Ishaan Khatter (born November 1, 1995) is a Hindi film actor from India. He made his first screen appearance as a child in the 2005 film Vaah!, the son of actors Rajesh Khattar and Neelima Azeem. Aisi Toh Life Ho! , in which he appeared alongside his half-brother Shahid Kapoor.
Khatter made his feature film debut in Majid Majidi's drama Beyond the Clouds (2017), where his portrayal of a drug dealer earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. His breakthrough came with the romantic drama Dhadak (2018), and he has since appeared in the British miniseries A Suitable Boy (2020).
Background and early life
Khatter is the son of Neelima Azeem and Rajesh Khattar, both actors. Shahid Kapoor is Azeem's half-brother from her first marriage to actor Pankaj Kapur. Khatter describes himself as proud of his middle-class values. He explains that he grew up in a family that valued culture, cinema, and the performing arts, and that he worked hard to establish himself as an artist. Khatter attended Mumbai's Jamnabai Narsee School and Billabong High International School, Juhu. He also attended Shiamak Davar's dance academy.
After making his first appearance on screen as a child in the 2005 film Vaah! Aisi Toh Life Ho! Khatter worked as an assistant director to Abhishek Chaubey on his film Udta Punjab (2016) and Danish Renzu on the independent film Half Widow, both of which starred Kapoor (2017).
Career
Beyond the Clouds (2017), directed by Majid Majidi, was Khatter's first adult acting role, in which he played Amir, a drug dealer. It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and was released in theaters in 2018. Deborah Young wrote in her review for The Hollywood Reporter that Khatter's "notable screen charisma promises well for his future career." He was named Best Actor at the 5th International Bosphorous Film Festival, as well as Best Male Debut at the Filmfare Awards.
Khatter then starred in Shashank Khaitan's romantic drama Dhadak (2018), a remake of the Marathi film Sairat (2016), alongside Janhvi Kapoor. It tells the story of two young lovers in rural Rajasthan who face political opposition because of caste discrimination in their relationship. Mint's Uday Bhatia criticized Dhadak for lack of depth, but found "a soulfulness to [Khatter] that's at odds with Hindi cinema's current penchant for bratty, hyperactive onscreen male personas." The Indian Express' Shubhra Gupta also disliked the film, but praised Khatter as a "natural" performer with a "mobile, expressive face." Dhadak was a commercial success, with worldwide earnings of more than 1.1 billion (US$14 million).
In 2020, Khatter appeared in the British miniseries A Suitable Boy, Mira Nair's adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel of the same name, opposite Tabu. It aired on BBC One in six parts. He was drawn to the project because it depicted an older woman-young man romance, which he hoped would challenge the social stigma associated with such relationships. The Times' Hugo Rifkind described Khatter as "suitably charismatic and dangerous" in his role. That same year, he co-starred with Ananya Panday in the action film Khaali Peeli, which was released digitally on Zee Plex due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Khatter appeared in the comedy horror film Phone Bhoot in 2022, alongside Katrina Kaif and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Reviewers were generally unimpressed with the film, but NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee thought that Khatter's "charm and spunk" in his comic role allowed him to "[walk] away with the film." The following year, he began in Fursat, an Apple Inc. promotional short film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
Khatter will next appear as an army tank commander in the war film Pippa, which is based on the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.
Media
Khatter was ranked No. 27 in The Times Most Desirable Men in 2018, No. 32 in 2019, and No. 25 in 2020.
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! | Ishaan | Child artist |
| 2016 | Udta Punjab | Unnamed | Cameo appearance; also assistant director |
| 2017 | Half Widow | — | Assistant director |
| Beyond the Clouds | Amir Ahmed | ||
| 2018 | Dhadak | Madhukar Bagla | |
| 2020 | Khaali Peeli | Banda Blackie | |
| 2021 | Don't Look Up | Raghav Manavalan | English film; cameo appearance |
| 2022 | Phone Bhoot | Galileo "Gullu" Parthasarthy | |
| 2023 | Fursat | Nishu | Short film |
| Pippa | Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta | Completed |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | A Suitable Boy | Maan Kapoor |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | International Bosphorous Film Festival | Best Actor | Beyond the Clouds | Won |
| 2018 | Screen Awards | Best Male Debut | Dhadak / Beyond the Clouds | Won |
| 2019 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Male Debut | Won | |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Male Debut | Beyond the Clouds | Won | |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Star Debut of the Year – Male | Dhadak | Won |
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Ishaan Khatter |
| Other Name | Ishaan Khattar |
| Profession | Actor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 173 cm in meters- 1.73 m in feet inches- 5’ 8” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | - Chest: 40 inches - Waist: 30 inches - Biceps: 13 inches |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 1 November 1995 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 28 Years |
| Birthplace | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Billabong High International School, Mumbai |
| College/University | RIMS International School and Junior College, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Debut | Film: Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005, as a child actor) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Hobbies | Dancing, Travelling, Working Out |
| Girls, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father- Rajesh Khattar (Actor) Mother- Neelima Azeem (TV Actress) |
| Siblings | Brother- Shahid Kapoor (Actor, Half-Brother) Sister- None |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Pizza |
| Actor(s) | Bollywood: Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan Hollywood: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise |
| Actresses | Bollywood: Deepika Padukone Hollywood: Meryl Streep |
| Film(s) | Bollywood: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Lootera Hollywood: The Shawshank Redemption, Inception, Paranormal Activity, Gladiator, Tom Cruise's films |
| Musician(s) | Michael Jackson, Armin van Buuren, Ed Sheeran, Amy Lee, System of a Down |
| Colour | Black |
| Destination | Mumbai |
| Style Quotient | |
| Bike Collection | In April 2022, he shared a series of photos of his new bike Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin worth Rs. 13 lakh. [2]Hindustan Times |
