Vishal Jethwa insists that it's someone else's dream that he’s having. All along. This is not the life that he ever imagined he could have. Or would have. Among other things, Jethwa is referring to his Cannes moment from earlier this year. He was on the Croisette for the premiere of Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound. “I never, never thought I’d get this far. I had a very shallow dream when I came to Mumbai. And I never thought I’d even reach there. I just wanted to be visible. Just getting visibility was a dream. I never thought I’d go to Cannes, or work with Neeraj Ghaywan sir, or be appreciated so much,” says Jethwa, who first earned screen recognition after he played Mughal emperor Akbar on the TV show Bharat Ka Veer Putra—Maharana Pratap.
“I’m getting more than what I deserve…”—he breaks off, laughing sheepishly, then continues, “Not gonna say more than what I deserve. No, it’s more than what I wanted.”
On Vishal: Shirt, jacket, pants and apron, all by Margn; Shoes by Jeetinder Sandhu x ArokaPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
The conversation—conducted mostly in Hindi—is punctuated by such gutsy confessions, rare in an age of excess—unless Jethwa is mistaking bliss for contentment. His measured laughter every now and then might give it away, but then there’s something about pausing lunch for an interview.
At 31, Jethwa has already stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic actors—playing the antagonist to Rani Mukerji in Mardaani 2 (2019), the lead opposite Kajol in Salaam Venky (2022) and sharing screen space with Salman Khan in Tiger 3 (2023)—before joining the Homebound trio alongside Khatter and Kapoor. “I don’t know if we would have ever been such great friends had we not worked like this together,” he says of his co-stars. “Despite having differing POVs and approaches, they’ve become my go-tos.”
On Vishal: Shirt and pants, both by Urvashi Kaur; ear cuff by IshhaaraPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
The actor began performing early, joining a troupe as a background dancer and even appearing behind stars like Ajay Devgn, Asin, and Salman Khan on the reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs. Very soon, he realised he had to transcend this dancing in the dark. “I enrolled in acting classes because that felt like my real calling,” he says. “As my investment in it increased, my teacher encouraged me to put more work and hours in it. I didn’t realise when the hobby turned into a profession. It’s only now that I see it that way. For the longest time—even through my childhood stint on television—I never saw it as something I could make a living from.”
On Vishal: Shirt, pants, and jacket, all by Quarter; Shoes by Jeetinder Sandhu x ArokaPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
His big-screen debut—a memorable part as a psychopathic serial rapist-killer in Mardaani 2—had the sort of psychological impact on him that even he finds hard to convey. “It took a lot of prep on the outside—I remember undertaking swims, and long early morning runs in the dead of winter in a national park. To inhabit that darkness for close to a year wasn’t easy,” recalls Jethwa, who was just 24 at the time.
And now, there’s Homebound. For all the global success and pull of his co-stars, it is Jethwa whose part in the film feels inevitable—part of a larger arc of that charts the rise of an intense outsider. Somewhat like Vicky Kaushal in Masaan, the first internationally acclaimed film from Ghaywan that came out a decade ago. It’s the first real spark in the culmination of promise and ambition in a scrappy young talent determined to break through on his own terms. “I don’t know to what extent it applies to ambition, but the one thing that those of us who do not come from film families have, is fire. It drives us a lot—when we’re left with no option, it is that fire that keeps you buoyant,” says Jethwa.
On Vishal: Shirts, trousers, and cape, all by Fetus; handcuff bracelets by Outhouse jewellery; rings by IshhaaraPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
On Vishal: Shirt, jacket, pants and apron, all by Margn; Shoes by Jeetinder Sandhu x ArokaPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
On Vishal: Shirt, jacket, pants and apron, all by Margn; Shoes by Jeetinder Sandhu x ArokaPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
On Vishal: Shirt and jacket, both by KGLPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
That drive has paid off. As his performances began to get noticed, the work rolled in, and with it the money. But something else shifted, too. “Our family also gradually regained the respect and reputation it had lost because of something in the past,” says the actor with candour that doesn’t really feel rehearsed, and whose rawness hasn’t softened into soulless sophistication despite having been around.
It's this clarity of intent—on and off screen—that now shapes the next phase of his evolution. Jethwa is actively pushing back against the perception that competent ‘character’ actors must be socially awkward or glamour-avoidant. His newfound inclination toward fashion—most recently on display at Cannes, where a sleek, crystal-shoulder-padded Velendra suit with sculptural detailing elevated his look to match the style stakes that the festival increasingly demands—is proof that he’s leaving no stone unturned in cementing his place among the Vijay Varmas and Jaideep Ahlawats of the film world: actors whose fashion game has come of age alongside their steady rise as performers of note.
On Vishal: Shirt and pants, both by Urvashi Kaur; ear cuff by IshhaaraPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
On Vishal: Shirt, pants, and jacket, all by Quarter; Shoes by Jeetinder Sandhu x ArokaPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
“I wasn’t one for style too much earlier, but I feel like I’ve tasted blood now,” says the actor, crediting stylists Eka Lakhani and Kaushik Velendra for his Cannes turn. The appetite shows—he’s eager to keep experimenting, as evident in his Esquire India shoot. “I’m looking to push boundaries, to push this new image,” he says.
On Vishal: Shirt and pants, both by Urvashi Kaur; ear cuff by IshhaaraPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
On Vishal: Shirts, trousers, and cape, all by Fetus; handcuff bracelets by Outhouse jewellery; rings by IshhaaraPhoto by Vaishnav Praveen
It’s a reflection of a larger truth about the industry today. “Unlike the older days, when good work could make you a star, tricks now exist to help create the illusion that you are a star,” he explains, pointing to the importance of visibility and social media presence. “But to be honest, I do not really have complaints about it either way—I believe wherever I have got, I have deserved it. I have got here on my hard work, sincerity, discipline, professionalism and skill… And, ultimately, I hope you can slot me in the same ilk as Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma,” he adds, laughing.
Credits
Photography: Vaishnav Praveen from The House of Pixels
Styling: Komal Shetty
Words: Prannay Pathak
Make-up: Riviera Lynn from The Artists Project (using YSL Beauty)
Hair: Rohit Bhatkar from Eficiente Management
Lighting and Technical Equipment: Shruti Lights
Styling Assistant: Irfah Kadir
Bookings & Production: Varun Shah
To read more such stories from Esquire India's August 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.
