# Manoj Pahwa (मनोज पाहवा)
**Manoj Pahwa** (मनोज पाहवा) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi film and television, best known for playing Bhatia in the comedy series *Office Office* and for serious roles in *Mulk* (2018) and *Article 15* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/) • [2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa). He began on stage in Delhi, entered television with India's first soap opera *Hum Log*, and has appeared in more than 70 films as a character actor[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/) • [2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Delhi, in a Punjabi family; sources give 1963 (IMDb, Aaj Tak) or 1963 (Filmibeat)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/) • [3](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html) • [2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa) |
| Television debut | Tony, a gray supporting character in *Hum Log* (1984–85), India's first soap opera on Doordarshan[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/) |
| Signature TV role | Bhatia in the sitcom *Office Office* (2001)[2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa) |
| Film count | More than 70 films per Aaj Tak and IMDb; Filmibeat says about 45 and Moviewala lists 77[2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/) • [3](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html) • [5](https://moviewala.tv/hi/person/manoj-pahwa-85874) |
| Family | Married actor-director Seema Pahwa (née Bhargava) in 1988; son Mayank and daughter Manukriti[6](https://ndtv.in/television/seema-pahwa-aka-badki-of-first-indian-soap-opera-hum-log-now-a-famous-actor-director-3136243) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/) |
| Turning point | Anubhav Sinha's *Mulk* (2018) broke his long-standing comic image[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06) |
## Early life
Pahwa was born in Delhi into a Punjabi family; his father migrated to Punjab during Partition and later ran an automobile battery business in the city[3](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html) • [2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa). He studied at National Public School, Daryaganj[3](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html). His first taste of performing came through a neighborhood Ramlila committee, where he collected ten-rupee contributions from households and played Laxman; girls calling out "Laxman" from a rooftop gave him his first experience of recognition, and he decided to pursue acting[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). Watching performers such as [Naseeruddin Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/naseeruddin-shah), Om Puri, and [Pankaj Kapur](https://www.edgepedia.org/pankaj-kapur) at Mandi House, Delhi's theater hub, changed his aim from becoming a star to becoming an actor[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/).
## Theatre and television
Pahwa was a regular at Mandi House and worked with theater groups including the [National School of Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-school-of-drama) and the Delhi-based Asmita Theatre; he has also directed and produced plays, including *Ramleela* and local projects for [Doordarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/doordarshan) and Mandi House[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/).
His first on-camera role came in *Hum Log*, which ran on Doordarshan from 7 July 1984 to 17 December 1985[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/) • [6](https://ndtv.in/television/seema-pahwa-aka-badki-of-first-indian-soap-opera-hum-log-now-a-famous-actor-director-3136243). Seema Bhargava, already a star of the show as Badki, suggested his name to the makers when they needed a slightly negative character opposite Divya Seth's Majhli; he played Tony[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). He has recalled being so nervous on his first day that he kept forgetting to open a restaurant door for his co-star before walking in himself[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/).
He spent about ten more years doing theater in Delhi before moving to Mumbai in 1994, by then married with two children, with the realistic expectation of working as a character actor rather than a lead[8](https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/entertainment/102259-manoj-pahwa-describes-his-bollywood-journey). In Mumbai he appeared in flagship shows including *Shanti*, *Just Mohabbat*, *Sea Hawks*, and *Office Office*[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). In *Sea Hawks* he played the villain Bhamra, a rare negative television role[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). His Bhatia in *Office Office* (2001), alongside Pankaj Kapur, remains the role he is most identified with[2](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa).
## Film career
Pahwa's early films included *[Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin](https://www.edgepedia.org/is-raat-ki-subah-nahin)*, *Satya*, *Taal*, *Josh*, *[Hey Ram](https://www.edgepedia.org/hey-ram)*, *Tum Bin*, *7½ Phere*, *Salaam-e-Ishq*, *Dhamaal*, and *Ready*, most of them comedy parts[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). Wider notice came with *[Being Cyrus](https://www.edgepedia.org/being-cyrus)*, *Singh Is Kinng*, *Dabangg 2*, *Jolly LLB*, and *Dil Dhadakne Do*[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). Other credits include *Wanted* (2009), *Housefull* (2010), *Cocktail* (2012), and *Mimi* (2021)[5](https://moviewala.tv/hi/person/manoj-pahwa-85874).
