, best known for his debut in Dastak and a career spanning multiple film industries, passed away on Friday night at the age of 54. According to a report by IANS, friends reached his residence on Saturday after hearing the news. The cause of death has not been revealed. Family and friends are in shock and mourning his sudden demise. The news was confirmed by actress Deepshikha Nagpal, who shared an old photo of the two on Instagram with the caption “RIP.”Mukul Dev was born in New Delhi into a Punjabi family with roots near Jalandhar. His father, Hari Dev, was an assistant commissioner of police and introduced him to Afghan culture. He was fluent in Pashto and Persian.
Dev had his first brush with performance in class 8 when he was paid for imitating Michael Jackson in a Doordarshan dance show. His formal debut in Bollywood came in 1996 with the film Dastak, opposite Sushmita Sen.
He had also worked extensively in TV serials, web series and music videos. The industry is shocked by his death and people are paying tribute to him on social media.According to the information, Mukul Dev died on 23 May 2025. He was unwell for the last few days and was in the ICU. The 54-year-old actor is survived by his brother Rahul Dev. Vindu Dara Singh, who worked with Mukul in 'Son of Sardar', confirmed this news to India Today. He expressed grief and said that Mukul will not be able to see himself on the big screen.
Vindu Dara Singh said, 'After the death of his parents, Mukul was isolating himself. He would not even step out of the house and meet anyone. His health deteriorated in the last few days and he was in the hospital. My condolences to his brother and all those who knew and loved him. He was a wonderful person, and we will all miss him.'Mukul's friend and actress Deepshikha Nagpal also posted a photo with the late actor on Instagram. Speaking to India Today, she said that Mukul never talked to anyone about his health. He had a group of friends on WhatsApp in which he used to talk often. She became emotional and said, 'I woke up with this news in the morning. I have been calling his number since then, hoping he will pick up the phone.'Mukul Dev was born on 17 September 1970 in a Punjabi family in New Delhi. He made his acting debut with the TV serial 'Mumkin' in 1996. Later, along with TV, he worked in more than 60 films in Hindi as well as Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu.
He was last seen on the big screen in the film 'Ant The End' in 2022. On TV, he appeared in the role of Gul Badshah in the serial '21 Sarfarosh' in 2018. While he was seen in the web series 'State of Siege: 26/11' on OTT in 2020.
After his debut, Dev acted in several Hindi and Punjabi films and became known for his diverse roles in both cinema and television. His performances in films such as Son of Sardaar, R... Rajkumar, and Jai Ho were well received. He also appeared in TV serials and hosted the first season of a stunt-based reality show.
He worked in multiple languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada.
Before his full-time acting career, Mukul Dev completed his aviation training at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi in Raebareli. He worked as a commercial pilot for nearly a decade and also ran an aeronautical training institute.
Actress Deepshikha Nagpal, a close friend, expressed her grief on Instagram, writing: “Can’t believe this. Rest in peace.”
Dev’s last film appearance was in Anth The End, released in 2022. The film was directed by K. S. Malhotra and featured Divya Dutta, Dev Sharma, Samikssha Batnagar, and Mukul Dev. It was a mystery thriller with a runtime of around 106 minutes.
