Nikitin Dheer

Nikitin Dheer is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films, and Hindi television. Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with the film Jodhaa Akbar. He is best known for portraying Astika in Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha (2016-2017) and Ravana in Shrimad Ramayan (2024). Dheer has appeared in successful films such as Ready (2011), Chennai Express (2013), Kanche (2015), Shershaah (2021) and Sooryavanshi (2021), and the series Indian Police Force (2024).

Nikitin Dheer
Dheer at the success bash of his 2013 film Chennai Express
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2008–present
Spouse	Kratika Sengar ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	1
Father	Pankaj Dheer

Early life

Dheer is Punjabi and is the son of actor Pankaj Dheer.^[1][2]

Career

Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama Jodhaa Akbar, in which he co-starred alongside Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as Sharifuddin Hussain, Akbar's brother-in-law.^[3] While the film earned critical appreciation and box office success, Dheer received praise for his role, with noted critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioning him as "fantastic".^[4] The same year he acted alongside Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan in Apoorva Lakhia's unremarkable action thriller Mission Istaanbul.

In 2011, Dheer appeared in Anees Bazmee's comedy Ready, alongside Salman Khan and Asin. The following year, he had a supporting role in Arbaaz Khan's action film Dabangg 2 alongside Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha and Prakash Raj. In 2013, he featured as the primary antagonist in Rohit Shetty's action comedy Chennai Express with Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. For his role as Tangaballi, a dreaded Tamil goon, Dheer was asked to gain more muscle and work on his accent.^[5][6] His physique in the film was received warmly; Mohar Basu noted that Dheer is "robust" although "hardly has a role enough to perform".^[7]

Personal life

Dheer married actress Kratika Sengar on 3 September 2014 in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, in Mumbai.^[2][8] Sengar gave birth to their daughter, Devika, on 12 May 2022.^[9][10]

Filmography

Films

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Year	Title	Role	Language	Notes	Ref.
2008	Jodhaa Akbar	Sharifuddin Hussain	Hindi		[11]
	Mission Istaanbul	Al Gazni
2011	Ready	Aryan Chaudhary
2012	Dabangg 2	Chunni
2013	Chennai Express	Thangaballi			[12]
2015	Kanche	Eeshwar Prasad	Telugu
2016	Housefull 3	Rohan Patel	Hindi
	Freaky Ali	Danger Bhai
2017	Goutham Nanda	Gowda	Telugu
	Mister	Rahul Wadayar
2018	Paak	Waqaar	Hindi
2021	Shershaah	Ajay "Jassi" Singh Jasrotia			[13]
	Sooryavanshi	Mukhtar Ansari / Vivek Shastri
	Antim: The Final Truth	Daya Bagare			[14]
2022	Khiladi	Bala Singham	Telugu
	Cirkus	Dev Chauhan	Hindi	Cameo appearance
2024	Martin	Mushtaq	Kannada		[15]
2025	Housefull 5	Captain Sameer	Hindi		[16]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2011	Dwarkadheesh Bhagwan Shree Krishn	Kalayavana
2014	Fear Files	Himself (Narrator)
2014	Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 5	Contestant	2nd runner-up
2016–2017	Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha	Astika		[17]
2017–2018	Ishqbaaaz	Dr. Veer Singh Oberoi
2019	Naagin 3	Huqum
2024	Shrimad Ramayan	Ravana		[18]

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2020–2022	Raktanchal	Waseem Khan	2 seasons	[19]
2024	Indian Police Force	Rana Virk		[20]
TBA	Rakt Brahmand †	TBA	Filming	[21][22]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2009	Stardust Awards	The New Menace	Jodhaa Akbar	Won	[23]
2014	Zee Cine Awards	Best Actor in a Negative Role	Chennai Express	Nominated	[24]
2024	Indian Television Academy Awards	Best Actor in a Negative Role	Shrimad Ramayan	Won	[25]
2025	Indian Telly Awards	Best Actor in a Negative Role		Nominated	[26]