Rithvik Dhanjani (born 5 November 1988) is an Indian actor who primarily works in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
television and web shows. He made his acting debut in 2009, portraying Parth in ''
Bandini''. Dhanjani earned wider recognition with his portrayal of Arjun Digvijay Kirloskar in ''
Pavitra Rishta
''Pavitra Rishta'' (International title: ''Sacred Relationship'') is a 2009 Indian soap opera produced by Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms, that aired on Zee TV from 1 June 2009 to 25 October 2014. It is an adaptation of Tamil television serie ...
''. He is a recipient of one
Indian Telly Award
The Indian Telly Awards is an annual award for excellence both on-screen and behind-the-scenes of Hindi-language television. Conceptualised and created by Anil Wanvari, the founder, CEO of media and services group, indiantelevision.com, they a ...
and
Gold Award each, along with other nominations.
Dhanjani had his first success with ''
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani'' (translation: ''This is a Story of Love'') is an Indian supernatural television series produced by Ekta Kapoor that aired on STAR One from 18 October 2010 to 15 December 2011. Developed under the working title "Fanaa ...
'', where he was seen portraying Jay Khurana. His film debut ''
Jo Hum Chahein
''Jo Hum Chahein'' () is a 2011 Hindi romance film directed by Pawan Gill, starring Sunny Gill, Simran Mundi, Alyy Khan and Achint Kaur. It is a debut film for both the lead actors and the director. The film was released on 16 December 2011 to ...
'' (2011), failed to leave a mark. 2013, marked a turning point in his career when he turned host with ''
Yeh Hai Aashiqui
''Yeh Hai Aashiqui'' () is an Indian Hindi-language television romance anthology series that premiered on 25 August 2013 on Bindass. It presents dramatisations of the real life love stories created by Vikas Gupta. The show went off air on 7 Aug ...
'' and his success there led to him hosting other shows including ''
India's Next Superstars
''India's Next Superstars'' is an Indian talent search reality television show which aired on Star Plus and streamed on Hotstar. It was judged by Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty. Aman Gandotra and Natasha Bharadwaj were declared as winners, while ...
'', ''
Super Dancer
''Super Dancer'' is an Indian Hindi-language kids dance reality television series, which airs on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Entertainment Television Asia. The show is produced by Ranjeet Thakur and Hemant Ruprell for their productio ...
'', ''
India's Best Dramebaaz
''India's Best Dramebaaz'' is a talent-search Indian reality television show on Zee TV which has children between the ages of 4–15 years as the participants. The show is produced by the Essel Productions.
Concept
Unlike music and dance show ...
'' and ''
So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
''. He made his web debut with ''
I Don't Watch TV
I Don't Watch TV is an Indian sitcom web series which premiered on 15 April 2016 and stream on Arré and YouTube. This show is produced by Nakuul Mehta, Alekh Sangal and Ajay Singh. This web series is based on the real life of the Indian tele ...
'' (2016) and has been part of successful web series including ''
XXX
XXX may refer to:
Codes and symbols
* 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX
* XXX, designating pornography
** XXX, an X rating#United_States, X rating
** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites
* XXX, a symbol of the straight ...
'' (2018) and ''
Cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
'' (2021).
In addition to acting, Dhanjani has won reality shows such as ''
Nach Baliye 6
''Nach Baliye'' () is an Indian Hindi-language celebrity dance reality television series that airs on Star Plus.
Production Concept
The show is a competition wherein 10 television celebrity couples compete against each other. Contestants dance ...
'', with his then partner Asha Negi and ''
I Can Do That''.
Early life
Dhanjani was born on 5 November 1988 in Mandsaur,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
. His family, who's
Sindhi, moved to
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
soon after he was born.
He has a younger sister named Heena Dhanjani. He did his schooling in Dubai and complete his graduation from City of London College,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In his college days, he was into acting, modeling and hosting shows.
Later, Dhanjani got involved in theater for as long as two and a half years. After doing theatre and events in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, he decided to shift to
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
to become an actor.
He then did an acting course from the
Kishore Namit Kapoor
Kishore Namit Kapoor (born 1949) is an Indian actor, author and acting teacher. He has trained some of the most prominent film and television actors of the Hindi industry including Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Ranveer Singh ...
Institute before entering the television industry.
