Adarsh Gourav Bhagavatula (born 8 July 1994) is an Indian actor known for his works in Hindi and English-language films and television series. Gourav began acting with the drama film My Name Is Khan (2010). He gained international recognition for playing chauffeur Balram Halwai in the satirical film The White Tiger (2021), which garnered him nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Adarsh has also starred in the teen comedy series Hostel Daze (2019–2021), the comic thriller series Guns & Gulaabs , and the drama film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (both 2023). Early life and background Adarsh Gourav Bhagavatula was born into a Telugu speaking family in Jamshedpur , Jharkhand. His father Satishnarayana Bhagavatula is from Srikakulam district and his mother Padmavati Bhagavatula hails from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh . Gourav was brought up in Jamshedpur and studied in Loyola School, Jamshedpur. He later moved to Mumbai and studied at Narsee Monjee College . [ 3 ] He had participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in 2003 and L'il Champs in 2007 but was rejected from both. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] In 2007, when Gourav's father, who was an employee of The Central Bank of India , got transferred to Mumbai, the family decided to relocate. He studied at the Lilavatibai Podar High School . While singing in the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2007, he was spotted and asked if he wanted to try acting. He agreed only because he was excited to be on television. After a year of auditioning, he was cast as the young Shahrukh Khan in the film My Name is Khan . [ 6 ] [ 7 ] He studied in The Drama School in Mumbai. [ 8 ] Gourav learnt Hindustani classical music for nine years under different Gurus. [ 9 ] He started getting interested in Western music while in Junior college and sang for the college band "Steepsky". They recorded a single called "Good guys finish last". In college, he sang for a progressive rock band called "Oak Island" which was also featured in MTV Indies-Never Hide Sounds . [ 9 ] [ 10 ] He was scouted to sing for Raell Padamsee's theatre company. He also sang for films like Black and White and Chal Chalein. [ citation needed ] Although his acting career began when he was 14, Adarsh seriously started pursuing acting when he was cast to play one of the primary characters in a film titled "Banana", produced by John Abraham Entertainment and directed by Sajid Ali. While in his final year of college at Narsee Monjee College of Commerce , he worked with Anurag Kashyap in his anthology short film "Clean Shaven" with Radhika Apte . The next year he was cast as the lead in Rukh alongside Manoj Bajpayee [ 6 ] and as one of the antagonists in Sridevi 's Mom . [ 10 ] To work on his craft, he took a break and went to The Drama School Mumbai in 2016. After finishing school, he worked in the Amazon production "Die Trying" and the TVF production Hostel Daze . He also played Prince Tarquin in the NCPA production "Lucrece" directed by Paul Goodwin in 2017. In 2018, he worked with Academy nominee Deepa Mehta on her Netflix series Leila . [ citation needed ] After a few months of not being able to find any acting work, he was called in for an audition of The White Tiger . [ 11 ] His portrayal of Balram Halwai in the Netflix film has been lauded by all as the "star of Ramin Bahrani's film", [ 12 ] with the Evening Standard saying, "Gourav is nuanced and utterly engaging as Balram Halwai, a bright peasant who morphs from lickspittle chauffeur into something more ruthless. [ 13 ] " and Variety calling it a "small marvel". [ 14 ] The Telegraph said Gourav "gives the definition of a breakthrough performance" [ 15 ] The Entertainment Weekly called him "a largely unknown actor whose soulful combination of sheer will and vulnerability should, in a just world, win him the kind of accolades that helped make Slumdog's Dev Patel a star. [ 16 ] For his performance, Gourav was nominated for the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead [ 17 ] and was also nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor . [ 18 ] In May 2023, he was a part of Audible's podcast series called Desi Down Under , along with Taaruk Raina and Prajakta Koli . The story is set in Sydney about three 20 year olds from Mangalore who go to Australia to learn surf-lifesaving skills at Coogee Beach. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Following this, he starred alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday in the coming-of-age film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan directed by debutant Arjun Varain Singh. [ 21 ] Writing for NDTV , Saibal Chatterjee reviewed "Siddhant Chaturvedi has the meatiest role in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan but it is Adarsh Gourav who makes the biggest impact". [ 22 ] Gourav had his first major leading role with the 2026 survival thriller Tu Yaa Main from director Bejoy Nambiar . An adaptation of the 2018 Thai film The Pool , it starred him opposite newcomer Shanaya Kapoor as an aspiring rapper from a Mumbai suburb who enters into a relationship with an elite social media influencer but has to fend off with her against a crocodile let loose around a rundown resort in Goa. Although an underperformer at the box office, the film and Gourav's performance earned praise, with The Hollywood Reporter India ' s Rahul Desai remarking that he "effortlessly slips into the ‘tapori’ zone without reducing the silver-tongued Maharashtrian hustler to a type". [ 23 ] Awards and nominations ↑ "2021 films: new releases and what's coming out" . The Week . 