Abhimanyu Dassani (born 21 February 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. The son of actress Bhagyashree, he made his acting debut in 2018 with the action film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, for which he won Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He has since starred in the romantic comedy Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021) and the action film Nikamma (2022).

Life and career

Hailing from Mumbai, Dassani started his career by being an assistant to director Rohan Sippy on ''Dum Maaro Dum'' and ''Nautanki Saala!''. He studied at the New York Film Academy and Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He also practices martial arts and he is trained in taekwondo and karate.Dassani made his feature film debut with Vasan Bala's action-comedy ''Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota''. It premiered in the Midnight Madness section of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness. The film was also screened at the 2018 MAMI Film Festival. He performed all the stunts himself and watched several classic action films for days to familiarise himself with the genre. He broke a finger and dislocated his shoulder while filming. Pradeep Menon of ''Firstpost'' said "he occupies the screen well" and noted that "his look suits the character of a guy who has not had enough meaningful interactions with the real world".In 2021, Dassani played the male lead in the romantic-comedy ''Meenakshi Sundareshwar'' opposite Sanya Malhotra, which released on Netflix. The film received criticism for its stereotypical representation of Tamil people.Dassani starred in ''Nikamma'' with Shilpa Shetty and Shirley Setia which released on 17 June 2022. He will also star in the comedy-drama ''Aankh Micholi'' with an ensemble cast alongside Mrunal Thakur and several others.

Early life and work

Dassani was born on 21 February 1990 in Mumbai, to film actress Bhagyashree and her husband Himalaya Dassani. His younger sister Avantika Dassani is also an actress and made her debut with the web-series ''Mithya''.Dassani went on to study at the New York Film Academy and Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He also practices martial arts and is trained in taekwondo and karate. He started his career by being an assistant to director Rohan Sippy on ''Dum Maaro Dum'' and ''Nautanki Saala!''.

Career

Dassani made his feature film debut with Vasan Bala's action-comedy ''Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota'' opposite Radhika Madan. Dassani played a man who does not feel any pain. He performed all the stunts himself. He broke a finger and dislocated his shoulder while filming. Pradeep Menon of ''Firstpost'' said "he occupies the screen well" and noted that "his look suits the character of a guy who has not had enough meaningful interactions with the real world". Raja Sen of ''Hindustan Times'' wrote, "Dassani is perfect as Surya, making an impressively limber debut with a stoic curiosity — with the blankness appropriate for someone who doesn’t know physical pain." He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. Dassani next played the male lead in the 2021 romantic-comedy ''Meenakshi Sundareshwar'' opposite Sanya Malhotra, which released on Netflix. Dassani next played the male lead in the 2021 romantic-comedy ''Meenakshi Sundareshwar'' opposite Sanya Malhotra, which released on Netflix. The film received criticism for its stereotypical representation of Tamil people and received mixed reviews. Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff.com'' noted, "Abhimanyu is just the man to play Sundaram embodying what a sincere heart and heartfelt apology cannot achieve." Dassani starred in the 2022 film ''Nikamma'' with Shilpa Shetty and Shirley Setia. Dassani starred in the 2022 film ''Nikamma'' with Shilpa Shetty and Shirley Setia. The film saw him as an unemployed person and received negative reviews. Saibal Chatterjee of ''NDTV'' stated, "The young actor does have potential but he needs to be far more judicious with his choice of roles. Here, he struggles to rise above the script." Dassani appeared in a cameo in ''Monica, O My Darling'', the same year. In 2023, he did a cameo in ''Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan'', alongside his parents. Dassani will next star in the comedy-drama ''Aankh Micholi'' with an ensemble cast alongside Mrunal Thakur Dassani will next star in the comedy-drama ''Aankh Micholi'' with an ensemble cast alongside Mrunal Thakur and in the comedy ''Nausikhiye'' with Amol Parashar and Shreya Dhanwanthary.