Pavan Malhotra is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and television series. He has also worked in the Telugu and Punjabi film industries. In 2023, he appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in the film ‘Mission Raniganj.’
Wiki/Biography
Pavan Malhotra was born on Wednesday, 2 July 1958 (age 65 years; as of 2023) in Nawabganj, Tis Hazari, New Delhi. His zodiac sign is Cancer. He did his schooling at Manav Sthali School, New Delhi. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts at Hans Raj College, Delhi University.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
He belongs to a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Trilok Raj Malhotra. He had the business of making machine tools. His mother’s name is Asha Rani Malhotra.
An old photograph of Pavan Malhotra’s parents
He has three elder brothers and two elder sisters, one of whom died.
Wife
He is married to Aparnaa Malhotra, who is a writer.
Pavan Malhotra with his wife
Career
Theatre
After completing his school, Pavan Malhotra joined a theatre group in Delhi named ‘Ruchika.’ Feisal Alkazi (son of Ebrahim Alkazi) was also a part of the theatre group. The first play in which he performed was titled ‘Tughlak.’ Later, he played the role of an older man in the Hindi play ‘Father’ and received a huge appreciation for his performance.
Film
Hindi
Pavan Malhotra started his career in the film industry as an assistant in the costume department of the English language film ‘Gandhi’ (1982). Later, he worked as a production assistant for several Bollywood films including ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ (1983), ‘Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!’ (1984), and ‘Khamosh’ (1985).
Poster of the film ‘Khamosh’ (1985)
He made his debut as an actor in the Hindi film industry with the film ‘Ab Ayega Mazaa’ (1984) in which he played the role of Mukti. He gained immense popularity after he played the role of Ghunuram in the Indian Bengali film ‘Bagh Bahadur’ (1989), directed by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film is based on a short story written by Bengali writer Prafulla Roy.
Pavan Malhotra in the film ‘Bagh Bahadur’
In 1989, he played the lead role of Salim in the film ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro.’
Poster of the film ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro’
He appeared alongside Shah Rukh Khan in the film ‘Pardes’ (1997). His performance as Tiger Memon in the film ‘Black Friday’ (2004) received huge appreciation from the audience.
Pavan Malhotra in a still from the film ‘Black Friday’
He essayed the role of Prem Singh Dhillon in the film ‘Jab We Met’ (2007), starring Shahid Kapoor. He has acted in various Hindi films including ‘Fakir’ (1998), ‘Don’ (2006), ‘Delhi-6’ (2009), ‘Road to Sangam’ (2010), ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ (2013), ‘Children of War’ (2014), ‘Flight’ (2021), ‘OMG 2’ (2023), and ‘Mission Raniganj’ (2023).
Pavan Malhotra (right) with Om Puri in a still from the film ‘Road to Sangam’
English
Pavan Malhotra essayed the role of Ashish in the English language film ‘City of Joy’ (1992). In 1995, he appeared in the film ‘Brothers in Trouble’ in which he played the role of Amir.
Pavan Malhotra in a still from the film ‘Brothers in Trouble’
In 2023, he played the role of Militant Hakim Ali in the multi-lingual film ’72 Hoorain,’ directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan.
Telugu
He made his debut in the Telugu film industry in 2003 with the film ‘Aithe’ in which he played the role of Irfan Khan.
Poster of the film ‘Aithe’
In 2004, he played the role of a professional killer in the film ‘Aithe Enti.’ Pavan Malhotra has appeared in a few more Telugu films such as ‘Anukokunda Oka Roju’ (2005), ‘Andhrudu’ (2005), ‘Amma Cheppindi’ (2006)
Punjabi
He portrayed Bhagat Puran Singh, a writer and environmentalist, in the Punjabi film ‘Eh Janam Tumhare Lekhe’ (2015).
