Neil Nitin Mukesh

Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and writer who mainly works in Bollywood films . Born to singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of Mukesh, he debuted as a child artist in Vijay (1988) and Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii (1989). As an adult, he played the title role in Johnny Gaddaar (2007) and has since starred in the hits New York (2009), Kaththi (2014), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Golmaal Again (2017), and Saaho (2019). His Tamil debut was Kaththi (2014) and Telugu debut was Kavacham (2018). Early life and background Mukesh 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. As a child, he appeared in Vijay (1988) and Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii (1989) as the younger versions of Rishi Kapoor and Govinda respectively. Mukesh 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. 2007–10: Debut and breakthrough 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.