Kumud Mishra

Kumud Mishra, man, talk about a guy who’s done it all but somehow still feels underrated. Born into an army family (yep, the classic “dad-in-uniform” story), he bounced around before landing at Rashtriya Military School in Belgaum. Big military energy, but Mishra’s heart was always in theatre. After school, he ditched the boots and hit Bhopal for a BA, diving headfirst into the performing arts scene at Bharat Bhavan. There, he rubbed shoulders with a pretty wild bunch of theatre heavyweights—those names you hear and go, “Oh, these folks mean business.” He eventually made his way to the National School of Drama in Delhi, which is basically the Hogwarts for actors in India. Diploma in hand, he jumped into TV with Self Esteem on DD National in ’95—not exactly glamorous, but hey, everyone starts somewhere. His film debut came a year later with Sardari Begum, and from there it was a slow but steady climb. Fast forward, and suddenly he’s Captain Kabir in 1971, grabbing attention. Then comes Patiala House and Rockstar—sharing the screen with Ranbir Kapoor, no big deal. His filmography’s a wild ride through hits like Raanjhanaa, Sultan, Airlift, Jolly LLB 2, Sooryavanshi, and he even snagged an award for Filmistaan. Not bad for a “supporting actor.” Lately, Mishra’s been everywhere—Article 15, Thappad, Ram Singh Charlie (lead role, finally!), Mission Majnu, and dipping his toes into OTT with Tandav. And don’t even get me started on his stage chops. Dude co-founded a theatre group, did plays at Prithvi for decades, and got nods at META. That’s range.