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).
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. 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. 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. Bollywood Hungama wrote that he "delivers a fine performance" in his special appearance.
Dassani will next star in the comedy-drama Aankh Micholi with an ensemble cast alongside Mrunal Thakur and in the laugh-caper Nausikhiye with Amol Parashar and Shreya Dhanwanthary.
