Nikitin Dheer


Nikitin Dheer is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films, and Hindi television. Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with the film Jodhaa Akbar. He is best known for portraying Astika in Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha and Ravana in Shrimad Ramayan. Dheer has appeared in successful films such as Ready, Chennai Express, Kanche, Shershaah and Sooryavanshi, and the series Indian Police Force.

Early and personal life

Dheer is Punjabi and is the son of actor Pankaj Dheer.
Dheer married actress Kratika Sengar on 3 September 2014 in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, in Mumbai. Sengar gave birth to their daughter, Devika, on 12 May 2022.
His father Pankaj Dheer died in October 2025.

Career

Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama Jodhaa Akbar, in which he co-starred alongside Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as Sharifuddin Hussain, Akbar's brother-in-law. While the film earned critical appreciation and box office success, Dheer received praise for his role, with noted critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioning him as "fantastic". The same year he acted alongside Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan in Apoorva Lakhia's unremarkable action thriller Mission Istaanbul.
In 2011, Dheer appeared in Anees Bazmee's comedy Ready, alongside Salman Khan and Asin. The following year, he had a supporting role in Arbaaz Khan's action film Dabangg 2 alongside Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha and Prakash Raj. In 2013, he featured as the primary antagonist in Rohit Shetty's action comedy Chennai Express with Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. For his role as Tangaballi, a dreaded Tamil goon, Dheer was asked to gain more muscle and work on his accent. His physique in the film was received warmly; Mohar Basu noted that Dheer is "robust" although "hardly has a role enough to perform".

Filmography

Films

  • All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.
YearTitleRoleLanguageNotesRef.
2008Jodhaa AkbarSharifuddin HussainHindi
2008Mission IstaanbulAl GazniHindi
2011ReadyAryan ChaudharyHindi
2012Dabangg 2ChunniHindi
2013Chennai ExpressThangaballiHindi
2015KancheEeshwar PrasadTelugu
2016Housefull 3Rohan PatelHindi
2016Freaky AliDanger BhaiHindi
2017Goutham NandaGowdaTelugu
2017MisterRahul WadayarTelugu
2018PaakWaqaarHindi
2021ShershaahAjay "Jassi" Singh JasrotiaHindi
2021SooryavanshiMukhtar Ansari / Vivek ShastriHindi
2021Antim: [The Final Truth]Daya BagareHindi
2022KhiladiBala SinghamTelugu
2022CirkusDev ChauhanHindiCameo appearance
2024MartinMushtaqKannada
2025Housefull 5 Captain SameerHindi
2025Akaal: The UnconqueredJangi JahanPunjabi-

Television

Web series

Awards and nominations