The most interesting thing about Sunny Kaushal right now is that he keeps turning into people nobody expected. In 2024 he played Abhimanyu in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, the obsessive new man in a twisted love story, and the role won him Best Actor at Bollywood Hungama's OTT India Fest and a Best Actor (Negative) prize at the Iconic Gold Awards 2025. In his spare time he is also a rapper. He releases songs under the name SunSunnyKhez.
None of this was the obvious path. For years he was introduced in one line, as Vicky Kaushal's younger brother. His career took the long way round, and it is better for it.
A Small Room in a Mumbai Chawl
Sunny Kaushal was born on 28 September 1989 in Mumbai. The family lived in a small chawl home. His father, Sham Kaushal, built stunt and action scenes for Hindi films. His mother is Veena Kaushal. His elder brother is Vicky Kaushal. The family is Punjabi.
Acting was not the first plan. Sunny enrolled at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, then dropped out. Numbers were not for him. He started with small roles in theatre plays and skits, and decided to learn film from the inside instead.
Learning the Set From the Back
Before anyone put him in front of a camera, he worked behind it. He was an assistant director on My Friend Pinto (2011) and Gunday (2014). Those years taught him how a set runs, and they also confirmed what he wanted.
His acting debut came in 2016, leading the road film Sunshine Music Tours and Travels as Sunburn, and the web series Official Chukyagiri the same year. The break that mattered arrived in 2018. In Gold, Reema Kagti's film about India's 1948 Olympic hockey team, he played Himmat Singh, a character inspired by the great Balbir Singh Sr. Critics noticed him, and he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Screen Awards.
The Streaming Years
Theatres gave him a start, but streaming built his career. He played a double role in the dance film Bhangra Paa Le (2020). The same year he headlined The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye, Kabir Khan's Amazon series about the Indian National Army, playing soldier Surinder Sodhi. Reviewers called his work splendid.
Then came a run of very different men. The romantic Jaggi in Shiddat (2021), delayed by the pandemic and released on Disney+ Hotstar. Daddu Thakur in Hurdang (2022), set against the student agitations of 1990. Sameer in the survival film Mili (2022). And in 2023, Ankit in Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, a Netflix heist thriller with Yami Gautam that found a big audience online.
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sunshine Music Tours and Travels | Sunburn |
| 2017 | Love at First Sight | Kshitij (short film) |
| 2018 | Gold | Himmat Singh |
| 2019 | The Embrace | Siddharth (short film) |
| 2020 | Bhangra Paa Le | Jaggi Singh / Kaptaan Singh |
| 2021 | Shiddat | Joginder "Jaggi" Dhillon |
| 2022 | Hurdang | Daddu Thakur |
| 2022 | Mili | Sameer |
| 2023 | Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga | Ankit Sethi |
| 2024 | Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba | Abhimanyu Pandit |
| 2026 | Letters to Mr Khanna | Sunsunny Khez (completed, awaiting release) |
The Dillruba Turn
Joining a sequel is risky. The first Haseen Dillruba already had its triangle: Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, and Harshvardhan Rane as Neel — you can read Rane's own story in his Harshvardhan Rane biography on this site. Sunny entered the sequel as Abhimanyu, the smiling admirer who is not what he seems, and he walked off with much of the praise. The award wins followed.
His next film is Letters to Mr Khanna, with Neetu Kapoor and Shraddha Srinath. The film is complete and listed for a 2026 release. In a neat touch, his character is called Sunsunny Khez, almost exactly his rapper name.
| Year | Web / TV Series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Official Chukyagiri | Spandan Chukya |
| 2018 | Official CEOgiri | Spandan Chukya |
| 2020 | The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye | Surinder Sodhi |
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Screen Awards — Best Supporting Actor (Gold) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Bollywood Hungama OTT India Fest — Best Actor, Web Original Film (Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba) | Won |
| 2025 | Iconic Gold Awards — Best Actor Negative, OTT | Won |
| 2025 | IIFA Digital Awards — Best Supporting Actor, Film | Nominated |
The Music on the Side
The rap is not a gimmick. He dropped his first single, "Jhandey", on his birthday in 2023. In 2025 he released "Mid-Air Freeverse", which he says he wrote on a flight with a pen and a pad. Between his own songs, he keeps appearing in other people's music videos.
| Year | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Taaron Ke Shehar | Music video (Neha Kakkar, Jubin Nautiyal) |
| 2021 | Dil Lauta Do | Music video (Payal Dev, Jubin Nautiyal) |
| 2021 | Ishq Mein | Music video (Meet Bros, Sachet Tandon) |
| 2023 | Jhandey | His own single, as SunSunnyKhez |
| 2024 | Mukke Paye Si | Music video (B Praak) |
| 2025 | Jaana Nahi | Music video (Faheem Abdullah) |
| 2025 | Mid-Air Freeverse | His own single |
Family: The Industry at Home
Few families have had a decade like the Kaushals. Sham Kaushal spent years designing the action in other stars' films. Then both his sons became the stars. Vicky's rise came first, and Sunny is open about learning from watching his brother's choices. Since December 2021, his sister-in-law is Katrina Kaif, who married Vicky that month.
Sunny himself is not married. Reports link him to co-stars from time to time, but he has confirmed no relationship publicly, and this page does not print rumours as fact.
Sunny Kaushal: The Facts
| Full name | Sunny Kaushal |
| Born | 28 September 1989, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Age | 37 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac | Libra |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Profession | Actor; former assistant director; rapper (SunSunnyKhez) |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Education | Enrolled at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India; left to pursue acting |
| Parents | Sham Kaushal (action director) and Veena Kaushal |
| Brother | Vicky Kaushal (actor) |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Debut | Sunshine Music Tours and Travels (2016) |
FAQs
How old is Sunny Kaushal?
He was born on 28 September 1989, so he is 37.
Is Sunny Kaushal married?
No. He is unmarried, so searches for a Sunny Kaushal wife have a simple answer: there isn't one yet.
How is Sunny Kaushal related to Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif?
Vicky Kaushal is his elder brother. Katrina Kaif is his sister-in-law; she married Vicky in December 2021.
What is Sunny Kaushal's next film?
Letters to Mr Khanna, with Neetu Kapoor. The film is complete and listed for release in 2026.
What is Sunny Kaushal's net worth?
No verified figure has been published. The numbers on other websites are guesses that cannot be checked, so we do not print one.
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