Naveen Kasturia

Naveen Kasturia (born 26 January 1985) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films and web series. Kasturia is best known for his portrayal in the web series TVF Pitchers, Bose: Dead/Alive, Happily Ever After, Aspirants and Breathe: Into the Shadows. He has appeared in films such as Sulemani Keeda and Waah Zindagi (2019).

Early life Kasturia was born in Otukpo, Nigeria in a Hindu family. His family moved back to India when he was a year old. He was brought up in a joint family in Delhi. He did his schooling from Birla Vidya Niketan and engineering in Manufacturing Process & Automation from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (now NSUT) in Delhi.

Career Debut and early recognition (2009–2020) Naveen Kasturia started his career as an assistant director and made his acting debut in 2012 with Shanghai. In 2013, he made his web debut with Chai Sutta Chronicles. Kasturia then appeared in two films in 2014: Tigers and Sulemani Keeda. In Sulemani Keeda, he played a writer. The film met with positive reviews and Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com stated, "The duo's prowess as actors becomes obvious in a brilliant scene that depicts one of their writing sessions in black and white, without any words." Rajeev Masand was appreciative of him for being "natural on screen", while Rachit Gupta stated, "Naveen’s performance with the subliminal nervous energy and the totally gullible personality is good."

Kasturia's had his career breakthrough in 2015 with TVF Pitchers, where he played a budding start-up owner opposite Maanvi Gagroo. The first season was a success and earned him recognition. The series had its second season premiere in 2022. Ruchi Kaushal took note of his "believable performance" in the series.

Success and acclaim in streaming projects (2021–present) Kasturia is widely recognised for his portrayal of an UPSC aspirant and later an IAS officer in the series Aspirants opposite Namita Dubey. The first season was released in 2021 and the second season in 2023. Sukanya Verma noted, "Kasturia does well to overcome his character's inherent cynicism with his desire to do good." Archita Kashyap of Firstpost stated, "Kasturia has succeeded in making Abhilash a convincing IAS officer. He plays the character with subtle body language touches like a suppressed smile and a touch of repressed arrogance." The series success further established his career. In 2021, he also appeared in the series Aapkey Kamrey Mein Koi Rahta Hai, Pati Patni Aur Panga opposite Adah Sharma, Runaway Lugai opposite Ruhi Singh and Kota Factory 2.

In 2022, Kasturia first appeared in the short film Tasalli Se. He then played an asylum's former patient in the second season of Breathe: Into the Shadows. Abhimanyu Mathur noted, "Kasturia leaves a mark though. As the unpredictable Victor, he is the show’s lost energy and one of the few highlights." In 2023, he first appeared in SK Sir Ki Class and then played a teacher in Sapne Vs Everyone. In 2024, he played a small-time writer in the second season of Mithya. Yatamanyu Narain of News 18 stated, "Kasturia’s portrayal of Amit as a disillusioned underdog brings a realism that grounds the role."

Personal life Kasturia married his longtime girlfriend Shubhanjali Sharma on 3 December 2024, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony in Udaipur.

Filmography +KeyDenotes films / dramas that are not yet released

Films Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2009 Jashnn Assistant director 2010 Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2012 Shanghai Ranjan 2014 Tigers Sulemani Keeda Dulal 2016 Loveshhuda Kunal 2018 Hope Aur Hum Nitin Turtle 2019 Waah Zindagi Ashok 2022 Tasalli Se Ranjan Short film

Web series Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2013 Chai Sutta Chronicles Siddharth 2015–present TVF Pitchers Naveen Bansal 2015 Man's World Bus passenger Special appearance 2017 Social Series Prithvi Bose: Dead/Alive Darbari Lal 2018 The Good Vibes Lakshya Tripathi 2019 Fuh se Fantasy Sushil Episode: "Nyotaimori" Thinkistan Amit Happily Ever After Roneet Bagchi Parchhayee Jimmy 2021 Aapkey Kamrey Mein Koi Rahta Hai Subbu Pati Patni Aur Panga Romanchak Arora 2021–present TVF Aspirants Abhilash Sharma IAS 2021 Runaway Lugai Rajnikant Sinha 2021–present Kota Factory Dhruv 2022 Breathe: Into the Shadows Victor Bahl Season 2 2023 SK Sir Ki Class Abhilash Sharma IAS Special appearance Sapne Vs Everyone Sumit 2024 Mithya: The Darker Chapter Amit Chaudhary Season 2 2025 Guri-Dhairya Ki Love Story Abhilash Sharma IAS Special appearance Salakaar Adhir Dayal Season 1 2026 Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya Mukul Degla Season 1

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2021 Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actor – Comedy Series Runaway Lugaai