Naveen Kasturia
Naveen Kasturia is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films and web series. Kasturia is best known for his portrayal in the web series TVF Pitchers, Bose: Dead/Alive, Happily Ever After, Aspirants and Breathe: Into the Shadows. He has appeared in films such as Sulemani Keeda and Waah Zindagi.
Early life
Kasturia was born in Otukpo, Nigeria in a Hindu family. His family moved back to India when he was a year old. He was brought up in a joint family in Delhi. He did his schooling from Birla Vidya Niketan and engineering in Manufacturing Process & Automation from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (now NSUT) in Delhi.Career
Debut and early recognition (2009–2020)
Kasturia started his career as an assistant director and made his acting debut in 2012 with Shanghai. In 2013, he made his web debut with Chai Sutta Chronicles. Kasturia then appeared in two films in 2014: Tigers and Sulemani Keeda. In Sulemani Keeda, he played a writer. The film met with positive reviews and Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com stated, "The duo's prowess as actors becomes obvious in a brilliant scene that depicts one of their writing sessions in black and white, without any words." Rajeev Masand was appreciative of him for being "natural on screen", while Rachit Gupta stated, "Naveen’s performance with the subliminal nervous energy and the totally gullible personality is good."Kasturia's had his career breakthrough in 2015 with TVF Pitchers, where he played a budding start-up owner opposite Maanvi Gagroo. The first season was a success and earned him recognition. The series had its second season premiere in 2022. Ruchi Kaushal took note of his "believable performance" in the series.
Success and acclaim in streaming projects (2021–present)
Kasturia is widely recognised for his portrayal of an UPSC aspirant and later an IAS officer in the series Aspirants opposite Namita Dubey. The first season was released in 2021 and the second season in 2023. Sukanya Verma noted, "Kasturia does well to overcome his character's inherent cynicism with his desire to do good." Archita Kashyap of Firstpost stated, "Kasturia has succeeded in making Abhilash a convincing IAS officer. He plays the character with subtle body language touches like a suppressed smile and a touch of repressed arrogance." The series success further established his career. In 2021, he also appeared in the series Aapkey Kamrey Mein Koi Rahta Hai, Pati Patni Aur Panga opposite Adah Sharma, Runaway Lugai opposite Ruhi Singh and Kota Factory 2.In 2022, Kasturia first appeared in the short film Tasalli Se. He then played an asylum's former patient in the second season of Breathe: Into the Shadows. Abhimanyu Mathur noted, "Kasturia leaves a mark though. As the unpredictable Victor, he is the show’s lost energy and one of the few highlights." In 2023, he first appeared in SK Sir Ki Class and then played a teacher in Sapne Vs Everyone. In 2024, he played a small-time writer in the second season of Mithya. Yatamanyu Narain of News 18 stated, "Kasturia’s portrayal of Amit as a disillusioned underdog brings a realism that grounds the role."