Ashutosh Ramnarayan Neekhra (born 10 November 1967), known professionally as Ashutosh Rana, is an Indian actor, poet, television presenter, author, and singer who works predominantly in Hindi films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films. He is known for his portrayal of negative roles and has received several awards including a Filmfare OTT Award and two Filmfare Awards.
Besides his acting career, he is an author and philanthropist. Some books written by him include 'Maun Muskaan Ki Maar' and 'Ramrajya'.
Early and personal life Rana was born on 10 November 1967 in Gadarwara, Madhya Pradesh. He lived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in his childhood. He graduated from the Dr. Hari Singh Gaur University of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. He is the cousin of Rameshwar Neekhra, an Indian politician. He is married to actress Renuka Shahane.
Career
Television Rana appeared in the television serial Swabhimaan, which was followed by serials such as Farz, Sazish, Jax Kabhi, Waris. He anchored the TV show, Baazi Kiski. He has also hosted Sarkaar Ki Duniya, a reality show which took place on Mango Island in Karwar, Karnataka. In 2010, he featured in the Star Plus show Kaali- Ek Agnipariksha, where he played the negative role of Thakral.
Films Rana received recognition for his negative role in Dushman, where he played a cold blooded psychopathic killer. Throughout his career, he has predominantly played negative and supporting roles. He has won two Filmfare Awards for Best Villain for his performances in Dushman and Sangharsh.
Apart from featuring in Hindi films, he has appeared in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films.
In 2021, he won the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original film for his performance as a grief-stricken father in Pagglait.
Filmography
YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes 1993AshaantHindiBilingual filmKannada1996SanshodhanDaaman VermaHindi1997TamannaHaribhai Krishna ArjunBilloo Singh1998DushmanGokul PanditWon-Filmfare Award for Best VillianGhulamAgrawal ShyamsundarZakhmSubodh Malgaonkar1999SangharshLajja Shankar PandeyWon-Filmfare Award for Best VillianJaanwarAbdul Razi2000LaadoInderHaryanviBadalDIG Jaisingh RanaHindiTarkiebMajor / Dr. Kamal Dogra2001Guru MahaaguruGautamKasoorInspector Ram Lokhande2002RaazProfessor Agni SwaroopAnshSukhdev SinghDangerNaineshAb Ke BarasTejeshwar SinghaGunaahMadhusudhan GokhaleAnnarthRaghav KapoorKarzRajpal Thakur20032 OctoberKaran AbhyankarHaasilGaurishankar PandeySandhyaDr. Ajay SinghaniaLOC: KargilYogendra Singh Yadav Dil Pardesi Ho GayaaMajor Ram Brujpal2004Pardesi RePrabhakar RaoVenkyYogendra Sharma IPSTeluguChot- Aj Isko, Kal TerekoKishan YadavHindiAb Tumhare Hawale Watan SathiyoSikandar KhanMission Mumbai2005Shabnam MausiShabnam BanoDil Ke Pechey PecheyVanraj ChauhanVishnu SenaBadrinathKannadaKalyugJohnny Ranade Hindi2006BangaramBhooma ReddyTelugu2007Kshana KshanaRanaKannadaAwarapanBharat Daulat MalikHindiDhokhaInspector Dev Singh2008Okka MagaaduChief Minister Namboodriyar TeluguSummer 2007Dr. Mukesh JadhavHindiVictoryMLA K. DevarajTelugu2009Coffee HouseKamal KishoreHindi2010Ramayana: The EpicRavanaVoiceover 2011MonicaChandrakant Pandit2012VettaiAnnachiTamilKismet Love Paisa DilliKaptan SahabHindiAta Pata LaapataSatyaprakash Chaubey2013Zila GhaziabadSantosh Singh RanaYedaAppa Kulkarni (Yeda)MarathiBalupuVizag PoornaTeluguTadakhaBaggaMutthi Bhar SapneRamakant MishraHindiMahabharatDronacharyaVoiceover 2014Desi