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Manav Kaul is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the films Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Saina (2021).
He was a competitive swimmer in his late teenage years and participated in state and national levels championships. He has won 14 national medals in swimming.
He has written and directed 13 plays. Among his notable plays are Ilhaam, Park and Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane (), the last one being his first work as playwright and director.
In 2004, Kaul staged Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, a dramatic monologue in Hindi about a small-towner whose "structured middle-India existence begins to feel suspiciously like a lie." It featured actor Kumud Mishra, who was to become his longtime collaborator. The Mumbai Theatre Guide wrote, "the final poetic denouement is neat, funny, reflective but unfortunately all too expected, all too perfect." The play was a stage hit and was performed in English in 2009, from a translation by Arshia Sattar.
In his next play, Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi Kaul explored a father-son relationship in an open-ended narrative, and adopted a style of poetic dialogue similar to that employed by Vinod Kumar Shukla and Nirmal Verma. It won him a Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Award (META) for Best Script in 2006.
In 2006, moving away from internal monologues, Kaul staged a bitter-sweet meditation on old age called Bali aur Shambhu, featuring Sudhir Pandey and Mishra. The Times of India found it "not as philosophical as Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, yet, it's a story that tugs at your heartstrings and has its moments," while the Mumbai Theatre Guide described it as "one of those plays that appeal to the senses but not to the intellect." Said Kaul, "I wrote the play after I visited an old-age home. I wanted to show that people in old-age homes also have fun."
In 2009, Kaul directed Ranga Shankara's Hindi adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's Huis Clos, with The Hindu describing his "treatment of non-verbal, physical expression" as impressive.
Set in 1994, Chuhal, written by Kaul talks about in love, relationships and marriages set in pre-technology times, and has toured in Zee Theater in Mumbai and Delhi, by Theatrenama in Bangalore, and more than one in Hyderabad, once at Ravindra Bharathi and another time at Rangbhoomi Spaces by KissaGo Theatre Group.
| 2003 | Jajantaram Mamantaram | Jeran | Debut film |
| 2004 | Saatchya Aat Gharat | Venky | Marathi language film |
| 2006 | Continuum | Security guard | Short film |
| 2007 | 1971 | Flight Lt. Ram | |
| 2010 | Daayen Ya Baayen | Sundar | |
| I Am | Manav | Anthology film. Segment – Afia | |
| 2013 | Kai Po Che! | Bishakh "Bittu" Joshi | |
| 2014 | CityLights | Vishnu | Nominated - Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male), 2015 |
| 2016 | Wazir | Yazaad Qureshi | Nominated -Zee Cine Awards, Best Actor in a Negative Role, 2017 |
| Jai Gangaajal | MLA Babloo Pandey | ||
| Maroon | Saurabh Sharma | ||
| A Scandall | Manav | ||
| 2017 | Jolly LLB 2 | Iqbal Qasim | |
| Tumhari Sulu | Ashok Dubey | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2017 | |
| 2018 | Dobaara | Mohan | Short film by Bejoy Nambiar |
| Kashmir | Unnamed | Short film by Terribly Tiny Tales | |
| 2019 | Music Teacher | Beni Madhav Singh | Netflix film |
| Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai? | Albert Pinto | ||
| Badla | Jimmy Punjabi | ||
| 2020 | Thappad | Rohit Jaisingh | |
| 2021 | Nail Polish | Veer Singh, ‘Ranjit’, ‘Charu Raina’ | Zee5 film |
| 12 'O' Clock | Francis D'Souza | ||
| Madam Chief Minister | Danish Khan | ||
| Saina | Coach Sarvadhaman Rajan | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2022 | |
| Ajeeb Daastaans | Kabir | Netflix anthology film. Segment - Ankahi. Nominated - Filmfare OTT Awards, Best Actor: Web Original Film, 2021 | |
| Dybbuk | Markus | Amazon Prime Video film | |
| 2022 | Jalsa | Anand | Amazon Prime Video film |
| Phir Kabhi | Husband | Short film by Nihit Bhave | |
| 2023 | Chaar Chappalein | Rajat | Short film |
| Trial Period | Prajapati Dwivedi, "PD" | JioCinema film | |
| 2025 | Baramulla | DSP Ridwaan Sayyed | Netflix film |
| 2012 | Hansa | Film directorial debut |
| 2021 | Tathagat | Streaming on MUBI India |
| 2025 | Real Kashmir Football Club | Shirish Kemmu | SonyLIV |
| 2017 | Tumhari Sulu | Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2022 | Saina |
| 2023 | Phir Kabhi | Best Actor Male |
| 2021 | Best Actor: Web Original Film | Ajeeb Daastaans | ||
| 2023 | Best Actor in a Short Film | Phir Kabhi |
| 2015 | Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male) | CityLights |
| 2017 | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Wazir |
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