Karan, meaning light.
The most beautiful name with the most perfect meaning.
Karan Singh Grover, born on 23rd February, 1982, came into this world to make it brighter than before, to Amrit Pal and Deepa Singh, the coolest parents ever. He has a little brother named Ishmeet, meaning friend of God.
Karan was born in New Delhi, India. When he was very young, Karan and his family moved to Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia owing to his father’s work. There, Karan completed his schooling from International India School, Dammam. But as they say, home is where the heart is, so he returned to India to finish his education. He is an alumnus of IHM, Mumbai, for Hotel Management.
He was first employed at the Sheraton in Hotel in Oman, as a Sales and Marketing Executive. His skills with the knife and managing a kitchen is famous to this day, though he himself agrees that his wife is a better cook.
Through Divine Intervention, unknown to the fact that he was going to rule over the hearts of millions of people all over the world, of all ages alike, in 2004, Karan decided to try out modelling and participated in the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and obviously, to no one’s surprise, won the award of the "Most Popular Model." And that year turned out to be his great start to one of the greatest careers ever. He caught his first break with Balaji Telefilms' youth show Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi on MTV India, for which he was chosen for after a nationwide talent hunt conducted by the production house. Now if that’s not divine intervention, I don’t know what is.
Creating a name for himself in the industry, he did a lot of work and a lot of different, unconventional roles. Be it Aman, in Princess Dolly Aur Uska Magic Bag, an appearance as Sid in the celebrated show CID. His love to widen his horizons and try different roles came into light in 2005-06 when he was cast by Ekta Kapoor in her much-loved soap drama, Kasautii Zindagii Kii, where he played Sharad, an anti-hero and was appreciated by every one of his co-stars. In Solah Singaar, he portrayed the character of Abhimanyu, the forgotten lover. In a show called Parrivar, he played Adhiraj Shergill, an arrogant millionaire. The diversity of his characters, their depths, and his potential to be more didn’t go unnoticed.
And then, in 2007, came the change in the tides, the ultimate role of a lifetime, Dr. Armaan Mallik. Palki Malhotra, bless her, practically fought with everyone and cast him as the main lead in her new show, a medical/love story, called Dill Mill Gayee. And like it was written in the stars, with his dimples, unbelievably expressive eyes, his style, his flirty yet friendly nature, he made Dr. Armaan Mallik irresistible, and we fell for him at an age not many of us even knew what love was. People might forget other shows and other characters, but Karan is Armaan and Armaan is Karan. Forever. To this day, Sanjeevani is his hospital. And that’s a truth no one can deny. Even now, one of his top moments are when they received the news that the show is a hit, only in the second week of its airing. He received several accolades such as “Most Promising Star” and many more, baby feathers in his hat of achievements.
Who can stop a tidal wave of abundant talent and sheer determination? Karan wasn’t just a label of model/actor. In 2008, he changed his genre, became a host for Popular shows such as Zara Nachke Dikha, a dance reality show on Star One, in 2009, he hosted Idea Rocks India, a classical folk music reality show on Colors TV. In 2011, he presented a fun show called The Perfect Couple on Channel V, and later in 2015 Selfie, where he recalled stories of origin of various Bollywood stars for ABP News. He even decided to challenge himself by participating as a contestant in several shows of different genres once again such as Jhalak Dikhla Jaa in 2009, a famous dance reality show, where he was the most popular and won 2nd Runners Up Title, and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2010, where he overcame his fear of heights.
Karan strongly believes in the idea of family, and Cinevistaas, his first home, made him come back home in 2012, first as Professor Karan Malik, in their first ever dance based youth show Dill Dosti Dance (D3), where he played the handsome professor who came into the lives of the students like an angel to make them friends and teach them the power of self-acceptance and unity. And second, he appeared as Raghu, for a magical episode of “Ek Nano Si Love Story” in a multi-story based show “Teri Meri Love Stories” where he is a divorcee, a simple man with a simple dream of making his daughter proud of him. How could we not love him and his choice of men?
