Shaheer Nawaz Sheikh (born 26 March 1984) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi television series. In 2009, he made his acting debut playing Veer Mehra in the television show Kya Mast Hai Life, and got his break as Anant Bajpai in Navya..Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal (2011–2012). He further rose to fame with the role of Arjuna in Mahabharat (2013–2014), for which he received widespread acclaim and Dolly’s Love Interest Ritesh in Best of Luck Nikki. In 2015, Sheikh took a break from Indian television and made his Indonesian television debut with Cinta di Langit Taj Mahal, besides hosting various shows. He appeared in the Indonesian films Turis Romantis and Maipa Deapati & Datu Museng. He is popularly known as the "SRK Of Indonesia" due to his widespread popularity in the country. Sheikh made his Indian television comeback in 2016 with the popular show Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, playing Dev Dixit. He has since appeared as Abir Rajvansh in Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke (2019–2020) and Krishna Chaudhary in Woh Toh Hai Albelaa (2022–2023). Simultaneously, Sheikh made his web debut with Paurashpur in 2020 and played Manav Deshmukh in the web show Pavitra Rishta- Its Never Too Late in 2021. Sheikh expanded to Hindi films with Do Patti (2024).

Early life

Sheikh was born on 26 March 1984 in Bhaderwah, Doda, Jammu and Kashmir to Shahnawaz Sheikh and Dilshad Sheikh. He has two sisters, Aleefa and Ifrah. He completed his schooling at Hari Singh Higher Secondary School, Jammu. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (L.L.B.) degree from New Law College, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune.

Career

Debut and early career (2009–2012)

After receiving his L.L.B., he began working for a law firm, after which he started a career as a photographer. He then went on to do modelling. In 2009, Sheikh made his television debut in Kya Mast Hai Life, where he played Veer Mehra, a teenager who loves music and playing guitar. After the second season of the show ended, Sheikh was seen in Jhansi Ki Rani as Nana Sahib, replacing Satyajeet Dubey as the brother of Rani of Jhansi. In 2011, Sheikh was approached to play the lead opposite Saumya Seth in the television show Navya..Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal. He portrayed Anant Bajpai, a college boy who looks like any other, but is a traditionalist and a conformist below surface appearances. Alongside Navya, Sheikh worked on the Disney Channel show Best Of Luck Nikki, playing Ritesh in season 1. In 2012, Sheikh appeared in the telefilm shown in Star Plus' show Teri Meri Love Stories opposite Mahhi Vij.

Breakthrough and acting in Indonesia (2013–2015)

In 2013, he signed on to Swastik Productions' Mahabharat. He played Arjuna, an incredible archer, warrior prince and the third Pandava. The series ended in August 2014. He received great appreciation for this performance. To prepare for the series, he underwent intense training for almost eight months, including fitness, horse riding and weapons training. Mahabharat was a huge critical and commercial success. It was said to have recorded the highest GTVMs achieved by any serial in the history of Indian television. It was also popular in Indonesia, establishing Sheikh's stardom in the country, where he was often credited as the 'SRK of the country'. His chemistry with his co-star Pooja Sharma, who played Draupadi, was also highly adored by fans. After Mahabharat, he did various projects in Indonesia, which increased his popularity there. In 2014, he hosted Indonesian reality television Panah Asmara Arjuna and a variety show The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia along with his costars from Mahabharat. In 2015, he co-hosted the television talent show Asia's Got Talent with Marc Nelson. He also featured in a romantic drama, Cinta di Langit Taj Mahal, co-starring alongside Nabila Syakieb and Ravi Bhatia as Reehan Syahputra, a calm and composed guy. In 2015, Sheikh landed a lead role in the romantic comedy film Turis Romantis opposite actress Kirana Larasati. He played Azan Khan, a handsome photographer from India who befriended Nabil, a tough and beautiful tourist guide in Yogyakarta.

