-actor Akshaye Khanna which became an iconic scene for years to come. His third release of the year was with director Vikram Bhatt in the action drama "Footpath" where he played an undercover cop. That performance also won him a lot of praise from the critics.

2004 saw the release of "Suno Sasurjee," "Muskaan," "Shukriya," and "Masti." Indra Kumar's comedy film, "Masti," became a huge success due to it being one of the first adult comedies in India. It gained a cult following and was a huge box office success.

In 2005, Shivdasani's "Mr Ya Miss," "Koi Aap Sa," released. 2006 saw the releases of, "Shaadi Se Pehle," "Ankhahee," "Darwaza Bandh Rakho," and "Jaane Hoga Kya."

2007 to 2008 saw the releases of "Nishabd," "Red: The Dark Side," "Life Mein Kabhie Kabhiee," "Speed," "Dus Kahaniyaan," "De Taali," and "Money Hai Toh Honey Hai."

Shivdasani has been well appreciated as a versatile actor throughout the variety of films that he has featured in.

2009 saw Shivdasani co-write, produce, and act in the fairy tale "Aao Wish Karein." His portrayal of the innocent twelve year old boy shone through with audiences falling in love with his effortless performance.

"Aloo Chaat," "Daddy Cool," "Kambakkht Ishq," and "Acid Factory," all released that same year. Shivdasani was appreciated for all his performances throughout. The following year, "Bin Bulaye Baraati," was released.

In 2012, Shivdasani returned to horror, with "1920: The Evil Returns," which became a huge hit at the box office earning him a lot of commercial and critical praise.

"Grand Masti," a sequel to the 2004 blockbuster "Masti," released next in 2013. It was a huge success grossing over 100 crores at the box office, gaining an even larger cult status.

"Kyaa Kool Hai Hum," a third part of the hit franchise of the same name was another hit at the box office in 2016 for Shivdasani. The third sequel to "Masti," "Great Grand Masti," also released in 2016 garnering a lot of commercial appreciation from the audiences.

2018 saw the release of, "Bhaskar Oru Rascal," in Tamil where he played the negative in the film.

2020 saw Shivdasani enter the web space for the first time. He made his debut with the revenge thriller series "Poison 2," for Zee5. The series was one of the top 5 most watched shows of 2020 and won him a lot of critical acclaim.

That year, he also launched his production company "Mount Zen Media," with his wife, Nin Dusanj Shivdasani. The husband and wife duo have been developing a number of projects since then.

In 2021, Shivdasani's first Sandalwood movie "Kotigobba3" released, where he played an Interpol officer. The film went on to become a blockbuster and his stoic performance was appreciated by all.

In November 2021, Aftab's second web show released on Disney plus Hotstar. He starred as Vijay Kumar, a R&AW officer in "Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story," the prequel to Neeraj Panday's hit series "Special Ops." The show went on to becoming the most watched show of 2021 and his performance received commercial and critical appreciation from all and was also hailed as the surprise package of the season.

With over 50 films and counting to his credit, Shivdasani keeps going from strength to strength constantly showing audiences various facets of his acting ability. His motto is to keep learning and keep evolving as an actor on screen as well as in life.