Neil Nitin Mukesh

Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter known for his work in Hindi films.

He is the son of playback singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of singer Mukesh.

Neil was born as Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur on 15 January 1982 in Bombay (presently Mumbai), Maharashtra, India.

His father is Bollywood playback singer Nitin Mukesh, son of veteran singer Mukesh.

His paternal grandmother was a Gujarati Shrimali Brahmin while his paternal grandfather was a Mathur Kayastha from Delhi.

He was named by Lata Mangeshkar after the American astronaut Neil Armstrong.

The actor was cast as Chopra's first husband, Major Edwin Rodriques, an arrogant, jealous and possessive army officer who lost a leg in Punjab's Operation Blue Star in 1984.

He debuted as a child artist in Vijay (1988) and Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii (1989), and would go on to make his full-fledged debut playing the title role in Johnny Gaddaar (2007).

As a child, he appeared in Vijay (1988) and Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii (1989) as the younger versions of Rishi Kapoor and Govinda respectively.

Neil was educated at HR College in Mumbai, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in commerce at his father's insistence.

He then decided to pursue a career in acting, despite being born into a family of singers.

In an interview with The Times of India, the actor said "singing is my hobby, but acting is my passion. A passion that even my grand-dad harboured. So, while my father continued his legacy and became a singer, I pursued his other passion. I am living his dream".

Neil trained at a four-month workshop at the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, and received training from actor Anupam Kher.

Mukesh made his debut in Sriram Raghavan's 2007 thriller Johnny Gaddaar.

His portrayal of a crook received positive reviews from critics and earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama described Neil as a "complete natural": "The youngster carries off the part with dexterity. There's just one word to describe his performance – superb!"

However, despite critical acclaim, the film failed to do well at the box office.

Since then, he has starred in New York (2009), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Golmaal Again (2017), and Saaho (2019).

His first 2009 film was the science-fiction thriller Aa Dekhen Zara.

Co-starring with Bipasha Basu, he played a struggling photographer who inherits a camera (whose photos predict the future) from his scientist grandfather.

The film was a critical and commercial failure.

His performance received mixed reviews from critics; while Nikhat Kazmi described him as charming and effortless, Raja Sen of Rediff.com said he "seems to have cleverly picked another character that doesn't require him to act much beyond the fish-out-of-water routine".

His major breakthrough came with Kabir Khan's drama thriller New York with John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Irrfan Khan.

Exploring the aftermath of the 9/11, the film was a critical and commercial success, earning over inr 610000000 worldwide.

His performance was praised by critics, earning him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Subhash K. Jha wrote: "Neil as the sophomore with stars and stripes in his eyes is fully convincing credible and supportive of the two central performances."

His final film of the year was Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail, a drama revolving around the cruel reality faced by prisoners in Indian jails.

The film's aesthetically shot nude scene (demonstrating the torture Mukesh's character received in jail) and a masturbation scene sparked controversy; as a result, the latter scene was shortened.

Mukesh remarked, "My nude or masturbation scenes are not for titillation. It's a very practical need in the script. My character is in jail without sex for 2-1/2 years. What does he do? He naturally seeks pleasure by himself."

A commercial failure, the film and his performance were praised by critics.

Taran Adarsh wrote: "Not only does Neil Nitin Mukesh deliver his finest performance to date, but the performance would easily rank amongst the finest this year. He conveys the pathos and helplessness that this character demands with amazing understanding. He deserves all praise for his extra-ordinary portrayal."

In 2010, Mukesh featured in Pradeep Sarkar's action drama Lafangey Parindey with Deepika Padukone.

While the film received mixed reviews, his portrayal of a fighter was appreciated by critics.

According to Sify's Sonia Chopra, Neil's "underplayed acting style complements the character's sketch perfectly".

Blessy Chettiar of Daily News and Analysis noted: "He looks great in every frame and carries off [the character's] rugged demeanour with panache."

Lafangey Parindey was a moderate commercial success, with a worldwide revenue of inr 310000000.

Neil then starred in Sudhir Mishra's dramatic thriller Tera Kya Hoga Johnny.

He has also been a brand ambassador to one of the leading clothing brands of the country, Oxemberg, in April 2010.

The following year Mukesh starred in Vishal Bhardwaj's 7 Khoon Maaf, a black comedy-drama (based on Ruskin Bond's short story Susanna's Seven Husbands) featuring Priyanka Chopra as a woman who murders her seven husbands in an unending quest for love.

He made his Tamil film debut with Kaththi (2014) and Telugu film debut with Kavacham (2018).