Personal life
Dhanjani met actress
Asha Negi
Asha Negi (born 23 August 1989) is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing Purvi Deshmukh in ''Pavitra Rishta'' and Gauravi Karmarkar in ''Baarish''. In 2010, Negi debuted into television with the role of Madhura in ''Sapnon Se ...
on the set of ''
Pavitra Rishta
''Pavitra Rishta'' (International title: ''Sacred Relationship'') is a 2009 Indian soap opera produced by Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms, that aired on Zee TV from 1 June 2009 to 25 October 2014. It is an adaptation of Tamil television serie ...
'' in 2011 and later they began dating each other.
Dhanjani and Negi parted ways in May 2020, after dating for 7 years.
Career
Debut and early roles (2009–2012)
Dhanjani began his acting career with a cameo in ''
Bandini'' in 2009, where he played Parth, a negative character. He then portrayed supporting parts of Prithvi Pundir in ''
Bairi Piya
"Bairi Piya" is a song from the 2002 Bollywood film, ''Devdas''. The song is composed by Ismail Darbar and sung by Shreya Ghoshal along with Udit Narayan. The lyrics were penned by Nusrat Badr. The song features Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan ...
'' from 2009 to 2010 and Partho Rawal in ''
Tere Liye'' in 2010.
He had his big break with ''
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani'' (translation: ''This is a Story of Love'') is an Indian supernatural television series produced by Ekta Kapoor that aired on STAR One from 18 October 2010 to 15 December 2011. Developed under the working title "Fanaa ...
'' where he played the antagonist, Jay Khurana from 2010 to 2011, who was a werewolf and in love with
Sukirti Kandpal
Sukirti Kandpal (born 20 November 1988) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Hindi television. She is known for portraying leading role of Dr. Riddhima Gupta in ''Dill Mill Gayye'' and Piya Dobriyal in ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani''.
In ...
's character. In 2011, he made his film debut with ''
Jo Hum Chahein
''Jo Hum Chahein'' () is a 2011 Hindi romance film directed by Pawan Gill, starring Sunny Gill, Simran Mundi, Alyy Khan and Achint Kaur. It is a debut film for both the lead actors and the director. The film was released on 16 December 2011 to ...
'', portraying Akash. The film received mixed to negative reviews and was a box-office failure. He also worked in the short film, ''Aftermath'' portraying Ali.
In June 2012 Rithvik entered ''
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 is the fifth season of the dance reality show, '' Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa''. It premiered on 16 June 2012 on Colors and concluded on 30 September 2012. The series was hosted by Manish Paul and Ragini Khanna.
Contestants Status ...
'' as wild card entry and became the second runner up.
Establishment as an actor and presenter (2013-2019)
![Ekta Kapoor introduces the new cast of Pavitra Rishta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Ekta_Kapoor_introduces_the_new_cast_of_Pavitra_Rishta.jpg)
Dhanjani's portrayal of Arjun Digvijay Kirloskar opposite
Asha Negi
Asha Negi (born 23 August 1989) is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing Purvi Deshmukh in ''Pavitra Rishta'' and Gauravi Karmarkar in ''Baarish''. In 2010, Negi debuted into television with the role of Madhura in ''Sapnon Se ...
in
Balaji Telefilms
Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas, reality TV, comedy, game shows, entertainment, and factual programming in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms is promoted by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and is a ...
's ''
Pavitra Rishta
''Pavitra Rishta'' (International title: ''Sacred Relationship'') is a 2009 Indian soap opera produced by Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms, that aired on Zee TV from 1 June 2009 to 25 October 2014. It is an adaptation of Tamil television serie ...
'' proved as a major turning point in his career. He portrayed the character from 2011 to 2014. Dhanjani won
Indian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Indian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award given bIndiantelevision.comas part of its annual Indian Telly Awards for TV serials, to recognize a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a Supporting Role.
...
for his performance, along with various other nominations.
In 2013, he hosted ''
India's Best Dramebaaz
''India's Best Dramebaaz'' is a talent-search Indian reality television show on Zee TV which has children between the ages of 4–15 years as the participants. The show is produced by the Essel Productions.
Concept
Unlike music and dance show ...
'' with
Ragini Khanna
Ragini Khanna (born 9 December 1987) is an Indian film and television actress,model,comedian,singer and television host. She has hosted various reality shows, such as ''India's Best Dramebaaz'' (2013) and '' Gangs of Haseepur'' (2014). She is b ...
