Bollywood actor Mukul Dev, best known for his roles in movies like Son of Sardaar, R… Rajkumar, and Jai Ho, died at 54 on Friday night. He was not well for the last few days and was admitted to the ICU in his hometown, Delhi.
The cause of death has yet to be confirmed. Friends had started stopping by his house when word spread of his death, which startled and saddened many of his colleagues.
The news was confirmed by Deepshikha Nagpal, actress and a good friend of the deceased, on social media. She shared a touching tribute on Instagram Stories with a throwback photo alongside the word “RIP.”
Deepshikha shared a selfie with Mukul Dev and wrote, "I can't believe this muks... RIP."
Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh also paid a tribute to Mukul Dev. He took to his X (formerly Twitter) and shared a video as he remembered the late actor. Dara Singh was a close friend of Mukul Dev.
He wrote in the caption, “Rest in peace my brother #MukulDev ! The time spent with you will always be cherished and #SonOfSardaar2 will be your swansong where you will spread joy and happiness to the viewers and make them fall down laughing!”
Rest in peace my brother #MukulDev ! The time spent with you will always be cherished and #SonOfSardaar2 will be your swansong where you will spread joy and happiness to the viewers and make them fall down laughing ! pic.twitter.com/oyj4j7kqGU
Vindu Dara Singh (@RealVinduSingh) May 24, 2025
Mukul was born in New Delhi to a Punjabi family whose roots are in a Punjabi village near Jalandhar and was exposed to varied cultures at a very young age. His father, Hari Dev, an assistant commissioner of police with a love for Afghan culture, was fluent in Pashto and Persian — an influence that was to enrich Mukul’s understanding of Afghan literature and culture.
Dev was first introduced to performance before class 8 when he was paid his first wages – for doing a Michael Jackson impersonation during a Doordarshan-televised dance programme. He was a man of enormous artistic talent with a flair for flying, having taken lessons at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi.
Dev's first television appearance was in the Zee TV series Mumkin where he played an episode alongside Shweta Agarwal. He also hosted a comedy countdown show on Doordarshan, Ek Se Badh Kar Ek. Along with acting, he also hosted the first season of Fear Factor India.
He made his first film appearance in Dastak in 1996, playing a cop alongside Sushmita Sen, who made her first Bollywood appearance in this film. He went on to build a portfolio across genres and languages over the years and was regarded as a versatile performer.
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Bollywood is in mourning over losing a great actor whose career could have gone in any direction for he was part experienced and part just awesomely humble. Tributes are coming in from all quarters as fans and colleagues recall Mukul Dev’s contribution to the Indian film and television industry.
Further details are awaited, including a statement from his friends and family.
The actor is survived by his brother Rahul Dev.
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