**The shift to serious roles.** Pahwa has described growing frustrated with the comic parts he was offered once he moved into films, rejecting many offers while continuing to work for his family's sake[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06). The change came when director [Anubhav Sinha](https://www.edgepedia.org/anubhav-sinha) cast him in *Mulk* (2018) as Bilal; Sinha's team had doubted the casting because Pahwa was labeled a comedian and the role was serious[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06). Roles with both comic and emotional weight followed, including *Article 15* (2019), in which he played Inspector Brahmadutt Singh[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06). IMDb records an International Indian Film Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for *Article 15* and a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor for *Mulk*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/).
His later work spans *Bawaal* (2023, directed by [Nitesh Tiwari](https://www.edgepedia.org/nitesh-tiwari)), *Jigra* (2024), [Aryan Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/aryan-khan)'s series *[The Ba***ds of Bollywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ba-ds-of-bollywood)*, and Anubhav Sinha's *Assi*, in which he plays a father fighting to save his son from a sexual assault case[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/we-need-more-films-on-social-issues-but-not-as-sermons-manoj-pahwa/amp_articleshow/132326513.cms) • [10](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2026/Feb/10/manoj-pahwa-on-choosing-roles-that-matter-from-complex-characters-to-socially-relevant-cinema). He has said he chooses films based on the script, the director, and the production house, and is drawn to socially relevant storytelling[10](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2026/Feb/10/manoj-pahwa-on-choosing-roles-that-matter-from-complex-characters-to-socially-relevant-cinema).
## Personal life
Pahwa married Seema Bhargava, his co-actor from Delhi theater and *Hum Log*, in 1988; the two met on the show's set and she later pulled him from stage work into films[6](https://ndtv.in/television/seema-pahwa-aka-badki-of-first-indian-soap-opera-hum-log-now-a-famous-actor-director-3136243) • [3](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html) • [4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/). They have a son, Mayank, and a daughter, Manukriti[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/). He has spoken about leaving his father's business at 30 to act, weighing 110 kg at the time, and relatives joking that witchcraft must have been involved[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06). His father's death brought him back from Mumbai to Delhi for a period before he returned and re-established his career[11](https://www.aajtak.in//entertainment//bollywood-news/story/manoj-pahwas-career-halt-after-father-death-and-comeback-story-is-inspirational-tmovs-1589745-2022-12-08).
## References
1. [Manoj Pahwa – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656644/bio/)
2. [मनोज पाहवा | एक्टर, Aaj Tak](https://www.aajtak.in/topic/manoj-pahwa)
3. [मनोज पहवा: जीवनी, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/manoj-pahwa.html)
4. [First of Many: Manoj Pahwa revisits Hum Log, The Indian Express (2021)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/manoj-pahwa-hum-log-acting-debut-tv-show-doordarshan-first-of-many-7447181/)
5. [मनोज पाहवा की फ़िल्में और सीरीज़, Moviewala](https://moviewala.tv/hi/person/manoj-pahwa-85874)
6. [Hum Log Badki Seema Pahwa Now a Famous Actor Director, NDTV India](https://ndtv.in/television/seema-pahwa-aka-badki-of-first-indian-soap-opera-hum-log-now-a-famous-actor-director-3136243)
7. [Manoj Pahwa says 'I was frustrated being labelled a comedian till Anubhav Sinha gave me Mulk', India Today (2022)](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/manoj-pahwa-says-i-was-frustrated-being-labelled-a-comedian-till-anubhav-sinha-gave-me-mulk-1946127-2022-05-06)
8. [Manoj Pahwa describes his Bollywood journey, Devdiscourse](https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/entertainment/102259-manoj-pahwa-describes-his-bollywood-journey)
9. [We need more films on social issues, but not as sermons: Manoj Pahwa, The Times of India (2026)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/we-need-more-films-on-social-issues-but-not-as-sermons-manoj-pahwa/amp_articleshow/132326513.cms)
10. [Manoj Pahwa on choosing roles that matter, Indulge Express (2026)](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2026/Feb/10/manoj-pahwa-on-choosing-roles-that-matter-from-complex-characters-to-socially-relevant-cinema)
11. [जब पिता की मौत ने मनोज पाहवा के करियर पर लगा दिया था ब्रेक, Aaj Tak (2022)](https://www.aajtak.in//entertainment//bollywood-news/story/manoj-pahwas-career-halt-after-father-death-and-comeback-story-is-inspirational-tmovs-1589745-2022-12-08)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 2010s onward › Surnames H to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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