Born on October 7, 1976, Sharad Kelkar hails from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. He completed his education in Gwalior itself. He has an MBA in marketing from Prestige Institute of Management, Gwalior. The actor, who made quite an impression with his earnest portrayal of Nahar Pratap Singh in Zee's hit show Saat Phere.... Saloni Ka Safar, was a Grasim Mr India finalist. (All pictures/Sharad Kelkar's official Instagram account)

Sharad Kelkar, who has given memorable performances in TV serials like Uttaran, Saat Phere, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge and others, began his journey in showbiz with advertising. It was in 2005 when Sharad appeared in a small cameo in the offbeat National Award-winning Marathi film, Uttarayan. This whetted his appetite and Sharad Kelkar soon started doing the rounds of production houses.

But did you know, even before Uttarayan, Sharad Kelkar had a small role in Kareena Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna's Hulchul? Sharad played the role of the groom Dr "Sattu" Satyendra Mishra, who was set to get married to Bebo's character Anjali.

In picture: Sharad Kelkar with his sister Anjali Thakur.

It was television that gave recognition to Sharad Kelkar as the undisputed hunk of the two hit TV serials Sindoor Tere Naam Ka and Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar.

In picture: Sharad Kelkar with his mother

Sharad Kelkar had also shot for a pilot episode for Kkoi Dil Mein Hai (2003). But the actor had a dialogue delivery problem and couldn't deliver the scenes properly and was replaced.

In picture: Sharad Kelkar's childhood picture with father and sister.

Though Sharad Kelkar is among the most sought-after voice-over artistes at the moment, Sharad Kelkar had revealed that he battled a speech defect until a few years ago.

"I would stammer when I got too excited or angry. In fact, I was thrown out of a show because of that," Sharad Kelkar told mid-day, who has dubbed in Hindi for a number of Hollywood films which include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Mad Max: Fury Road, Exodus: Gods and Kings, X-Men: Apocalypse, Moana and XXX: Return of Xander Cage.

In June 2005, Sharad Kelkar got married to girlfriend actress Keerti Gaekwad. The two met on the sets of the TV show Aakrosh and fell in love. Within seven days of marriage, Sharad took up Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar. He feels wife Keerti is lucky for him.

Sharad Kelkar and wife Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar welcomed their daughter Kesha Kelkar on February 7, 2014.

Coming back to his professional life, Sharad Kelkar made his Bollywood debut with Vikram Bhatt's 1920: Evil Returns in 2012. However, it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela that gave huge recognition to the actor, who played Deepika Padukone's on-screen brother Khanji Sanera.

Some of his notable films are Lai Bhaari (2014), Hero (2015), Mohenjo Daro (2016), Rocky Handsome (2016), Sardaar Gabbar Singh (2016), Bhoomi (2017), Baadshaho (2017), Housefull 4 (2019) and Tanhaji (2020).

But if not acting, the actor could have become a singer too. He used to be so fond of singing at one point of time, that he even thought of considering it as a career option.

Sharad, who has contributed both to TV shows and films, says he has always juggled between the two mediums and plans to keep doing so. "I have always done it (juggle between TV and movies). When I was doing 'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge', I did 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela', 'Lai Bhaari' and '1920'. And when I did 'Agent Raghav', I did films like 'Sardaar Gabbar Singh' and finished 'Rocky Handsome'. I am a workaholic... I enjoy working and keeping busy," Sharad told IANS.

Sharad Kelkar also dubbed for Prabhas' character for the Hindi version of Bahubali: The Beginning and Bahubali 2: The Conclusion. Though his name barely came to the fore during the first instalment, with Bahubali 2: The Conclusion setting box office records, Kelkar too revelled in his share of the limelight.

Sharad Kelkar had fans in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam, thanks to the popularity he gained through his Hindi serials which get dubbed into Telugu. His association with 'Baahubali' also earned him wide recognition.

Sharad Kelkar has also made his debut on the digital front. He has been part of popular web shows like Special OPS, The Family Man 2, and Black Widows.

Sharad Kelkar has an interesting line-up in Bollywood. He was recently seen in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmmi Bomb and the Ajay Devgn-starrer Bhuj: The Pride Of India.

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Sharad Kelkar!