KatteyPolitician AmrishHumpty Sharma Ki DulhaniaKamaljeet Pratap SinghSparkRana / Veera Dual roleMeaghamannJothi BhaiTamil2015PataasG. K.TeluguAb Tak Chhappan 2Inspector Suryakant ThoratHindiDirty PoliticsDayal UpadhyayBrothersPashaBlack HomeDarshan "DK" KumarCourier Boy KalyanCorrupt Doctor Telugu2016KrishnashtamiTamilselvanum Thaniyar AnjalumArunTamilShorgulVikram ChaudharyHindi2017Jeena Isi Ka Naam HaiKunwar Vikram SinghMotta Shiva Ketta ShivaG. K. TamilNene Raju Nene MantriSubbarayuduTeluguAa Gaya HeroHindi2018Jai SimhaThota Rami ReddyTeluguYeh Kaisa TigamChhagan Patel HindiMulkPublic Prosecutor Santosh AnandUdanchhooBillu KabootarSaakshyamMunuswamy's second brotherTeluguDhadakRatan Singh RathodHindiJohnnyRamTamilSimmba Head Constable Nityanand MohileHindi2019SonchiriyaVirender Singh GujjarMilan Talkies Janardhan PandaViswamitraA. RanaTeluguChicken Curry Law Sitapati ShuklaHindiWar Colonel Sunil LuthraKalkiNarsappaTeluguSangathamizhanKulandaivelTamil2020Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship Prof. Raghubir JoshiHindi2021PagglaitShivendra GiriHungama 2 Colonel Govind KapoorMaaligaiKing VikramadityaTamil2022Avatara PurushaDarka KannadaSamrat PrithvirajJayachandraHindiRashtra Kavach OmColonel Jai Rathore2023PathaanColonel Sunil LuthraBheedInspector Subhash YadavDarran ChhooJugaaduLakeereinDhudhari Singh Tiger 3 Colonel Sunil Luthra Cameo appearance 2024Fighter Abhijeet Rathore Special appearance Avatara Purusha 2Darka Kannada 2025LoveyapaAtul Kumar SharmaHindiChhaavaSarsenapati Hambirrao MohiteKaushaljis vs Kaushal Sahil KaushalWar 2 Colonel Sunil LuthraHeer Express TJ2026One Two Cha Cha ChaaVed Prakash JaiswalKrishnavataram Part 1: The Heart (Hridayam)Narada 2027 Dada Sarkar Telugu Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Tehkikaat Shyam Episode: "A Mystery Behind Sleep Walking Disorder" 1995 Swabhimaan Tyagi Aahat Avinash Uncredited role; Episodes: "The Closed Room", "Explosion" 1997–1999 Saturday Suspense Inspector Raghuraj 1998–2000 X-Zone 1999 Waris 2001 Farz Baazi Kiski Host 2003 Kabhi Kabhie 2009Sarkaar Ki Duniya Host 2010 Kaali- Ek Agnipariksha Keshav Thakral2019Savdhaan IndiaHost 2021 Chhatrasal Aurangzeb Aranyak Mahadev Dogra 2022 The Great Indian Murder Jagganath Rai Khakee: The Bihar Chapter IG Mukteshwar Chaubey IPS 2024 Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond Raqib Hamid Askani Murder In Mahim Peter Fernandes The Mystery of Moksha Island Viswak Sen 2025 Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan Chand Bardai 2026Glory Viju Sangwan
Theatre Ashutosh Rana returned to the stage in 2024 with the play Humare Ram. It is produced by Rahul Bhuchar under the banner of Felicity Theatre and directed by Gaurav Bhardwaj. The production has completed over 450 shows.
The play was staged in Dubai at the Dubai Opera. In 2026, it is scheduled for an international tour, including performances at the Eventim Apollo in London.
Awards and nominations
Screen Awards
Won - Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role for Dushman
Zee Cine Awards Won - Best Performance in a Negative Role for Dushman Won - Best Performance in a Negative Role for Sangharsh
Filmfare Awards Won - Best Performance in a Negative Role for Dushman Won - Best Performance in a Negative Role for Sangharsh
South Indian International Movie Awards Nominated - SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) for Tadakha
Filmfare OTT Awards Won - Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film for Pagglait
Bibliography
References
External links