. From 2013 to 2015, he hosted two seasons of ''
Yeh Hai Aashiqui
''Yeh Hai Aashiqui'' () is an Indian Hindi-language television romance anthology series that premiered on 25 August 2013 on Bindass. It presents dramatisations of the real life love stories created by Vikas Gupta. The show went off air on 7 Aug ...
'', which gained him further praises. In 2013, he also portrayed Kabir, opposite
Mihika Verma
Mihika Varma is an Indian television actress and former model. She won the Miss India International title in 2004 and represented India in the Miss International 2004 competition. She started her acting career by debuting in the series ''Viru ...
in an episode of ''Yeh hai Aashiqui''. In 2015, he and Negi recreated their love story in the final episode of Season 1.
The same year, he participated in ''
Nach Baliye 6
''Nach Baliye'' () is an Indian Hindi-language celebrity dance reality television series that airs on Star Plus.
Production Concept
The show is a competition wherein 10 television celebrity couples compete against each other. Contestants dance ...
'' with his then partner
Asha Negi
Asha Negi (born 23 August 1989) is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing Purvi Deshmukh in ''Pavitra Rishta'' and Gauravi Karmarkar in ''Baarish''. In 2010, Negi debuted into television with the role of Madhura in ''Sapnon Se ...
and they emerged as the winners. In 2014, he portrayed Vidhyut in ''
MTV Fanaah''. In the same year, he participated in the dance reality show ''
Dare 2 Dance'' and hosted the finale episode of ''
India's Raw Star''. He hosted a variety of shows such as ''
V Distraction'' and ''
Nach Baliye 7
''Nach Baliye'' () is an Indian Hindi-language celebrity dance reality television series that airs on Star Plus.
Production Concept
The show is a competition wherein 10 television celebrity couples compete against each other. Contestants danc ...
'' with
Karan Patel
Karan Patel (born 23 November 1983) is an Indian actor and host on Hindi television. Patel performed the main lead Raman Bhalla in the soap opera ''Yeh Hai Mohabbatein'' and played the role of Rishabh Bajaj in '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2''. ...
.
Dhanjani emerged as the winner of the stunt based reality show ''
I Can Do That''. He has also hosted ''
India's Best Dramebaaz (Season 2)'' the same year. Dhanjani hosted four shows in 2016 including ''
Pyaar Ki Yeh Kahani Suno'',
''
So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
'', ''Man Vs. Job''
and ''
Super Dancer (Chapter 1)''. Dhanjani nade his web debut with ''
I Don't Watch TV
I Don't Watch TV is an Indian sitcom web series which premiered on 15 April 2016 and stream on Arré and YouTube. This show is produced by Nakuul Mehta, Alekh Sangal and Ajay Singh. This web series is based on the real life of the Indian tele ...
'' in 2016.
![Rithvik Dhanjani-R](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Rithvik_Dhanjani-R._D.jpg)
In 2017, he first hosted ''Aye Zindagi'' and then participated in ''
Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8'' and ended at 7th place. He also participated in ''
Lip Sing Battle
Lip Sing Battle is an Indian musical reality competition television series produced by South Africa's Red Pepper TV which was premiered on 16 September 2017, on Star Plus and continued till 5 November 2017. The show is based on Lip Sync Battle. ...
''. From 2017 to 2018, he hosted ''
Super Dancer (Chapter 2)'', for which he won
Gold Award for Best Anchor, and ''
Rasoi Ki Jung Mummyon Ke Sung''. He hosted, ''
India's Next Superstars
''India's Next Superstars'' is an Indian talent search reality television show which aired on Star Plus and streamed on Hotstar. It was judged by Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty. Aman Gandotra and Natasha Bharadwaj were declared as winners, while ...
'' and ''
India's Got Talent 8'' in 2018.
Dhanjani portrayed Shivam Chaturvedi, opposite
Anita Hassanandani
Natasha Hassanandani (born 14 April 1981), professionally known as Anita Hassanandani or Anita Hassanandani Reddy, is an Indian actress primarily working in Hindi serials as well as Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films.
Early life
Hassanandani wa ...
in ''
Galti Se Mis-Tech''. It received positive reviews. He portrayed Mayank in ''
XXX
XXX may refer to:
Codes and symbols
* 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX
* XXX, designating pornography
** XXX, an X rating#United_States, X rating
** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites
* XXX, a symbol of the straight ...
