Vijay Raaz

ned theatre group, ‘The Players’. He later performed at the National School of Drama before he had migrated to Mumbai.

Vijay Raaz is known for his versatile acting and as a film director and a prominent narrator in Hindi cinema. Recognized for his deep baritone voice and his sharp comic timing, he has built a massive cult following through his deadpan as well as known for his intense and gritty performances as an antagonist. 

Vijay Raaz had his breakthrough with some of the films such as Monsoon Wedding in 2001, for which he was critically acclaimed for playing the role of wedding planner P.K. Dubey. In 2004, he earned the pop culture status for his hilarious Kauwa Biryani and Chot Ganga sequences for which he had garnered appreciation from the audience. In Dhamaal 2007 as the air controller for the frantic flyers , his acting was hilarious and unforgettable. In Delhi Belly in 2011 and Dedh Ishqiya in 2014 wherein he showcased a range by portraying ruthless yet a comical gangster. He had received immense praises for playing the protagonist’s strict and abusive father in Gully Boy in 2019.

Vijay Raaz earned and IIFA Award nomination for his striking portrayal of Raziabai, a transgender underworld rival in the film Gangubai Kathiawadi in 2022.

Vijay had stepped into direction with 2014 partition-based war drama, Kya Dilli Kya Lahore. He continued his acting career in contemporary cinema and appeared in projects like Chandu Champion in 2024, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in 2024, Fateh and Udaipur Files in 2025.

Some of his other films are Ram Gopal Varma’s film Jungle in 2000 where he played a small but significant role. He did a cameo in Jaspal Bhatti’s television series Flop Show.

Naseeruddin Shah had seen his performance at the National School of Drama and recommended him to Mahesh Mathai for Bhopal Express and to Mira Nair for Monsoon Wedding. His first mainstream as a lead actor was in Raghu Romeo a box office success in which Vijay Raaz has depicted the role of a confused lower-class Indian. Raaz further garnered recognition for his comic roles in the 2004 Run, and subsequently had got roles in films like Welcome, Fool & Final, Deewane Huye Paagal.

In 2026 Vijay Raaz has a packed slate of Hindi film, headlined by his role as Dharamveer Singh in the romantic comedy Pati Patni Aur Who Doh directed by Mudassar Aziz wherein he plays Dharamveer Singh with the lead star cast Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, and in a dark comedy called Jeevan Bheema Yojana, he stars alongside Arshad Warsi in double role with Sanjeeda Shaikh.

He also features in an untitled Bazmee Project and is currently filming a high-profile comedy film featuring Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar and Raashii Khanna. In Faad directed by Vigyaan Dubey, and in Wahamm which is in post-production features him as Ranvijay Singh.

His other roles are as narrator in Chambal Paar, he is into post production for Pooja Meri Jaan and has completed another project called Lollypop since 1947.