15 January 2021. ↑ "The White Tiger's Adarsh Gourav Wins AWFF 'Rising Star' Award" . Quint . 24 March 2021. ↑ Ramachandran, S. (31 January 2021). "Telugu boy earns his stripes" . Deccan Chronicle . Retrieved 24 July 2021 . ↑ "Adarsh Gourav reveals he has become better at dealing with rejection with age" . IANS News . 4 October 2025. ↑ "Adarsh Gourav On His 'Tumultuous But Most Rewarding' Musical Journey - News18" . www.news18.com . 1 2 Jhunjhunwala, Udita (20 January 2021). "The White Tiger's Adarsh Gourav on discovering the 'invisibility' of Balram, and learnings from his co-actors" . First Post . ↑ Kanetkar, Riddhima (30 October 2020). "Who is Adarsh Gourav? All you need to know about Priyanka Chopra, Rajkummar Rao's 'The White Tiger' co-star" . ↑ Shekhar, Mimansa (21 January 2021). "Who is Adarsh Gourav, the actor from The White Tiger?" . Indian Express . 1 2 Chakraborty, Rimi (29 October 2021). "Who is Adarsh Gourav? The man who stole the show in the trailer of Priyanka Chopra Jonas's The White Tiger" . GQ India. 1 2 Arora, Simran (20 January 2021). "Adarsh Gourav From 'The White Tiger' Has A Boy Next Door Look Which Is As Unique As His Acting" . Mens XP . ↑ "Adarsh Gourav says mainstream Bollywood movies never attracted him" . Hindustan Times . 1 February 2021. ↑ "The White Tiger first reviews: Critics call it roaring success, 'more realistic' Slumdog Millionaire that'll make Adarsh Gaurav a star" . Hindustan Times. 14 January 2021. ↑ O'Sullivan, Charlotte (21 January 2021). "Netflix's The White Tiger review: this tale of two Indias is as angry, smart and dark as Parasite" . ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (5 January 2021). " 'The White Tiger' Review: Ramin Bahrani's Absorbing Tale of an Indian Servant on the Rise Is Like 'Slumdog Millionaire' With More Reality" . ↑ Collins, Robbie (20 January 2021). "The White Tiger, review: the punchy, propulsive tale of a grubby ascent to the top" . ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (5 January 2021). "The White Tiger brings exhilarating big-screen storytelling to Netflix" . Entertainment Weekly . ↑ "2021 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced!" . Film Independent . 26 January 2021 . Retrieved 5 February 2021 . ↑ "BAFTA 2021: The White Tiger Stars Priyanka Chopra And Adarsh Gourav Feature On Longlist" . NDTV.com . Retrieved 5 February 2021 .

↑ "All about Audible India's latest original offering is Desi Downunder" . www.telegraphindia.com . Retrieved 15 June 2023 . ↑ "Adarsh Gourav talks about his new Audible series Desi Down Under, and why he never wants to feel 'settled' as an artist" . Hindustan Times . 13 May 2023 . Retrieved 15 June 2023 . ↑ "Siddhant Chaturvedi announces the start of 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan' shoot; co-stars Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav share their excitement - Times of India" . The Times of India . 8 March 2022 . Retrieved 10 March 2022 . ↑ "Kho Gaye Hum Kahan Review: Moderately Entertaining And Occasionally Perceptive" . NDTV . Retrieved 26 December 2023 . ↑ " 'Tu Yaa Main' Movie Review: Reels, Reptiles and a Fun Time at the Movies" . The Hollywood Reporter India . Retrieved 13 February 2026 . ↑ "Varun Grover's short film 'Kiss' heading to Beijing Queer Film Festival" . The Economic Times . 14 November 2022. ISSN 0013-0389 . Retrieved 5 July 2023 . ↑ "Tu Ya Main trailer: Adarsh Gourav, Shanaya Kapoor try to escape a deadly crocodile" . India Today . 22 January 2026 . Retrieved 24 January 2026 . ↑ PTI (9 April 2022). "Raj and DK wrap up shoot of Netflix series 'Guns & Gulaabs' " . ThePrint . Retrieved 29 August 2022 . ↑ Shackleton, Liz; Andreeva, Nellie (20 July 2023). " 'Alien': Alex Lawther & Samuel Blenkin Among Quartet Cast As FX Series Starts Production With No SAG-AFTRA Actors Amid Strike" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 21 July 2023 . ↑ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2024 Nominations" . Filmfare . Retrieved 17 October 2024 . ↑ "Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 full winners list: 12th Fail is Best Film, Kartik Aaryan declared Best Actor" . Hindustan Times . 17 August 2024 . Retrieved 17 August 2024 . Adarsh Gourav at IMDb Adarsh Gourav on Instagram Indian male film actors Telugu male actors Indian male singers Male actors in Hindi cinema Indian male child actors 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors from Jamshedpur Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from July 2021 Use Indian English from November 2021 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021 Commons category link from Wikidata