Meet actor who started as chorus singer, played younger Shah Rukh Khan, the first to earn a BAFTA Award nomination, learnt classical music, he is...

Before becoming a renowned actor, he began his career in the entertainment industry as a chorus singer, leveraging his training in Hindustani classical music. His acting debut was playing the younger version of Shah Rukh Khan in My Name Is Khan. Since then, there has been no looking back as he was offered roles in Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, and Karan Johan’s ventures, among others. In over a decade of his career, he has shared the screen with notable actors like Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao, among others. He also gained international recognition, becoming the first actor to receive BAFTA nominations.

Adarsh Gourav, born and brought up in Jharkhand, had his acting career take off after being spotted singing at the prestigious ‘Kala Ghoda Arts Festival’ in 2007.  After rounds of auditions, he cracked his first role in My Name is Khan, playing young Shah Rukh Khan. He trained at The Drama School in Mumbai and studied Hindustani classical music for 9 years. Gourav also explored Western music, singing for college bands Steepsky and Oak Island, which was featured on MTV Indies.
 

 

 

 

 

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During his final year in college, he bagged a project with Anurag Kashyap in Clean Shaven. He then landed lead roles in Rukh and Mom. To hone his craft, he attended The Drama School Mumbai in 2016. He underwent intensive training as a theatre actor for two full years.  He went on to work in various films, including Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Superboys of Malegaon, Kiss, and Woh Bhi Din The. But it was his portrayal of Balram Halwai in the Netflix film The White Tiger that earned him global recognition. Directed by Ramin Bahrani, the film also stars Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao. For his nuanced performance, he received nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and the BAFTA for Best Actor. 

Beyond movies, Adarsh also showcased his versatile acting skills in web shows, including Die Trying, Hostel Daze, Extrapolations, Guns & Gulaabs, and Leila, among others.  He was recently seen in the American science fiction horror television series Alien: Earth. Up next, he is set to make his south debut with a Telugu film with the untitled movie, produced by Jahnavi, daughter of RRR producer DVV Danayya.