Avinash Tiwary

Avinash Tiwary (born 15 August 1985) is an Indian actor who has built a versatile portfolio across Hindi cinema and digital streaming platforms. Raised briefly in Gopalganj, Bihar before his family moved to Mumbai, he completed his schooling at The D.P.Y.A. High School and began an engineering degree which he abandoned in his fourth semester to follow his passion for performance. He refined his craft at Barry John’s acting studio and later at the New York Film Academy, simultaneously appearing in short films from 2005 onward. Tiwary made his feature‑film debut with Suno Na.. Ek Nanhi Aawaz in 2009, but his first widely noted television role came in 2014 as the cunning Advocate Ajatshatru in the series Yudh, sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan. The breakthrough for his film career arrived with the 2016 indie drama Tu Hai Mera Sunday, where his portrayal of Rashid earned critical praise for its naturalism, and the following year he landed the titular role in Imtiaz Ali’s modern retelling Laila Majnu, a performance that demanded a physical transformation and garnered acclaim for its intensity. In the streaming era Tiwary expanded his range, starring as the tormented law graduate Satya in the Netflix horror anthology Bulbbul (2020) and delivering a solid supporting turn in the mystery thriller The Girl on the Train (2021). 2022 marked his web‑series debut with Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, where he embodied the gritty dacoit‑styled character Chandan, cementing his reputation as a compelling anti‑hero. Subsequent roles in Bambai Meri Jaan (2023) as a Dawood‑inspired figure and in Kaala (2023) as an IB officer showcased his ability to navigate complex, morally ambiguous characters. 2024 saw him showcase comic timing in Kunal Khemu’s Madgaon Express, playing Ayush, one of three friends stranded in Goa, while also headlining the crime drama Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, again directed by Pandey. Critics consistently note his “wiry and likable” screen presence, his “credible potency,” and his talent for disappearing into diverse roles, earning him a spot among Times’ Most Desirable Men in 2020 and recognition as one of the decade’s standout performances by Film Companion.