Karan is known for his complexity, how he emerges himself in his roles in such a way it is difficult to realize he is an actor and not the man he is depicting. That’s what happened in 2012 when he decided to play Asad Ahmed Khan in Qubool Hai, a Four Lions Production, a show one of its kind, depicting the lives of a muslim family, a beloved drama and a love story which at once became a sensation all because of his breathtaking portrayal of a well-mannered, self-made millionaire who valued his culture and traditions above all else, loved his Ammi and sister to death and is betrayed by a father he never had. The show received several awards and our man bagged BEST ACTOR POPULAR in Indian Telly Awards and Zee Gold Awards in 2013, making Asad Ahmed Khan evergreen for all of us, including him. And his character is so loved and was so missed that the show is set to return with a new story, in 2021, after 8 long years of wait and patience of millions of fans all over the world.
And this was just the beginning of a career of a man full of flair and an unparalleled fanbase. The stars aligned, the universe conspired, and in 2015, what Karan truly desired was granted to him in the form of lead roles in not one but two big banner movies. His big debut was alongside the beautiful Bipasha Basu, in a horror movie “Alone”, where he played the sweetest husband Kabir, who was overworked yet still loved his wife with all his being. And in complete contrast, Karan performed the role of a complete scoundrel and a vulgar rascal Saurav Singhania, in the famous franchise movie “Hate Story 3”. His portrayal was applauded by various known news portals and Hate Story 3 went on to become the most successful movie of the franchise as well as of that year. Songs like “Awaara” and “Wajah Tum Ho” from his movies are still fan favorites. International Business Times reviewed Hate Story 3 and wrote "Audiences say Karan Singh Grover steals the show." There has never been a prouder moment for us fans than this!
In 2015, he became the brand ambassador of designer/friend Rocky S's signature Brand RS along with Bipasha Basu. He also became the brand ambassador for UM Motorcycles, as everyone of us know the love Karan holds for bikes. In 2018, on the last day of the Lakmé Fashion Week 2018 Summer/Resort fashion shows, he was the showstopper for the Hyderabad-based husband and wife duo Raamz and Chandrika and their collection, Boho Men, sporting a bright peach suit with intricate embroidery, accessorized with a bright red feather. Addition to this, Karan inaugurated the Jack & Jones store in Lucknow. He featured on the cover of Men's Health Magazine, being a known fitness enthusiast. He is also the brand ambassador of Timex watches, Forever21, Asus phones, Oppo phones, Sleepwell Mattresses, Muscle Doctor, Sweetdreams Ind Sleepwear and many more international labels and brands. He also held Masterclass with Stars at cult.live, twice a month in the lockdown to encourage people to stay fit and use them time wisely in their homes.
In 2019, in the month of June, Karan after what felt like years, but were 6 years in total, decided to grace our television screens as the majestic and larger than life Rishabh Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, bringing his career into a full circle. The show quickly garnered a fanbase and Rishabh Bajaj once again became a household name. His bold and elegant, raw and at the same time sophisticated take of Bajaj made him a fan favourite in no time. Karan was powerful and hypnotic as Bajaj. And to this day fans agree that they hadn’t had their fill of Bajaj yet. Karan, in the meanwhile, became the highest paid TV actor for of the show. He was awarded with the BEST ACTOR (In a Negative Role – Popular) for his epic Bajaj portrayal at Zee Gold Awards. The Universe does work in mysterious ways.
Karan has this love to always try different things, to continue to explore horizons he hasn’t touched yet. So, in August 2019, he made his digital debut in Alt Balaji's web series BOSS: Baap of Special Services, where he played Sudhir Kohli aka Keshav Khatri, a con artist but a loving father, a yet another completely different man than he had portrayed before. His cheeky character was loved by everyone, and BOSS topped the charts of the most watched shows on OTT Platform in the weeks it was released.
In 2020, Karan’s much awaited movie “Aadat” was renamed “Dangerous” and was released as a web series on MX Player on 14 August. His passion to always keep growing, to always challenge himself could clearly be seen in the character he decided to depict, Aditya Dhanraj, a millionaire who traveled the journey from rags to riches through a lot of sacrifices and sheer hard work. But all is what he seems to be. It's a game of cat and mouse and the whodunit factor has given it over 30 Million views and so if you have not already, find out who he actually is on MX Player. It's streaming for free.
