Manav Kaul (born 19 December 1976) is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the films Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Saina (2021).

Early life
Kaul was born on 19 December 1976 in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India, into a Kashmiri Pandit family. His family later moved to Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, where he was raised.

He was a competitive swimmer in his late teenage years and participated in state and national levels championships. He has won 14 national medals in swimming.

Career
Kaul started a theatre group named Aranya in 2004.

His influences include Charles Bukowski, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Franz Kafka and Nirmal Verma, to whom he paid homage in his 2010 play Red Sparrow.

In 2012, Kaul debuted as a film director with Hansa, for which he also wrote the screenplay. He made his acting debut in Hindi cinema with fantasy film Jajantaram Mamantaram in 2003, and has been lauded for his performance as a right-wing politician in the Gujarat-based Hindi drama Kai Po Che! in 2013.