Apr 18, 2026 12:30pm IST
From Ahaan Panday to Rohit Saraf – Meet the New Romantics of Bollywood
In an era when actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Saif Ali Khan established themselves as Bollywood’s most romantic actors, they were all married in real life, yet they had the entire country hooked on every role they played. Relationship status had nothing to do with it. Now, meet the new generation carrying that same energy forward, just from the other side. Upcoming, completely focused, and with some of the most exciting work coming up in Bollywood right now, these are the New Romantics. Let’s see what they have going on.
Rohit Saraf
Rohit Saraf has been delivering quietly affecting performances since “Dear Zindagi” in 2016. “The Sky Is Pink,” “Mismatched,” and “Ishq Vishk Rebound” are some of his other works. In 2025, he also appeared in “Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari” alongside Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, and Sanya Malhotra, and the Panwadi song from the film became one of the year’s most played tracks. There have been fan-led rumors over the years, but nothing confirmed on the relationship front.
Up next: “Mismatched” Season 4, the final season of the series, “The Revolutionaries”, a period web series directed by Nikkhil Advani and Heer Ranjha, directed by Sajid Ali and produced by Imtiaz Ali and Ektaa Kapoor, coming up.
Siddhant Chaturvedi
Siddhant Chaturvedi’s performance as MC Sher in “Gully Boy” earned him popularity awards for Best Supporting Actor and set the bar high for everything that followed. He has also delivered strong performances in “Gehraiyaan,” “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,” and “Dhadak 2.” His most recent release, “Do Deewane Seher Mein,” a Sanjay Leela Bhansali production, was released in February 2026. He was rumored to be in a relationship with Navya Nanda, but neither of them has confirmed anything.
Up next: “Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling,” currently filming, and an untitled project with director Abhishek Chaubey set in his hometown Ballia.
Aditya Rawal
Aditya Rawal is the son of Paresh Rawal, but he has made it very clear that he intends to earn his place on his own terms. He debuted with “Bamfaad” in 2020 and followed it with “ Faraaz” in 2022, Hansal Mehta’s taut thriller about the 2016 Dhaka terror attack, which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and announced him as one of the most serious young actors in the industry. His most recent release is “Subedaar” on Prime Video, in which he plays the unhinged and menacing antagonist Prince opposite Anil Kapoor, a performance critics have called his best work yet.
Up next: “Tax Department Story”, a series exploring corruption in Uttar Pradesh, slated for the second half of 2026.
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Vedang Raina
Vedang Raina made his debut with Zoya Akhtar’s “The Archies” in 2023 and followed it with “Jigra” in 2024, opposite Alia Bhatt, earning significant critical attention for his performance. He was widely reported to be in a relationship with Khushi Kapoor, which they never officially confirmed, and were seen multiple times at parties and weddings. But their relationship reportedly ended in January 2026.
Up next: “Main Vaapas Aaunga”, directed by Imtiaz Ali, releasing in cinemas on June 12, 2026, a Partition-era love story co-starring Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, and Naseeruddin Shah with music by AR Rahman, and an untitled Maddock Films romantic comedy opposite Naomika Saran, currently on floors.
Abhay Verma
Abhay Verma broke through with “Munjya” in 2024, the Maddock Films horror-comedy that became one of Maddock Films' most loved releases. He has also appeared in Movies like “Safed” and “Ae Watan Mere Watan” and TV shows like “The Family Man” and “Marzi.” He is not in any relationship at the moment.
Up next: Shah Rukh Khan's "King", Shujaat Saudagar's "JC" opposite Shanaya Kapoor, "Laikey Laika" with Rasha Thadani, Hansal Mehta's "Dilkashi" and Netflix series, "Operation Safed Sagar". .
Agastya Nanda
Agastya Nanda debuted in “The Archies” in 2023, but his real arrival was “Ikkis,” the Sriram Raghavan-directed and produced by Maddock Films / Dinesh Vijan war film in which he played real-life war hero Arun Khetarpal, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra. The performance earned him serious critical recognition. There have been fan rumors linking him to Suhana Khan, but there has been no confirmation on this.
Up Next: There are many projects in the pipeline, but none of them are confirmed yet.
Lakshya
Lakshya made one of the most striking film debuts in recent memory with “Kill” in 2024, a Dharma Productions action film that premiered at TIFF and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He followed it with “The Ba***ds of Bollywood,” a Netflix drama directed by Aryan Khan. There is no confirmed relationship at the moment.
Up Next: “Chand Mera Dil,” opposite Ananya Panday under Dharma Productions, which is releasing in May 2026, and an untitled Dharma action comedy directed by Raj Mehta alongside Tiger Shroff and Janhvi Kapoor.
Ahaan Panday
Ahaan Panday’s debut “Saiyaara” became the highest-grossing Hindi romantic film of all time, earning over 570 crore worldwide when it released in July 2025. Directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films, the film co-starred Aneet Padda and was the second biggest Hindi blockbuster of 2025. There were rumors of him with his co-star, but neither has confirmed this.
Up next: The actor has an untitled action romance directed by Ali Abbas Zafar for YRF, currently in production, and a twisted love story with Mohit Suri for YRF expected to begin shooting by the end of 2026.
Eight eligible bachelors, no confirmed relationships, and collectively, with one of the most interesting work slates of upcoming projects in Bollywood.
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