Acclaim and established actor (2016–2020)

In 2016, Sheikh made his comeback to Indian television with Sony TV's critically acclaimed television show, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, alongside Erica Fernandes and Supriya Pilgaonkar. He played Devrath Dixit (Dev), a young and successful business tycoon. Sheikh's performance and his onscreen chemistry with Erica was much appreciated. In September 2017, the show returned for a second season. Along with Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, he performed in episodic roles and made guest appearances in many Indonesian television series. He was seen as Raden Petir in Roro Jonggrang, as Salman in Malaikat Kecil Dari India, as Aladin/Ali Besar in Aladin & Alakadam, as Prince Zamzaman Jinny Oh Jinny Datang Lagi, as Mr. Thakur in Gara Gara Duyung, as Rahul in Tuyul & Mba Yul Reborn and in a guest appearance in I-KTP. In 2016, he also starred opposite Masayu Anastasia in the Indonesian telefilm Namaku Yusuf, playing the titular role of Yusuf. In February 2017, he began work on his upcoming Indonesian feature film Maipa and Datu Museng, an action-based periodic love story in which Sheikh played the role of Datu Museng, a warrior. The film released on 11 January 2018. In 2018, he portrayed Salim in Colors TV's Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali. He was paired opposite Sonarika Bhadoria. From March 2019 to October 2020, he played Abir Rajvansh in Star Plus's Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, opposite Rhea Sharma. Producer Rajan Shahi stated his role was dynamic.

Web and film expansion (2021–present)

He made his web debut with Paurashpur starring Annu Kapoor, Shilpa Shinde, Milind Soman and Flora Saini. In 2021, he reprised the role of Dev Dixit in Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi 3 alongside Erica Fernandes. The story progressed from where it left off in the second season. In July 2021, he signed on to Pavitra Rishta: Its Never Too Late, which was an OTT project in tribute to actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who had originated the lead role of Manav in its first season. Shaheer stepped into his shoes, with some changes to the plot as well as his characterisation. It released on 15 September 2021, garnering a commendable response from the audience. On 28 January 2022, Pavitra Rishta: Its Never Too Late 2.0 was released. In 2022, Sheikh starred in the short film Yatri Kripya Dhyan De alongside Shweta Basu Prasad. Starting in March 2022, he was seen as Krishna Choudhary in Star Bharat's Woh Toh Hai Albelaa opposite Hiba Nawab. The show ended on 14 June 2023. Sheikh made his Hindi film debut in 2024, with the Netflix film Do Patti, a mystery thriller opposite Kriti Sanon, where he portrayed Dhruv Sood, a paragliding company owner and an abusive husband. Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times noted, "Shaheer has got a meaty role in the film. Menacing as a cold-hearted husband, and just a MCP in general, he makes a well-written character extremely watchable." Vineeta Kumar of India Today stated, "Shaheer's Dhruv is a complete revelation and a testimony of his prowess as a versatile actor. He adds value to the narrative and engages you in the story, something that the rest of the seasoned actors fail to do."

In the media

In 2017, Sheikh topped The Times of India's list "20 Most Desirable Men on Indian Television". The next year, he received the fourth spot in same list. In 2019, he earned the third spot on this list. In 2020, he was featured in the fourth spot of the list. Sheikh was ranked in the same publication's "50 Most Desirable Men" list at No. 50 in 2017, at No. 29 in 2019, and at No. 38 in 2020. In 2016, 2018, and 2019 he placed at the 25th, 17th and 11th position respectively in Eastern Eye's "50 Sexiest Asian Men" list. In August 2018, he was chosen as the first Indian torch bearer of the 18th Asian Games by the Indonesian government. He is also known as Indonesia's Shah Rukh Khan called by media of Indonesia because of his screen appearances and style.

Personal life

After dating for almost two years, Sheikh married Ruchikaa Kapoor on 19 October 2020 in a court wedding, after which they had celebrations in Jammu and Mumbai. Kapoor is the director of Hindi original films on Netflix India. On 9 September 2021, they became parents to a baby girl, Anaya. The couple welcomed another baby girl, Kudrat, on 1 September 2023.

Filmography

Films

Television

Web series

Music videos

Awards and nominations