Neeraj Kabi

Biography:

Neeraj Kabi is an Indian film and theatre actor, director, and acting coach, known for his work in international cinema, Hindi films, theatre, and television.

Born on March 12, 1968, in Jamshedpur, Bihar (now Jharkhand), he completed his schooling at Loyola School, Jamshedpur, and later pursued a diploma in computer science from Symbiosis College, Pune. His father, Tushar Kabi, and mother, Zarin Kabi, raised him alongside his siblings, Partha Kabi and Radhika Virdi. He is married to fashion designer Deepali Kosta, and they have a daughter, Shatakshi Kabi. Neeraj has Odia heritage from his father’s side.

A self-taught actor, director, and trainer, Neeraj is dedicated to establishing a Theatre and Film Residency that focuses on performance, directing, training, and research. His acting techniques are the result of years of experimentation and refinement.

With over two decades of experience, he has collaborated with renowned national and international theatre and film directors. As a theatre director, Neeraj has worked on integrating traditional Indian artists with urban actors to interpret both Indian and global theatrical works. Since 1996, he has traveled across India conducting acting workshops for actors, children, and professionals from various industries. These workshops, deeply rooted in theatre philosophies, sciences, and arts, explore advanced aspects of human behavior.

Neeraj began his professional theatre career in Mumbai in 1998, playing lead roles in plays by celebrated playwrights such as Shakespeare (Banquo), Tom Stoppard (Hamlet), Molière (Sganarelle), Marivaux (Harlequin), Chekhov (Gurov & Chekhov), Oscar Wilde (King Herod), Ibsen (Tesman), Marguerite Duras (Peter Morgan), and Florian Zeller (Pierre). He has collaborated with international directors such as Jean Jacques Bellot and Eric Vigner (France), Gil Alon (Israel), Rene Migliaccio (USA), as well as Indian directors like Atul Kumar, Rehaan Engineer, and Naseeruddin Shah.

In 2006, Neeraj directed and produced a theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the support of the British Council in Mumbai. The play, which featured Mumbai-based actors alongside traditional Indian artists skilled in Dhrupad singing and Yakshagana dance-drama, was performed at major festivals such as the Nehru National Theatre Festival, NSD’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav, and the Kala Ghoda Festival.

Neeraj’s film career began in 1997 with The Last Vision, directed by A.K. Bir and produced by NFDC. The film won a National Award in 1998 and was featured in competition sections at the Cairo and Singapore International Film Festivals. He gained widespread recognition for his lead role as an Indian monk in Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus, which received multiple international awards, including Best Actor (Jury Special Mention) at the 4th Jagran Film Festival (2013) and Best Actor at the 4th Sakhalin International Film Festival, Russia.

He has played a variety of significant roles, such as Mahatma Gandhi in Shyam Benegal’s television series Samvidhaan, a villain in Dibakar Banerjee’s Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (Yash Raj Films), and a convicted father in Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar, based on a real-life case and produced by Vishal Bhardwaj. His performance in Talvar earned nominations at the Sony Guild Awards, Zee Cine Awards, and Stardust Awards in 2016, along with the Newsmakers Achievers’ Award for Best Actor.

Neeraj has also made a mark in the digital space, appearing in popular web series on platforms like Netflix and Amazon. He portrayed DCP Parulkar in Netflix’s Sacred Games, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Indian Television Academy Awards (2019) and earning a nomination at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore. His supporting role in Hichki (Yash Raj Films) won him Best Actor at the Indywood Academy Awards in Hyderabad. His lead role in the Indo-German feature film Once Again was honored with the Editor’s Choice Best Actor award at the Times Now 2019 Power Brands: Bollywood Film Journalists’ Awards.

His latest film, Raahgir, directed by the acclaimed Goutam Ghosh, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in October 2019. Neeraj has also been part of widely acclaimed web series such as Paatal Lok, Avrodh, and Sacred Games.

Reflecting on his struggles in the film industry, Neeraj once shared that he faced years of rejection, financial difficulties, and hardships. He took on various jobs, including production work, assisting directors, being a spot boy, junior copywriting in ad agencies, and even selling books door-to-door. He also provided home tuition in subjects like mathematics, English, elocution, and speech. These experiences, though challenging, taught him humility and resilience. He endured over a decade of struggle before finding his breakthrough in acting, which led him to start teaching acting as a means of survival and self-belief.

Neeraj plays a key role in Sherni, directed by award-winning filmmaker Amit Masurkar.