Pavan Malhotra in a still from the film ‘Eh Janam Tumhare Lekhe’
In 2014, he played the role of Deep Singh Rana in the film ‘Punjab 1984.’ He played the role of Tejpal Singh in the film ‘Zorawar’ (2016), starring Yo Yo Honey Singh. In 2023, he played the titular role in the film ‘Fouja.’ The film was released in the Hindi, Punjabi, and Haryanvi languages.
Poster of the film ‘Fouja’
He has appeared in a few more Punjabi films such as ‘Gelo’ (2016), ‘Super Singh’ (2017), ‘Jhalle’ (2019), and ‘Ik Sandhu Hunda Si’ (2020).
Television
Pavan Malhotra started his career in the Hindi television industry in 1984 as an assistant for the TV series ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi,’ which aired on DD National. He made his debut as an actor in the Hindi television industry with the comedy-drama television series ‘Nukkad’ (1986) in which he played the role of Hari. The series was broadcast on DD National.
Pavan Malhotra (extreme left) in a still from the TV series ‘Nukkad’
In 1989, he played the role of Rasik in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer TV series ‘Circus,’ which aired on DD National. In 1991, he appeared in the Hindi TV series ‘Goongi Tareekh,’ which aired on Doordarshan Prasar Bharti.
Pavan Malhotra in a still from the TV series ‘Goongi Tareekh’
He played the role of Malmar More in the television series ‘Laagi Tujhse Lagan’ (2009), which was broadcast on Colors TV. In 2011, he played the role of Shyam in the TV series ‘Ek Nayi Chhoti Si Zindagi,’ which aired on Zee TV.
Pavan Malhotra in a still from the TV series ‘Ek Nayi Chhoti Si Zindagi’
He has worked in several TV series including ‘Intezaar’ (1989), ‘Yarana’ (1996), ‘9 Malabar Hill’ (1997), ‘Khamoshiyaan… Kab Tak’ (2001), ‘Karishma – The Miracles of Destiny’ (2004), and ‘Khidki’ (2016).
Web Series
Pavan Malhotra played the role of Omkar Singh in the Hindi web series ‘Tabbar’ (2021) and received critical acclamation for his performance. The series was premiered on SonyLIV.
Poster of the web series ‘Tabbar’
In the same year, he appeared in the web series ‘Grahan,’ which streamed on the OTT platform Hotstar. He played the role of Gurusevak in the series. In 2022, he played the role of Dhansu Yadav in the web series ‘Shiksha Mandal,’ which was streamed on ‘MX Player.’
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- National Award for the Hindi film ‘Fakir’ in 1998
- Nandi Special Jury Award for the Telugu film ‘Aithe’ in 2003
- Filmfare Best Villain Award for the Telugu film ‘Aithe’ in 2003
- Best Supporting Actor Award at the 5th Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival for the short film ‘Children of War’ in 2015
Pavan Malhotra’s Award
- PTC Award for the Punjabi film ‘Eh Janam Tumhare Lekhe’ in 2016
- Best Actor in Drama Series at Filmfare OTT Awards 2022 for the web series ‘Tabbar’
- Best Actor in a Web Series at IWMBuzz Digital Awards for the web series ‘Tabbar’ in 2022
Favourites
Facts/Trivia
- His full name is Pavan Raj Malhotra.
- In an interview, he revealed that his father wanted him to learn the family business; therefore, he stopped doing theatre after college.
- During his struggling days in the film industry, he did some small jobs such as selling leftover bread from the bread factory or feeding cows in a cowshed.
- In an interview, he revealed that he got a daily allowance of Rs 350 for working in the film ‘Gandhi’ (1982).
- In 2023, he defended his film ’72 Hoorain’ (2019), which received criticisms and alleged offending religious beliefs and spreading communal disharmony. He said that after the release of films like ‘The Kashmir Files’ (2022) and ‘The Kerala Story’ (2023), people are putting the film ’72 Hoorain’ into the same category. He further added that the film has also made its release in film festivals and also received a national award. He also defended the film ‘The Kashmir Files.’