Vikrant Massey (born 3 April 1987) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and television.[3] Noted for his versatility,[4][5] Massey is the recipient of a Filmfare Award.
Massey was born on 3 April 1987, to a Sikh mother and a Christian father, Meena and Jolly Massey.[12] He has an older brother who took the name Moeen following his conversion to Islam at 17.[13][14] Despite his multi-faith background, Massey himself is not religious, saying that "religion is man-made."[15] Massey's parents were childhood sweethearts who eloped and got married.[16] Belonging to a middle-classChristian family, originally from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Massey was born and raised by his parents in Mumbai, Maharashtra.[17]
Massey's educational background consists of attending St. Anthony's High School in Versova with further studies being completed from R. D. National College of Arts & Science in Bandra, Mumbai.[18] Being a well-trained dancer, he forayed onto stage with small-time dancing and theatre performances at the age of 7.[3] With support and guidance from his teachers and school principal, he took up performing arts as a career choice at quite a young age. He enjoys traveling, playing cricket, and video games in his free time.[19]
Career
Work in television soap operas (2007–2013)
Massey started his career with television and made his acting debut in 2007, portraying Aamir Hassan in Dhoom Machaao Dhoom. He is also a trained contemporary or jazz dancer and has worked with Shiamak Davar, and was a choreographer on the show.[3][20] In 2008, he portrayed one of the titular prince Dharam in Dharam Veer alongside Rajat Tokas.[21]
Massey found success with his portrayal of Shyam Singh, a supportive husband opposite Veebha Anand in Balika Vadhu, portraying the character from 2009 to 2010.[22] In his first lead role, Massey portrayed Murli Laal, who is married to a dwarf Bharti in Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo, from 2010 to 2011.[23][24]
In 2013, Massey portrayed Ayaan Ahmed Khan, one of the lead roles in Qubool Hai opposite Ketki Kadam.[6] That same year, he hosted V The Serial and Yeh Hai Aashiqui. The 2014 show, Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai, marked his final appearance on television before film debut.[25]
Expansion to films and streaming series (2013–2023)
In 2019, Massey appeared as a murder accused in Criminal Justice directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia,[36] Sanjukta Sharma of Scroll.in opined, "He slips into Aditya's skin without any effort showing, and makes his transformative journey compelling."[37] He further played Nawab in Made in Heaven, a web series on two wedding planners in Delhi running an agency named Made in Heaven.[38] In his last release that year, Massey also reprised Veer in the second season of Broken But Beautiful. Ruchi Kaushal from Hindustan Times stated: "Vikrant shines in emotional scenes and has the calibre to make a viewer weep with him."[39]
In 2021, Massey portrayed Rahul, who visits home for his grandfather's tehrvi in Seema Pahwa's directorial debut Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi.[47] After appearing in Switchh, Massey portrayed Rishabh, an electrical engineer opposite Taapsee Pannu in Haseen Dillruba, which emerged as the most-watched Hindi film on Netflix.[48] The film earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express opined: "The only one who tries valiantly to rise, and succeeds in most places is Vikrant Massey".[49]14 Phere marked his final release that year. Based on inter-caste marriage issue, it saw him portray Sanjay opposite Kriti Kharbanda.[50] Anita Aikara of Rediff.com was appreciative of his "delightfully simple role".[51] Massey played Ahmed, a Muslim in love with a Hindu girl, opposite Sanya Malhotra, in his first release of 2022, Love Hostel. Released on ZEE5, it received mixed to positive reviews.[52]Anna M. M. Vetticad noted "Ashu's timidity is marked – and remarkably – distinct from Shutu's in A Death In The Gunj. The actor could, however, have done better than Ashu's wavering accent, which is jarring in climactic scene."[53] He then played Forensic specialist Johnny alongside Radhika Apte, in Zee5's Forensic, a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name.[54]Bollywood Hungama stated that Massey gives a "confident" performance and "suits the part", but added that in some places, he "tries" to be too funny and "fails".[55]
In 2023, Massey first played Kapil, manager of the king alongside Sara Ali Khan and Chitrangada Singh in Gaslight, which received mixed to negative reviews.[56] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu said, "Massey, as the manager of the missing Raja, keep the audience engaged till the big reveal arrives."[57] He next played a youngster struggling in Mumbai, in the remake of the Tamil film Maanagaram, titled, Mumbaikar, which was released on JioCinema.[58]
12th Fail and beyond (2023–present)
