From commercial pilot to Shah Rukh Khan’s junior: 7 lesser-known facts about Mukul Dev you should know

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.

Bollywood actor Mukul Dev passed away on May 23 at 54. According to a report in ETimes, he was in the ICU due to health complications, though the exact cause of his death is not known yet. He is the brother of actor Rahul Dev and has worked in several films, including Son of Sardaar and R Rajkumar. Let’s take a look at some of the lesser-known facts about the late actors.

1. Mukul Dev was born into a Punjabi family in New Delhi. His father was an assistant commissioner of police. There were also reports that a biopic on his father is in the works. 

2. The actor got his first paycheck when he was studying in a school for honoring Michael Jackson with his dance style on a show. 

3. Mukul wasn’t just an actor; he was also a trained pilot. He completed aviation training at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (National Flying Academy) in Raebareli. The actor worked as a commercial pilot for years and even had an aeronautical training institute before getting into acting.

He shared a video on Instagram where he was seen flying an aircraft up in the clouds and captioned it, “And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too.... I'll see you on the dark side of the moon. #crosscountry.”

4. Mukul Dev was set to be launched by Amitabh Bachchan’s production house ABCL in a film titled Naam Kya Hain. The film was completely shot but it was then shelved and never released. 

5. The actor joined films due to his interest in modeling and acting. After his promising debut with the 1996 film Dastak alongside Sushmita Sen, the offers of playing lead roles started drying up. He then took up supporting roles in films such as Yamla Pagla Deewana and Son of Sardar.

6. Dev last featured in the 2022 mystery thriller film Anth The End, alongside Divya Dutta, Dev Sharma, and Samikssha Bhatnagar. 

7. He also shares a close relationship with superstar Shah Rukh Khan but not directly. His elder brother Rahul Dev and SRK studied at the same St. Columba’s School in Delhi and Rahul was SRK’s junior. Hence, Mukul shares a bond with the superstar through Rahul.

Even Mukul Dev also completed his schooling from the same school. Rahul has talked about his school days with Shah Rukh Khan many times and recalled unforgettable memories.

ALSO READ: Son of Sardaar and R Rajkumar actor Mukul Dev passes away at 54: Report