Karan is hands down one of the most talented people in the whole wide world. He not only acts, he sings as well. Only his fans are aware that in college, he was in a band called "The Thousand Decibels". Following his love for singing, he launched his own band "Vanar" meaning "Monkey" in November 2017, performed live as well as recorded a self written song. His fans lovingly call themselves "VanarSena" meaning "ArmyofMonkeys" as we would follow him even to the ends of the world.
Karan was always a creative person. He loves to sketch. He used to sketch on anything his hands found, be it tissue papers or napkins, but hundreds of these gems were discarded and we’ll never get to see those. What we did get to see and fall in love with, is his art on StarInfinityArt.com, his own website and also a YouTube channel with the same name which he launched in January 2020, when his wife encouraged him to do what he loves. His art is a channel through which he binds us all together as one. It's a way to express his heart and spiritual beliefs. Through continuous work, he has learnt that he is ambidextrous and has even created his own language, which he keeps on updating by reading various books and finding out meaning behind his visions. He created the StarInfinity symbol himself, without knowing he was creating it. The art he had been creating all this while, is finally on display on his website for the world to see and appreciate. His wife has herself said that his art has gotten raving reviews from various known personalities in the art world.
Currently, he has several shows in his kitty as Qubool Hai 2.0 is supposed to be on air soon enough. After that, BOSS season 2 looks to be in the talks. Well, whatever happens or not, us fans love him and would be proud of him regardless of what he does or does not.
As an actor, Karan is a public figure, so it's only natural that all of us want to know more about him on a more personal level. Karan was always creative and always chased growth and things out of the ordinary. As a 12th class boy, he had highlights in his hair. At the young age of 21, he got his first tattoo, the famous red and black flaming dragon on his right upper arm. Now, he has several tattoos with deep meanings. He is highly spiritual and believes in having faith in all gods no particular in one, and his spirituality is showcased all over his tattoos. He has inked the Archangel Michael crucifying the devil on his upper left shoulder-arm, the binding seal of the seven arch angels on his right elbow with an elvish quote (one of the only remaining of the four variations in the whole world) which means - May the forces of the universe protect us all. He has inspiring words such as - Peace, Love, Happiness and Success in Chinese on his right forearm. Also, a much deserved "Super" "Star" inked on his right leg. He then got the most important quote for himself - Anything But Ordinary - on both his wrists. He has a large tattoo depicting the Lord Shiva's energy, strength and courage, and finally the holy words has been etched on his right forearm - Om Mani Padme Hum - a Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Apart from being an artist, singer, actor, he also writes amazing poems and songs. How we wish to read everything he has ever written! He loves to play basketball and volleyball. He has always been fit and his fitness regime is a part of his daily life. Owing to which he has always been in the list of the most handsome men of all well known entertainment portals. He is also a foodie and he loves besan ke laddoos and anything made with strawberries. His wife bakes him cookies for which he would kill for. He also has recently turned vegan. He plays the guitar, the harmonica, and several other instruments. He has a sense of humour to compete with Chandler Bing. He is a water baby and beaches are his favourite place to be, other than right next to his wife.
Karan met his wife Bipasha when they were shooting for Alone. The duo became good friends as they both were dedicated towards fitness and shared their love for water. The couple then dated out of the public view and got married in an intimate yet lavish wedding on April 30, 2016. Touchwood, the couple has been inseparable ever since and we thank god everyday that Karan finally found his happily ever after in his best friend. Since then, they have worked together for many a times and have made several public appearances as well. All Bollywood portals have bestowed them with the title of the most madly in love couple. So much so that Karan wishes he only worked with his wife for all his future projects. A thing we fans have no objections to whatsoever.
Karan, true to his name meaning companion, has always been genuine, always been handsome, and always given us unimaginable reasons to love him, to follow him and get inspired by him. He has always been extremely hard-working and is continuously evolving.
He believes in growth and encourages people around them to grow and chase perfection as well. He is a believer of making your own way and creating your own less traveled path. Also, he has always encouraged people to spread love and hope and has been an inspiration to uncountable beings on this earth. Mostly, he loves his fans to bits. And he knows it's vice versa.
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