Who Is Rahul Dev? Lost Wife To Cancer, Related To Mukul Dev, Most Popular Villain Of 90s Bollywood

The recent passing of actor, Mukul Dev of Son Of Sardaar fame has come as a shock to people. The 54-year-old actor had been reportedly battling health issues and was admitted to the hospital a few days before his demise. As condolences and wishes for the deprived family have poured in, people are surprised to the see popular actor, Rahul Dev making statements on behalf of the family. 

Rahul Dev is well-known for his portrayal of deadly villains in Bollywood films of the 90s. His intense acting as negative characters, earned him such fame that the actor went on to work in similar roles in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam industries. However, what is his relation to the late actor, Mukul Dev? Read on to know more. 

Rahul Dev and Mukul Dev were brothers 

Rahul Dev is the older brother of the departed actor, Mukul Dev. With a two-year age difference, the brothers were born into a Punjabi family residing in New Delhi. Their father, Hari Dev, was an Assistant Commissioner of Police and was well-versed in Afghan culture. As a result, both the brothers were fluent in Persian and Pashto. They also have a sister, known as Rashmi Kaushal. 

Rahul Dev started his career as a top male model 

Rahul Dev was studying engineering, when he was approached by the pioneer fashion designer of India, Rohit Khosla. After being encouraged to take up modelling as a career, Rahul became a professional model in 1994. He was considered one of the top models in India and did commercials with brands such as Tata and Raymond. However, in 2002 he quit modelling to pursue a career in the acting world. 

Rahul Dev made a name for himself with his intense acting in villainous roles 

For anyone who has watched Bollywood or Tollywood films of the 90s, Rahul Dev is a very familiar face. From Asoka to Awara Pagal Deewana in Bollywood, and from Mass to Yevadu in Tollywood, Rahul has given many iconic performances as a fearsome and intense villain. The actor's first big break in the industry was also in a negative role in the movie, Champion, released in 2000 and starring Sunny Deol and Manisha Koirala. Speaking about being typecasted in negative roles in movies, Rahul said to Indian Express in an interview: 

“There was a typecast because my first negative role was successful. All that I was getting was negative roles. It was difficult to navigate and say no. It can leave you empty creatively. It’s the industry that typecasts you, not the audience, because the people haven’t seen you in any other role.”

Rahul Dev lost his wife to cancer and took a break from acting to raise their son

Rahul Dev and Rina Dev were married for 11 years and had a son called, Siddharth. Unfortunately, Rina passed away in 2009 after a long battle with cancer. The actor became a single father and has opened up about his struggles many times after the passing of his wife. During this time, Rahul took a break from acting for over four years to raise Siddharth. In an interview with Zoom Digital, the actor talked about one of the most painful times in his life and said: 

"If you are physically not around your child, that is not parenting right. If you have to raise the child, you need to know the child. In those four and a half years, I fulfilled that. Attending parent-teacher meetings with him, doing classwork with him, education, I did all of that, and I played a father and mother both. He was only 11 at that time. "

Rahul Dev is in a relationship with actress, Mugdha Godse 

Rahul Dev started dating model and actress, Mugdha Godse in 2013. They are considered one of the most adorable couples in Bollywood and have lived together for nearly a decade. In an interview with RJ Siddharth Kannan, Rahul had talked about dating as a widower. The actor said that there was initial hesitancy about sharing with his son that he was in a relationship, but after his son was aware, the couple publicised their relationship and made it official. Rahul also shared that he and Mugdha have an age gap of 14 years, which used to make him wonder if it was 'proper' on his part. 

Mukul Dev had expressed his desire to work with his brother, Rahul Dev, again 

In an interview with IANS, Mukul Dev had talked about his wish to work with Rahul Dev again. The duo has worked on a few films together, mostly South Indian movies. Their last film together was in 2018, and it was called Pagalpanti. The Dev brothers also worked on a film called 2006 Varanasi: The Untold, which was supposed to be released in the same year but has been indefinitely shelved. Mukul had said in the interview that he and Rahul would share their experiences with each other while performing a specific role. Like his brother, Mukul was also known for his negative roles but was most well popular for his comic role as 'Tony Sandhu' in Son of Sardaar.

Rahul Dev issued an official statement on his brother, Mukul Dev's passing 

Rahul Dev took to his social media and shared the heartbreaking news of his brother, Mukul Dev, passing away. The statement revealed that the late actor is survived by his daughter, Sia Dev. As Rahul performed the last rites of his brother, glimpses of the grieving family are doing rounds on social media as videos from the crematorium have gone viral. Statements revealing the exact cause of death have not been made public by the family yet. However, Son of Sardaar 2 co-star of Mukul, Vindu Dara Singh, told PTI that the actor was 'depressed' after his mother's demise and was not keeping well himself. Reportedly, Mukul was admitted to a hospital, 8-10 days before his death. 

Rest in peace, Mukul Dev. 

Also Read: Lesser Known Facts About Mukul Dev: Trained Pilot, Fluent In Persian, Debut With Sushmita Sen

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