From Theatre Floors to Lead Roles: Karanvir Malhotra’s Quiet Climb
From theatre floors to lead roles, discover Karanvir Malhotra’s quiet climb—his journey through stage, struggle, and steady rise in Indian cinema.
Karanvir Malhotra’s entry into acting was neither immediate nor planned. Born in New Delhi, he spent his early years at The Air Force School and later at Delhi Public School, Dwarka. He was always good at academics, sports and other co curricular activities. He was even selected to be a part of the prestigious SBS MUN. He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Honours), completing part of it at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, before moving to Australia and finishing the remainder at La Trobe University in Melbourne.
It was in Melbourne that Malhotra first encountered the film industry at close quarters, though not as an actor. He began assisting filmmaker/ producer Mitu Bhowmick Lange at Mind Blowing Films and worked with the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, gaining exposure to the organisational and distribution aspects of cinema. The environment, and interactions with visiting Indian actors and filmmakers, gradually influenced his thinking. “Being around film festivals showed me how stories travel across cultures,” Malhotra has said. “That’s when I realised I wanted to be part of the storytelling process, not just to observe it.”
Rather than moving directly to film, he turned to theatre. Malhotra began performing in Melbourne under the guidance of theatre practitioner Arjun Raina and went on to act in productions staged by The Australian Shakespeare Company. He also performed at platforms such as the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Melbourne Fringe Festival, gaining stage experience over several productions before considering screen acting.
His first appearance on screen came through a Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk commercial directed by Vinnil Matthew, after Mukesh Chhabra’s casting team reached out to him for an audition. The project required Malhotra to travel to Mumbai for the first time and marked his debut as a screen actor. Reflecting on the experience later, he said, “I had no expectations beyond doing the job well. I didn’t know that the ad would open doors so quickly.”
Soon after completing his undergraduate degree, Malhotra was cast in the Netflix film What Are The Odds? (2020), produced by FilmKaravan and Abhay Deol, where he played the role of Ashwin. During the film’s production, he lived out of the production office, as he was unable at the time to afford an independent accommodation. Looking back at that period, Malhotra has described it as formative. “That phase taught me more about survival and hustling,” he said. “You learn quickly how little glamour there actually is at the start.”
The film was followed by back-to-back projects. Malhotra appeared as Amar in The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye (2020), directed and produced by Kabir Khan for Amazon Prime Video, and was also cast in Netflix’s Selection Day, produced by Anil Kapoor Film Company in collaboration with Seven Stories. Although Selection Day had been filmed later, it became his first major release and brought him wider visibility for his portrayal of Javed Ansari. Malhotra has been cautious in how he frames this phase of his career. “I just happened to be at the right time and at the right place. OTT just came to India and I just happened to land these roles out of thin air. Selection Day was the second Netflix show to come out of India after Sacred Games and the same goes for the The Forgotten Army for Amazon Prime.’
He later worked with filmmaker Rohit Shetty on the Amazon Prime Video series Indian Police Force, in which he appeared as Sikku. Malhotra was most recently seen as the lead in Excel Entertainment’s supernatural series Andhera, marking a shift in genre from his earlier work. The series drew attention for its departure from primary characters to doing a full fledged lead and his performance received a largely positive response following its release.
From Theatre Floors to Lead Roles: Karanvir Malhotra’s Quiet Climb
Malhotra is next set to appear in King, directed by Siddharth Anand and backed by Shah Rukh Khan, which is expected to mark his theatrical film debut. The project features an ensemble cast that includes Suhana Khan, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Rani Mukerji.
Coming from outside the film industry, Malhotra’s background has remained distinct from many of his contemporaries. His mother was a history teacher at Delhi Public School, Dwarka, before later managing a medical centre in Melbourne, while his father works in the transport industry. He has one younger sibling. Reflecting on his journey so far, Malhotra has maintained a measured view of his career. “I’ve learned not to romanticise any stage of it,” he said. “Every phase comes with its own set of challenges.”
