Manish Wadhwa is an Indian actor and voice artist. He is best known for playing the role of Chanakya in the TV series ‘Chandragupta Maurya’ (2011), which aired on Imagine TV. In 2023, he appeared in the Bollywood film ‘Gadar 2,’ starring Sunny Deol.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Manish Wadhwa was born on Sunday, 23 April 1972 (age 51 years; as of 2023) in Ambala, Haryana. He attended Shishu Niketan School, Ambala, Haryana. In 1983, he moved to Mumbai with his family. He pursued B. Com. at Prahladrai Dalmia Lions College, Mumbai. He wanted to become an actor since childhood. He started performing in theatrical production during his college days and has also won the Best Actor Award 5 times in Inter-Collegiate Drama Competitions. In 1992-1993, he performed in the Hindi play ‘Sati’ in an Inter-Collegiate Drama Competition held by the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in Mumbai. He also won the Balraj Sahani Trophy and University’s Best Actor Award for his performance in the play.
A childhood photograph of Manish Wadhwa with his mother
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Bald
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents. He has an elder sister, and a younger brother named Rajiv Wadhwa.
Manish Wadhwa with his mother
Wife & Children
He is married to Priyanka Wadhwa.
Manish Wadhwa with Priyanka Wadhwa
He has a daughter named Vanshika Wadhwa, and a son named Ashrit Wadhwa, who is a film director.
Manish Wadhwa’s children
Career
Actor
Theatre Artist
Manish Wadhwa started his acting career in 1999 as a theatre artist in commercial theatre. In the theatre plays ‘Maa Retire Hoti Hai’ and ‘Dr. Mukta,’ he has appeared in a lead role alongside Jaya Bachchan. He has also performed in a comedy play titled ‘Hum Le Gaye Tum Reh Gaye’ with Javed Jaffrey.
Film
Hindi
Manish Wadhwa debuted in the film industry with the film ‘Rahul’ (2001) in which he played the role of Rohit Singh. In 2004, he played the role of Captain Inayat Gyani in the film ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero.’ He played the role of Gandharv Sen in the historical drama film ‘Padmaavat’ (2018). His performance as Major General Hamid Iqbal in the film ‘Gadar 2’ (2023) received immense appreciation from the audience.
Manish Wadhwa in a still from the film ‘Gadar 2’
He has acted in several films including ‘Shabri’ (2011), ‘Baa Baaa Black Sheep’ (2018), ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’ (2019), and ‘Pathaan’ (2023). His role as Major General Hamid Iqbal in the period action drama film ‘Gadar 2’ (2023), garnered him significant acclaim and recognition in the film industry.
Telugu
Manish Wadhwa made his Telugu debut with the film ‘Shyam Singha Roy’ (2021), starring Nani and Sai Pallavi. He played the role of Mahadev Mahant in the film.
Poster of the Telugu film Shyam Singha Roy
Television
TV Shows
Manish Wadhwa made his television debut with the TV series ‘Amrapali’ (2002) in which he played the role of Ajatshatru. In 2005, he played the negative role of Kali in the mystery television series ‘Kohinoor,’ which aired on Sahara One.
Poster of the television series ‘Kohinoor’
In 2006, he played the double role of Vikram Bhargav and Vineet Bhargav in the show ‘Mano Ya Na Mano,’ aired on Star One. He essayed the role of Nirbhay Choudhary in the television show ‘Mitwa – Phool Kamal Ke’ (2009), which broadcasted on StarPlus. In 2011, he played the role of Chanakya in the historical drama television series ‘Chandragupta Maurya,’ which later proved to be the breakthrough of his career.
Manish Wadhwa (left) as Chanakya in the TV show ‘Chandragupta Maurya’
In the same year, he essayed the role of Ravan in the television series ‘Devon Ke Dev… Mahadev,’ aired on Life OK. However, later he was replaced by the actor Tarun Khanna.
Manish Wadhwa as Ravan in ‘Devon Ke Dev… Mahadev’
In 2020, Wadhwa replayed the role of Ravan in the television series ‘Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram,’ on &TV. He has appeared in various television shows including ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? Ek Baar Phir’ (2013) on StarPlus, ‘Mahakumbh- Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani’ (2014) on Life OK, ‘Siya Ke Ram’ (2015) on StarPlus, ‘Paramavatar Shri Krishna’ (2017) on &TV, and ‘Hero – Gayab Mode On’ (2020) on Sony SAB.
Telefilms
Apart from television series, he has also worked in a few telefilms such as ‘Alakh Nanda,’ directed by Yatindra Rawat, and ‘Asha- The Boat,’ directed by Ramesh Talwar.
