Kartavya’s child artist is 33, faced bullying for his looks, got edited out from Shamshera, Thar

Yudhvir Ahlawat was recently seen in Kartavya.

Something remarkable happened in May when Saif Ali Khan-starrer cop drama Kartavya premiered on Netflix. One of its breakout stars, Yudhvir Ahlawat, who played teenage Harpal, was currently trending and has even surpassed Vijay, Aishwarya Rai, Jr NTR and Shah Rukh Khan to become the most popular star on IMDb. Since then, audiences have been curious to know more about the actor, his journey, and the fact that, despite being 33, he convincingly portrayed a 16-year-old.

‘I was bullied in school and college’

Speaking to Kadak, Yudhvir reflected on his journey and credited his family for standing by him throughout. Hailing from Haryana, he said, “My father is no longer with us. I have six siblings and my mother. My entire family has supported me. If I hadn’t had their support, I don’t think I would have survived in this industry for the last 10 years. They have stood by me financially, mentally, and in every possible way.”

When asked about the decade he spent trying to establish himself in Mumbai, Yudhvir said he never looked at it as a struggle. “It wasn’t a struggle for me; it was my learning period. I believe you either win with time or you learn from it. I was only learning.” Asked about his biggest takeaway from those years, he added, “I learnt that you have to stay the course. You cannot run away. If you remain patient and keep going, you’ll eventually achieve something.”

Yudhvir’s father, Gyan Singh Ahlawat, served in the Border Security Force, and discipline was deeply ingrained in the family. However, unlike his elder brothers, who were all over six feet tall, Yudhvir was shorter and had an unusually youthful face. He recalled being bullied because of his appearance during his school and college years. “Things have changed now, but back then I was bullied. Even in school and college, the other boys were taller than me and would make fun of me,” he said.

Yudhvir Ahlawat, who played the role of Harpal in Netflix’ Kartavya, is actually 33 years old

Despite the ridicule from others, he said his family never stopped believing in him. “My family was incredibly supportive. My brothers told me, ‘Do whatever you want to do. We’ll take care of everything.’ My father said the same thing.” Yudhvir recalled always participating in cultural activities while growing up. It was only after winning an award at a youth festival during college that he realised he was drawn towards the arts. He then moved to the capital to train under an acting institute before relocating to Mumbai in 2016. Three years later, he made his feature film debut with Saand Ki Aankh, sharing screen space with Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar.

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‘Everyone treated me like a child artist’

His journey of auditions, however, continued. Yudhvir admitted that he initially hesitated to reveal his real age during auditions because of how young he looked. “Whenever I was called for an audition, I would audition without telling them my real age. Only after I got shortlisted would I tell the director how old I actually was,” he said. His youthful appearance continued to surprise people even on the sets of Kartavya.

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Recalling a recent interview by Saif Ali Khan, Yudhvir said the actor had initially believed he was actually 16. “Saif sir was recently asked about his favourite scene from the film. He started praising me and said, ‘Harpal was excellent. I treated him like a 16-year-old.’ Then director Pulkit sir told him that I was actually 33 years old. He was completely shocked. That clip went viral,” Yudhvir recalled. He added that almost everyone on the set initially assumed he was a child actor. “At first, everyone treated me like a child artist. Later, Pulkit sir told everyone that I was actually 33. After that, people like Sanjay Mishra sir and everyone else started treating me like any other adult actor,” he said.

Role got slashed in Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera

In the same conversation, Yudhvir also spoke about the disappointments he faced early in his career, recalling how his role in the Yash Raj Films-backed Shamshera, led by Ranbir Kapoor, was drastically reduced. He revealed that while he had originally been signed for a 22-day schedule, he ended up filming for just two days.

“I was told I would be shooting for 22 days, but they only called me for five days. Out of those, I spent three days sitting in the vanity van and shot for only two days. In the end, I appeared in just one scene in the film. Initially, I had been signed for a different character, but that role was eventually given to another actor,” he said. A similar setback followed with Anil Kapoor-backed Thar. Yudhvir revealed that although he had been signed for the film, his character was eventually removed altogether during the edit.

Despite those disappointments, the actor is finally enjoying the recognition that came with Kartavya, receiving an outpouring of appreciation from audiences. “It feels amazing. People have been sending me messages saying they loved my work. This is the day I had been waiting for. I’m constantly replying to everyone in my DMs,” he said.