Rahul Khanna

Rahul Khanna
Khanna at the launch event of Van Heusen
Born (1972-06-20) 20 June 1972
Alma materLee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
School of Visual Arts
Occupations
Years active1994–2023
FatherVinod Khanna
RelativesAkshaye Khanna (brother)
A. F. S. Talyarkhan (maternal grandfather)

Rahul Khanna (born 20 June 1972) is an Indian actor, VJ, model and writer who works in Bollywood. He is the eldest son of actor Vinod Khanna and the elder brother of Akshaye Khanna.[1]

Early life and background

Khanna was born and raised in Mumbai. His father was a Bollywood star & a politician, Vinod Khanna, his mother was ex-model Gitanjali Taleyar Khanna. Bobby A. F. S. Talyarkhan was his maternal grandfather's cousin, and his younger brother is Bollywood actor, Akshaye Khanna.[2]

Khanna studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.[3][4]

Career

Film

He made his feature film debut in Deepa Mehta's 1947 Earth (1999), alongside Aamir Khan.[5] His performance earned him several awards including the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award.[6] He has since appeared in Mehta's Bollywood/Hollywood (2003) and Wake up Sid starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma. He also appeared in Love Aaj Kal.

Khanna's other mainstream Bollywood films include Elaan and Raqeeb and his international credits include The Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline.[7]

Television

MTV Asia, VJ, 1994–1998

Asian Variety Show, Host, AVS TV Network, North America, 1999–2001

Discovery Week, Host, Discovery Channel, 2006

Khanna has also hosted numerous events like the IIFA Awards, the Miss India pageant, the Screen Awards, the Stardust (magazine) Awards, the Miss India Worldwide pageant, Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief show at Mumbai Fashion Week, the GQ (India) Men of the Year Awards 2009 & 2010,[8] Teacher's Achievement Awards 2008 & 2010, The International Film Festival of India 2011, The Hello (magazine) Hall of Fame Awards 2011 and The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2012.

Commercials and endorsements

Khanna has been associated with several brands including Toyota, Lay's Chips, Pepsi, DTC (Diamond Trading Company/ De Beers group), Trent (Westside), Tommy Hilfiger, Jaypee Group's Jaypee Greens, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Kiehl's, Maggi and Audi.

Khanna has appeared in a PETA India campaign to protect elephants and birds.

Writing

Khanna has a signature humorous writing style. Apart from his own blog, his pieces and essays have been published in several leading newspapers, magazines and websites including Harper's Bazaar India, Vogue India, Cosmopolitan (magazine) India, Elle (India), GQ India, Marie Claire India, The Times of India, Deccan Herald and The Huffington Post India.[9]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999Earth HassanFilmfare Award for Best Male Debut
20013 AMMorris
2002Bollywood/HollywoodRahul Seth
The Emperor's ClubDeepak Mehta
2005ElaanKaran Shah
2007RaqeebRemo Matthews
2008TahaanKuka Saheb
Dil KabaddiRajveer Singh
2009Love Aaj KalVikram Joshi
Wake Up SidKabir ChaudharyChief Editor of Mumbai Beats' Magazine
2014FirefliesShiv
2023LostRanjan Verma[10]

Television

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
201324 Tarun KhoslaAbhinay DeoSeason 01 Episode 10 & 11
2014The AmericansYousaf RanaStefan SchwartzEpisode: "Yousaf"
2015Daniel SackheimEpisode: "EST Men"
Episode: "Baggage (The Americans)"
Kevin DowlingEpisode: "Salang Pass"
Andrew Bernstein (director)Episode: "One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov"
Daniel SackheimEpisode: "March 8, 1983"
2019LeilaDeepa Mehta

References

  1. ↑ "Rahul Khanna bids father Vinod Khanna final goodbye with an emotional post, see pic". The Indian Express. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "On Akshaye Khanna's birthday today, brother Rahul drops an adorable childhood pic: See inside". The Times of India. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Lobo, Bian. "Rahul Khanna is a really cool guy, says the author". Rediff. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  4. ↑ Ramakrishna, Anupama (15 October 2014). "The quiet son-rise". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Kanetkar, Riddhima. "Meet actor who made debut with Aamir Khan, gave no solo hits, is son of superstar, his brother is." DNA India. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dear Rahul Khanna, Get A Life. And A Career". 10 August 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "I don't believe in numbers: Rahul Khanna". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "Men of the Year – The winners 2010". GQ India. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "A Life In A Box". HuffPost. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury on Lost: It will make you question, introspect, and tug at your heartstrings". Pinkvilla. 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.