Web Series
In 2021, Manish Wadhwa made his OTT debut with the historical drama web series ‘Chhatrasal,’ which premiered on MX Player. In the web series, he played the role of Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela’s guru Mahamati Shri Prannath.
Manish Wadhwa in a still from the web series ‘Chhatrasal’
Voice Artist
Hollywood
In 2005, Manish Wadhwa did a voice-over for the role of Willy Wonka for the Hindi version of the film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ In the film, the role was originally played by Johnny Depp. In 2008, he lent his voice for the role of Lord Sopespian in the Hindi version of the film ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.’
Poster of the film ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’
He has dubbed for the role of Jacob Black (originally played by Taylor Lautner) in the Hindi version of all sequels of the film ‘The Twilight Saga.’ He has also done the voice-over for the role of Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, which was originally played by Sebastian Stan, in the Hindi version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Poster of the film ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
He has worked as a voice-over artist for the Hindi version of various Hollywood films including ‘Provoked’ (2006), ‘Predators’ (2010), ‘Inferno’ (2016), ‘The Finest Hours’ (2016), ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ (2017), ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018), and ‘Triple Frontier’ (2019).
Bollywood
Manish Wadhwa worked as a voice-over artist for the English version of the film ‘Raat Akeli Hai’ (2020) in which he lent his voice for the role of Vikram Singh. In the English version of the film ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ (2020), he did a voice-over for the role of Dileep Singh.
Kollywood
In 2021, Manish Wadhwa did a voice-over for the role of Theerthamalai (originally played by Baba Bhaskar ) in the Hindi version of the Tamil film ‘Jagame Thandhiram.’
Poster of the film ‘Jagame Thandhiram’
Web Series
Manish Wadhwa did a voice-over for the role of Pierce in the Hindi version of the English web series ‘Lucifer Season 3’ (2017) and Vincent Le Mac in ‘Lucifer Season 6’ (2021). He has also worked as a voice-over artist for the Hindi version of seasons 1, 2 & 3 of the Spanish web series ‘Elite,’ which premiered on Netflix.
Poster of the web series ‘Elite’
In 2021, he worked as a voice-over artist for the Hindi version of the Tamil web series ‘Navarasa,’ streamed on Netflix. In the same year, he did a voice-over for the role of Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Hindi version of the English web series ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ which streamed on Disney+. In 2022, he lent his voice for the role of Corinthian in the Hindi version of the English web series ‘The Sandman.’
Animated Film
In 2010, he dubbed for the Hindi version of the English animation film ‘Megamind.’ In 2017, he lent his voice for the role of ‘Ferdinand’ in the Hindi version of the English film ‘Ferdinand.’ In the original film, the voice for the role was given by popular wrestler John Cina.
Poster of the film ‘Ferdinand’
Awards
- Best Actor in Lead Role (Jury) award at the Indian Telly Awards in 2012 for his performance as Chanakya in the TV series ‘Chandragupta Maurya’
- Star Guild Award for Best Actor in a Drama category for his performance as Chanakya in the TV series ‘Chandragupta Maurya’
- Best Actor in a Lead Role in 2012 at Apsara Television and Film Producers Guild Awards for his performance as Chanakya in the TV series ‘Chandragupta Maurya’
- Best Actor in a Negative Role – Jury at the Gold Awards in 2018 for playing the role of Kans in the TV series ‘Paramavatar Shri Krishna’
- Best Actor in a Negative Role at the Indian Television Academy Awards in 2019 for playing the role of Kans in the TV series ‘Paramavatar Shri Krishna’
Manish Wadhwa with his ITA Award
- RashtraRatna Award in 2023
Manish Wadhwa receiving RashtraRatna Award
- Nominated Best Actor in a Negative Role at the Indian Telly Awards in 2014 for his performance as Niranjan Agnihotri in the TV series ‘Iss Pyaar ko kya Naam doon- Ek Baar Phir’
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Indian Telly Awards in 2015 for playing the role of Shivanand in the TV series ‘Mahakumbh- Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani’
Facts/Trivia
- While studying in college, he participated in a comedy show named ‘Khatta Meetha,’ during his college.
- In an interview, he revealed that after playing the role of Chanakya in the TV show ‘Chandragupta Maurya,’ he has been offered roles that require him to shave his head. While talking about this in the interview, he said,
I went bald 11 years ago and people have not let me grow my hair ever since! I have been offered characters that require me to retain the look. I remember precisely the date when I went bald. It was on December 22, 2010 for the character of Chanakya in Chandragupta Maurya.”
- He loves to sing ghazals and romantic songs.
- In an interview, he talked about his love for travelling and said,
I love to travel with my wife and kids whenever I have some leisure time.”
