3 min readNew DelhiMay 28, 2026 05:33 PM IST
Netflix’ latest film Kartavya has been in the headlines since its release recently. The movie’s leading star Saif Ali Khan impressed fans once again, with his cop portrayal. However, there’s one question that has gotten everyone thinking – who is the Haryanvi boy Harpal, for whom Saif takes on the entire system? The actor’s name is Yudhvir Ahlawat and unlike what people have been assuming, he isn’t a child artist but a 33-year-old man. He is currently trending and has already beat Vijay, Aishwarya Rai, Jr NTR, and Shah Rukh Khan, to emerge as the most popular star on IMDb right now.
Who is Yudhvir Ahlawat?
In Kartavya, Yudhvir Ahlawat plays Harpal, a child who is being mentally and physically abused and is pushed to commit murder. Many may believe he is a new face but the actor has been doing theater for nearly a decade. He has also been associated with director Feroz Abbas Khan’s grand play Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical. He has performed on both national and international stages.
He marked his big screen debut with Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar’s Saand Ki Aankh, where he played Chandro Tomar’s son. He also featured in Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera. He has appeared in Bobby Deol and Vikrant Massey-starrer Love Hostel.
The actor belongs to Sheriya, a village in Jhajjar, Haryana. His father, Gyan Singh Ahlawat, served in the Border Security Force. While discipline was ingrained in the family, Yudhvir was shorter than his six-foot-something elder brothers and had innocent face of a child. This also led to his casting in Kartavya.
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However, the actor is in his 30s. In 2019, when his first film Saand Ki Aankh hit the theatres, he had revealed in an interview that people thought he was a child, even when he was 28 years old at the time. Because of his childish look, audiences assumed he was a child artist, and hence, he is able to essay roles of very young boys on screen.
IMDb’s top star
Every week, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) compiles a list of the most popular Indian celebrities, based on the number of visits on their profiles. While actors who have theatrical releases are mostly on top of the list, but this week, Yudhvir Ahlawat aka Harpal was at the top of IMDb India’s top 30 list. He beat many superstars like Aishwarya Rai, Vijay, and Mohanlal.
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The number of visits on his IMDb profile increased a lot since Kartavya’s release on Netflix on May 15. Yudhvir defeated Aishwarya Rai (at rank 3 after her Cannes visit), Vijay (at number 4 after becoming Tamil Nadu CM), Jr NTR (at number 24) and Shah Rukh Khan (out of the top 30) in the list. As per IMDb, the list features Indian stars trending worldwide: actors, directors, cinematographers, and writers.
