Manoj Pahwa (born 8 December 1963),[1] is an Indian film and television actor who is noted for his role as Bhatia in the comedy series Office Office (2001). Pahwa has acted in over 70 films as a character actor, including 7½ Phere (2005), Being Cyrus (2005), Singh Is Kinng (2008), Dabangg 2 (2012), Jolly LLB (2013), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Mulk (2018) and Article 15 (2019).[2]

Manoj Pahwa
Pahwa in 2011
Born (1963-12-08) 8 December 1963 (age 61)
NationalityIndian
OccupationActor
Years active1984–present
Known forPlaying supporting characters in Bollywood films
Spouse
(m. 1988)
Children2

Early life and education

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Pahwa was raised in a Punjabi family in New Delhi. His father migrated from West Punjab (Earlier part of India), Pakistan to India after Partition.[3] He was educated at the National Public School in Daryaganj, New Delhi.[4] In an interview, Pahwa stated that he lived in East Delhi’s Lakshmi Nagar locality after his father built a house for them. His father had a business of automobile batteries and he wanted him to join the family business. Pahwa shifted to Mumbai (then Bombay) in his late 20s.

Personal life

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He is married to actress Seema Bhargava,[5] his co-actor in TV series Hum Log,[6] and lives in Versova, Mumbai, along with his daughter Manukriti Pahwa and son Mayank Pahwa.[7] On 02-March-2022, his son Mayank Pahwa married Sanah Kapur whereas in September 2023 his daughter Manukriti Pahwa married Ruhaan Kapoor, both siblings being children of actors Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak Kapur. Sanah and Ruhaan are grandkids of veteran character artiste Dina Pathak and half-siblings of actor Shahid Kapoor .

Career

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Pahwa started his career with television in the early days of television in India with a small but noticeable part in the superhit serial Hum Log, and later acting in many comedy series, getting considerable roles in Just Mohabbat (1996-2000) and Office Office (2001). He made his movie debut with Tere Mere Sapne (1996) and has acted in 50+ films and TV series as a character actor, known for his comic timing and antics, although he never relies on the "fat joke" style of comedy.

He played the lead the opening segment of anthology horror film Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) directed by Sajid Khan.[8]

During the shoot for Mausam (2011) directed by Pankaj Kapoor, in Chandigarh, he met the local producers, which led to his Punjabi film debut, Heer & Hero.[3][9]

Filmography

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Films

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Television

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Year Serial Role Notes
1984–1985 Hum Log Tony
1993–1994 Shikast Jai
1995–2000 Shanti Guruji
1996 Aahat Film Producer Dedhia
1996–2000 Just Mohabbat Ishwar Chopra
1997 Sab Golmaal Hai Balwant
1997–1998 Sea Hawks Don Bhamra
1998–1999 Gudgudee Raghu's Mama
2001 Office Office Bhatia
2002 Ekka Begum Badshah[12] Ekka
2002 Bol Baby Bol[13] Host/presenter
2005 LOC : Life out of control[14] Gurpreet Malik
2009 Oh Darling Yeh Hai India Vishal Chachabra
2015 Dafa 420[15] Chand Nawab Mohammad
2020 A Suitable Boy The Raja of Marh

Web series

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Year Title Role Platform Notes
2022 Home Shanti Umesh Joshi Sujan Disney+ Hotstar
2023 Chamak Pratap Deol SonyLIV
2024 IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Mukul Mohan Netflix

Nominations

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Year Award Show Category Work Result Ref
2005 Indian Telly Awards Best Actor in a Comic Role LOC: Life Out Of Control Nominated
2019 Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actor Mulk Nominated [16]
2020 Article 15 Nominated [17]

References

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  1. ^ "Profile and Details of Manoj Pahwa". Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.[better source needed]
  2. ^ "I have not done my best comic role yet: Manoj Pahwa". 19 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Manoj Pahwa is a contract killer now". The Times of India. 14 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. ^ "I have not done my best comic role yet: Manoj Pahwa". The Indian Express. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. ^ Ramnath, Nandini. "Meet Mr and Mrs Pahwa: 'We have our tuning with each other for 30 years'". Scroll.in.
  6. ^ Alaka Sahani (23 August 2009). "Sister Act". Indian Express. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  7. ^ Chandrima Pal (9 August 2015). "Manoj Pahwa and family on theatre, Bhisham Sahni and more". Mid Day. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Sajid Khan says Darna Zaroori Hai". Sify. 11 August 2005. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Soha's film gets no discount in Pataudi house". The Times of India. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Om Puri is the king of Bollywood!". www.rediff.com.
  11. ^ "'7 1/2 Phere' a light-hearted comedy". Hindustan Times. 21 July 2005.
  12. ^ "Laughter on the cards!". The Tribune. 30 June 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  13. ^ "indya.com - STAR - STAR Plus - Bol Baby Bol". 2 August 2002. Archived from the original on 2 August 2002.
  14. ^ "Laughter-out of control - Times of India". The Times of India. 17 February 2005.
  15. ^ "TV was easier medium earlier: Manoj Pahwa". Zee News. 12 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Nominations for the 64th Vimal Elaichi Filmfare Awards 2019". filmfare.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Filmfare Awards 2020: Complete List Of Nominations". NDTV.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
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