Actor Ishaan Khatter is slowly but surely establishing himself in Bollywood. The 29-year-old, who made his cinematic debut in 2005 as a child actor in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! – starring Shahid Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Amrita Rao and Arshad Warsi, made his big Hollywood debut in the 2024 film The Perfect Couple.
The murder mystery series introduced the West to Khatter, many lauding him for his performance in the show. Now, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, the actor said he is proud of being able to represent India in Hollywood. “When I was doing it, I knew that there was a very new kind of character for a South Asian actor to get to play, especially someone who's based out of here and not there. You've never seen a young Indian male actor shown in that light in a big Hollywood project. So, it was definitely new ground, but I didn't know what to expect. It was lovely to get that reaction from people. There is definite pride that it broke new ground in a way, and hopefully, we will see much more of that going forward. It’s about time.”
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Khatter was cast alongside big-name actors like Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, and Dakota Fanning. Reflecting on this experience, he said, “It felt natural and comfortable because we are all united by the creative process. We are all artistes and creative people, and filmmaking feels like it's a community of mad people that are all akin to each other in a way. What was wonderful was the audience and people around me, especially from the subcontinent. I saw them feeling more pride than even I did, and it filled my heart.”
Khatter first gained national recognition by starring in Majid Majidi's Beyond the Clouds (2017), which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He also starred as the romantic lead opposite Janhvi Kapoor in her debut in the film Dhadak (2018).
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Currently, Khatter is filming The Royals, where he stars alongside Bhumi Pednekar. The Netflix series is eyeing a 2025 release.