The 2023 film, 12th Fail, marked a significant point in Massey's career.[59] He portrayed Manoj Kumar Sharma, who overcame extreme poverty to become an IPS officer.[60] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times termed the film his "career-best" and noted, "Massey takes the cake for delivering a brilliant performance. At every step, he brings a myriad of shades to his character. He owns up Manoj's character in all aspects."[61]Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com praised Massey for giving a performance of such "unalloyed brilliance".[62] The film emerged as sleeper hit, grossing over ₹66 crore (US$7.6 million) worldwide, and won him the Film fare Critics Award for Best Actor.[63]
In his first release of 2024, Massey played a crime reporter in Blackout alongside Mouni Roy and Ruhani Sharma, which received negative reviews from critics who were critical of his performance.[64][65] Massey then reunited with Taapsee Pannu in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, reprising his character from the original.[66][67] Kartik Bhardwaj of The New Indian Express opined that Vikrant, an otherwise convincing actor, "has nothing to chew on".[68] He then played a psychopath murderer in Sector 36, which is loosely based on 2006 Noida serial murders.[69] Shomini Sen of WION was appreciative of his performance and added that he proves his "mastery over his craft".[70] Following this, he played a photojournalist opposite Raashii Khanna in The Sabarmati Report, based on the 2002 Godhra train burning incident.[71][72] The film received mixed to negative reviews, but Rishabh Suri from Hindustan Times termed his performance "effective".[73]
Some reports mention that Massey and actress Sheetal Thakur began dating in 2015, but became closer while working on the series Broken But Beautiful (2018).[76][77] Other reports mention that Massey and Thakur met on the sets of the series and began dating.[78][79] Massey and Thakur got engaged in November 2019,[80][81] and registered their marriage on 14 February 2022.[76] On 18 February 2022, Massey married Thakur, in a traditional ceremony in Himachal Pradesh.[82][83] They have one child.[84]
Artistry and media image
Dipti Nagpaul D'Souza of The Indian Express stated that Massey has always played "likeable roles" in television soaps.[8]Asianet News termed him "one of the finest actors" of his generation and added, "Throughout his prolific career, he has consistently chosen unconventional roles that have left a lasting impression on audiences."[85]Film Companion noted, "Vikrant has been consistently prolific and made a mark with every performance, regardless of the scope, nature or length of a role."[86] Priyanka Roy from The Telegraph said, "Vikrant, who's had success across mediums, is that rare breed who doesn't shun the relatively smaller parts even when he's now transitioned to lead roles."[87]
Massey in 2023
Massey is known for playing characters that the audience relates to. Prateek Sur of Outlook agreed and noted, "One will find the character living the best up to his potential on the screen when Vikrant is playing it. He has always justified himself as a performer."[88] Kartik Bhardwaj of The New Indian Express said that Massey brings "easy relatability" to his roles, he noted, "On account of the nuanced roles he generally excels in, Massey might not come across as a song-and-dance actor but you feel an air of gentle reassurance in his character."[89] Hitanshi Kamdar of Grazia added, "Massey has essayed a litany of easy-going and complex characters over the course of his unmistakably impressive career trajectory."[90]
Members of the film industry have praised Massey for his talent. Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra termed him one of the finest actors of the country.[91] His A Death in the Gunj director Konkona Sen Sharma called him a "receptive actor" and said, "Vikrant got a sense of the character from the script and made it his own. It's important to note that he's not only capable of playing someone vulnerable and diffident [like his character in Gunj] but also someone more gregarious and volatile because he can pick up what is required."[92]
For his performance in 2020, Eastern Eye placed Massey at 48th position in its "Top 50 Asian Celebrities " list.[93]Subhash K. Jha of Rediff.com and Santanu Das of Hindustan Times placed Massey in their "Top Performance of 2023" list, for 12th Fail.[94][95] His performance in A Death in the Gunj, is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by Film Companion.[96] In addition to his acting career, Massey is a celebrity endorser for brands and products such as Lenskart, Cornetto, Cadbury, ICICI Bank, Nescafé, Longines and Samsung Galaxy.[97][98] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Massey collaborated with Citta, to provide emotional support to the patients. In 2020, he also appeared in Jonita Gandhi's music video #AageKiSoch, to create awareness related to the pandemic.[99][100]
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