'', both in 2018. He hosted ''
Super Dancer Chapter 3'' from 2018 to 2019.
Expansion and recent work (2020-present)
Dhanjani participated in ''
Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi – Made in India'' in 2020. He stood at 7th place and quit the show midway. The same year, he appeared in ''Lockdown Rishtey'', as a presenter. He then appeared in ''
Ladies vs Gentlemen
Ladies vs Gentlemen is an Indian opinion based poll game show hosted by Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh. It was originally launched on November 18, 2020. It is an original series of Flipkart Video that stands men and women ...
'' as panelist.
In 2021, He hosted ''
Super Dancer (Chapter 4)''. He next portrayed Abhay Angre opposite
Monica Dogra
Monica Dogra is an American musician and actress. She has acted in six feature films, as well as released five studio albums with the band Shaa’ir and func. She is a member on the judging panel of India's first English music talent show, ''The ...
in 2021 series ''
Cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
''. ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'' praised his performance and noted, "The character arc of Rithvik Dhanjani’s is intriguing, and he shines through the various emotions his character displays."
Dhanjani in 2022 appeared in the short film, ''Arranged'', portraying Tarun opposite
Tridha Choudhury
Tridha Choudhury is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Hindi series and films and Telugu films. She won the title, ''Clean & Clear Times of India Freshface 2011''. Her first movie was ''Mishawr Rawhoshyo'' in 2013, directed by Sriji ...
. Praising his performance, ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'' wrote, "Both, Tridha’s Richa and Rithvik’s Tarun are the most appealing and well-written characters of the film. Onscreen, they get along well, and their genuine and sincere performances contribute to the story's relatability." The same year, he hosted Global Excellence Awards and
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is a Victoria State Government-funded annual festival based in Melbourne founded in 2012. It is presented by Film Victoria, and the provider is chosen through a tender process. The current tender prov ...
.
Off-screen work and public image
![Rithvik Dhanjani Fanaah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Rithvik_Dhanjani_Fanaah.jpg)
Dhanjani along with his ''
Cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
'' team, joined a project named, "JO FO MO" with a
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
to help the charity organizations raise funds for the
migrant workers
A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work.
Migrant workers who work outsi ...
, during the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Dhanjani ranked 15th in 2013 in ''
Eastern Eye
The ''Eastern Eye'' is a British weekly newspaper. It was created in 1989 and was first published by ''The Guardian'', before becoming a standalone newspaper.
History
Sarwar Ahmed
Sarwar Ahmed ( bn, সরয়ার আহমেদ; bor ...
s 50 Sexiest Asian Men list. In the same list, he ranked 21st in 2014 and 20th in 2015. In ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
''s Most Desirable Men on TV list, he was placed 13th in 2017.
Apart from acting, Dhanjani is an endorser for several brands and products, including
Vivo. He also featured in
Amazon Audible's ad film with
Nakuul Mehta
Nakuul Mehta (born 17 January 1983) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi television. He made his acting debut in 2012 with ''Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara'' portraying Aditya Kumar. He earned wider recognition with his ...
.
He has ramp walked in the
ITA Creators Walk in 2017 and has been the
cover model A cover model is a male or female whose photograph appears on the front cover of a magazine. The cover model is generally a fashion model, celebrity, or contest winner. Generally, cover models are depicted solitarily; however, on occasion magazines ...
for several magazines such as Zing Magazine and Gr8 Magazine, where he featured with
Asha Negi
Asha Negi (born 23 August 1989) is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing Purvi Deshmukh in ''Pavitra Rishta'' and Gauravi Karmarkar in ''Baarish''. In 2010, Negi debuted into television with the role of Madhura in ''Sapnon Se ...
.
Filmography
Films
Television
Guest appearances
Web series
Accolades
See also
*
List of Indian television actors
This is an alphabetical list of notable male Indian television actors.
*
List of Hindi actors
List of regional language actors
; Bengali
; Tamil
;Telugu
; Kannada
; Marathi
; Malayalam
See also
* List of Indian television actre ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhanjani, Rithvik
Living people
21st-century Indian male actors
Indian male television actors
Male actors from Madhya Pradesh
Indian television presenters
Place of birth missing (living people)
Nach Baliye winners
1988 births
Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi participants
Sindhi people