Vicky who grew up like any other normal boy attending school, loved to play cricket and watch films. His father was very keen that his son grows up and has a stable career thus Vicky pursued the Engineering degree in electronics and telecommunications from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology in Mumbai.
During his visit to an IT company he realised he was not fit for an office job and he aspired to be an actor and take up a career in films. For a brief period, he worked in an engineering firm and thereafter began accompanying his father on the film sets.
Vicky Kaushal was born in a suburban chawl in Mumbai to a Bollywood stunt man Sham Kaushal who subsequently became an action director in Hindi films. Vicky’s younger brother Sunny is also an actor in Punjabi films.
Vicky studied acting under Kishore Namit Kapoor’s at his academy and also worked as an assistant director to Anurag Kashyap for the film crime drama film Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012. Kaushal till date considers Anurag Kashyap as his mentor and guide. In the film that required him to play a role of a young low socio-economic class aspiring for a better life, Kaushal spent some time in Benaras where the film was shot to observe the mannerisms of the local men and wanted to fit in the role perfectly. The film was screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival under the Un Certain Regard Segment, where in it won two awards. The film also won the FIPRESCI Prize .
His roles are considered as poignant and memorable for viewers and audience and earned him a critical acclaim stating him in the example of increased realism in Indian Cinema as he effortlessly plays his role of inferiority complex and with the attitude. His performance won him the IIFA and the Screen Awards and also the Asian Film Award for the Best Newcomer among the many other accolades.
He also started doing stage and his first role was in Manav Kaul’s production Laal Pencil. In the film Kaushal has a very minor role in Kashyap’s production Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana released in 2012 and in 2015 he got a role in Bombay Velvet . He also acted in an experimental short film Geek Out in 2015.
In 2016 marked the release of the film Zubaan which Kaushal had filmed before Masaan and was showcased at the Busan International Film Festival. His role was that of a stammering grieving man after the death of his father. To get into the character perfectly he worked with a speech therapist to learn stammering patterns and also with doctors and the patients. After this film it was difficult for him to talk normal and he distanced himself as he began stammering in real life which however later got better . The Justin Chang of Variety labelled him as charismatic naturally engaging new talent.
His role as the young boy Disher in the film Zubaan, coming of age a film is set in a small village called Gurdaspur in Punjab. A film in which he loses faith and fights his fear to find himself. An interesting film that won him accolades for his acting skills.
Vicky’s first pivotal role was for the independent drama film, Masaan released in 2015 which earned him the IIFA award and the Screen Awards for the Best Male Debut. Followed by his role as the unhinged cop in the psychological thriller film Raman Raghav 2.0 by Kashyap in 2016.
In 2018, with the film Raazi and Sanju, both the highest grossing films that did very well, Vicky rose to prominence and bagged many more roles . He won the Film fare Award for the Best Supporting Actor for the film Sanju. In 2018 began his parallel career in Netflix films, starting with Love Per Square Foot and Lust Stories.
The most recent was his lead role of the military officer in the commercially successful action drama film Uri:The Surgical Strike.
Kaushal reunited with Anurag Kashyap for the film Manmarziyaan, a love triangle set in Punjab with co-star Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. His character is silent but conveys the pain of the character goes through and his silent desires portrayed brilliantly.
For his role as the military officer, Vicky Kaushal underwent a rigorous training including the ketogenic diet to gain muscle weight.
Kaushal will soon be starred in an untitled film produced by Karan Johar which is a horror film and will also be in a pivotal role of freedom fighter Udham Singh who assassinated Michale O’Dwyer in the biopic film which is being directed by Shoojit Sarcar.
The other films that he is involved is the Mughal Emperor’s role of emperor Aurangzeb in Takht a historical drama film directed by Karan Johar with co-stars Kareena Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Bhumi Pednekar.
| # | Released Date | Type | Credited As | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 Dec 2025 | Film | Actor | The Immortal Ashwatthama |
| 2 | 31 Dec 2025 | Film | Actor | Land Of Lungi |
| 3 | 25 Dec 2025 | Film | Actor | Love And War |
| 4 | 27 Dec 2024 | Film | Actor | Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam |
| 5 | 18 Oct 2024 | Film | Actor | Chava |
| 6 | 19 Jul 2024 | Film | Actor | Bad Newz |
| 7 | 05 Jul 2024 | Film | Actor | Takht |
| 8 | 21 Dec 2023 | Film | Supporting Actor | Dunki |
| 9 | 01 Dec 2023 | Film | Actor | Sam Bahadur |
| 10 | 22 Sep 2023 | Film | Actor | The Great Indian Family |
