Inaamulhaq
Inaamulhaq is an Indian actor, best known for Tamil cinema. Inaamulhaq began their career in 2009 and has been a prominent figure in the industry for over 17 years. With 30 credits to their name and an average audience rating of 6.5, Inaamulhaq remains one of the most prolific and celebrated talents in the industry. Spanning 10+ years, Inaamulhaq's career remains one of the longest and most celebrated in Tamil cinema.
- Born
- Age
- 46
Biography
Inaamulhaq is a Hindi cinema actor born in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, who trained at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, graduating in 2003. He made his film debut in Nandita Das's Firaaq (2009) and gained wide recognition for his portrayal of Pakistani national Aaftab in Filmistaan (2014), which earned him Best Supporting Actor at the 21st Screen Awards and recognition as one of Mid-Day's Top 10 Stand-Out Actors of 2014. He played the Iraqi antagonist Major Khalaf Bin Zayd in the blockbuster Airlift (2016) opposite Akshay Kumar, and won Best Actor at both the 8th DCSAFF and IIFFB 2019 for his lead role in Nakkash (2019), a film about a Kashmiri artisan. His recent work includes Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023) and Pippa (2023), and he is set to appear in Chidiya (2025).
Career Milestones
Film debut in Firaaq
View film →Breakthrough role as Pakistani national Aaftab; named among Top 10 Stand-Out Actors of 2014 by Mid-Day
View film →Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role at 21st Annual Screen Awards
View film →Appeared in blockbuster Airlift as Major Khalaf Bin Zayd alongside Akshay Kumar
View film →Won Best Actor at India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB)
View film →Iconic Roles
Filmistaan
Breakthrough lead role in this National Award-winning film exploring cultural bonds across the India-Pakistan border; earned him an IIFA Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Airlift
Main antagonist in this Akshay Kumar historical thriller set during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait; his portrayal of the Iraqi officer received widespread critical acclaim.
Nakkash
Title role for which he won Best Actor at the DC South Asian Film Festival and the India International Film Festival of Boston.
Firaaq
An early impactful role in this ensemble narrative about the aftermath of the Gujarat riots.
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke
Comic supporting role in this Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan rom-com that saw him praised for adding warmth and humor to the narrative.
Defining Moments
As Aaftab, a Pakistani captor who bonds with an Indian film crew over their shared love of Bollywood — his warm, naturalistic performance as a Pakistan national humanizing the 'other side' through cinema and friendship
His breakout role that won critical acclaim, landing him on Mid-Day's 'Top 10 Stand-Out Actors of 2014' and IBNlive's 'Most Prominent Debuts of 2014'. The performance proved his ability to carry scenes with warmth and nuance against a more established cast.
View film →As Iraqi Major Khalaf Bin Zayd — an Amitabh Bachchan-obsessed antagonist who holds the power over thousands of Indian lives, his scene where he confronts Akshay Kumar's character who fails to recognize him from a prior Baghdad visit, turning wounded pride into menace
Bollywood Hungama singled him out as 'a delight' in an Akshay Kumar blockbuster, demonstrating his ability to create a memorable, layered antagonist with unexpected comic humanity inside a serious patriotic thriller.
As Allah Rakha Siddiqui, a Muslim artisan of Hindu temple murals whose identity and craft are caught in communal tension — the central emotional arc of the entire film
His first lead role in a Hindi film; he won the Best Actor Award at the DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) in Washington. The film's first look was unveiled at Cannes 2018, and critics praised him for getting 'into the skin of the conflicted central character with complete conviction.'
View film →As Bhagwandas Ishwardas Sahai, the bureaucratic yet endearing father-in-law figure whose comic timing and warmth anchors the domestic comedy of a couple trying to separate
A mainstream commercial hit with Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan; his supporting role showcased his comic register and brought wider mainstream visibility after years of critically acclaimed but smaller films.
View film →As Shibli in the 1971 war drama, a supporting character whose grounded performance contributes to the film's authentic emotional texture amid the Bangladesh Liberation War backdrop
Continued his pattern of lending credibility to large-scale ensemble productions through precise character work, reinforcing his reputation as one of Hindi cinema's most reliable NSD-trained supporting actors.
View film →Inaamulhaq by the Numbers
If you watched every Inaamulhaq film back-to-back, you'd be at it for roughly 23 hours. Most-paired with Sharib Hashmi — 3 films together.
Filmography
See all 30 credits →
Collaboration Network
The Constellation
Top 6 most-paired collaborators. Bubble size and line thickness reflect how many films they share with Inaamulhaq.
Career Analytics
Genre Breakdown
Language Distribution
Films by Decade
Top Co-Actors
See all →Inaamulhaq has worked most frequently with Raja Menon (2 films), Sharib Hashmi (3 films), Rajesh Sharma (2 films), Brijendra Kala (2 films), and Akshay Kumar (2 films).
Did You Know?
Inaamulhaq is an Indian actor, writer, and director known for his work in Hindi cinema.
He made his acting debut in the 2012 film 'Filmistaan', which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
He received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Filmistaan'.
Inaamulhaq co-wrote the screenplay for the film 'Filmistaan'.
He played the role of Major Khalaf Bin Zayd in the 2016 war thriller 'Airlift' starring Akshay Kumar.
Legacy & Influence
Inaamulhaq has carved a distinct niche in Indian cinema as a versatile character actor, celebrated for his authentic portrayals and nuanced performances. His career trajectory is marked by a deliberate shift from theatre and television to film, where he brings a grounded, relatable quality to every role. His breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed 'Filmistaan' (2014), where his performance as a kidnapped Indian video pirate in Pakistan showcased his ability to blend humor with profound emotional depth, earning him widespread recognition. This was followed by a pivotal role in the blockbuster 'Airlift' (2016), where he played Major Khalaf Bin Zayd, adding significant gravitas to the historical drama and demonstrating his skill in supporting large-scale narratives. In films like 'Jolly LLB 2' (2017) and 'Lucknow Central' (2017), he consistently delivered memorable characters that enhanced the ensemble cast, often portraying common men with uncommon resilience. His contribution lies in his meticulous character-building and ability to embody diverse regional identities and socio-economic backgrounds with sincerity, avoiding stereotypes. By choosing roles in both mainstream and indie spaces, such as 'Nakkash' (2019), he has helped bridge commercial and content-driven cinema. Inaamulhaq's work underscores the importance of character actors in enriching storytelling, making him a respected figure known for elevating narratives through subtlety and authenticity, and inspiring a focus on layered supporting roles in the industry.