Mischief managed

Goofy prankster. Lovable host. Smooth dancer. Cold-blooded killer. Raghav Juyal shapeshifts with ease. But behind every switch has been a wild, uncalculated risk. Is living on the edge your vibe, Raghav?

- Christalle Fernandes

In life, there's the safe road, and there's whatever journey Raghav Juyal is on. The actor, 33, has spent more than a decade in the spotlight - first as a dance contestant, then choreographer and show host and now, with roles on the big screen. And at every stage, people have known him to be a wild child. Talented, yes. Trustworthy, also yes. But surprisingly unconcerned about rules, hierarchy and the establishment.

Here's a story he'll happily tell. About a decade ago, Juyal was a giddy second lead on the set of ABCD 2. Every day, at the end of filming, director Remo D'Souza would sign off by announcing, “Ganpati Bappa Morya”. The cast and crew quickly took it as their cue to leave too. One day, Juyal, randomly took over the chant, right in the middle of the workday. The cast and crew scattered excitedly in all directions, echoing his words as D'Souza, furious, tried to call everyone back. “It did get out of control,” the actor says, still unrepentant.

Somehow, Juyal always lands on his feet. He played a villain in last year’s Yudhra, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi. He has projects lined up all the way into 2026, including the rumoured Aryan Khan directed-web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, about the struggles of being an outsider in cinema. He's also reported to be shooting for the action thrillers King (starring Shah Rukh Khan) and The Paradise (alongside Telugu actor Nani).

How does the “risk first, plan later” attitude work exactly? Is Juyal good at calculated risks or is he just listening to his gut more than we do? He's trying to make sense of it all himself, he says.

Runner's high

Even his first brush with the spotlight is filmi. Juyal was in Class 12, in 2012, and supposed to be preparing for his board exams in Dehradun. Instead, he was itching to be in Mumbai, at the auditions for the reality show Dance India Dance.