Meet star who left cricket for films, became superstar at 20, lost home and stardom after flops, now a corporate bigwig

Today, the Indian television scene is saturated with dozens of mainstream channels as well as OTT platforms. But three decades ago, the only avenue of entertainment on the small screen in India was Doordarshan. This meant that a hit show there was a guarantee to stardom. The first big hit in Indian TV history was Hum Log, India’s first daily soap. And it made many actors overnight stars. One of them was Abhinav Chaturvedi, who quit a promising career in cricket for acting.

Abhinav Chaturvedi’s beginning in TV and films

As a teenager in Delhi, Abhinav Chaturvedi was a talented cricketer who played in the age-group tournaments for the state team. But he also harboured the dream of acting. In 1984, he heard about the casting of a TV show, which became Hum Log. Abhinav was cast as Nanhe, one of the protagonists of the show. At age 20, he starred in the show and became an overnight star. Hum Log was a huge hit, becoming the most-watched TV program in India and still remains one of the most-watched TV shows in Indian history. Two years later, he worked in another massive TV show named Buniyaad.  Branded a TV superstar, Abhinav tried to carry this stardom to the big screen too. He made his Bollywood debut in 1988 with the film Parbat Ke Us Paar.

Abhinav Chaturvedi’s spate of flops in Bollywood

In the late-80s and early-90s, Abhinav worked in a number of films such as Bhrashtachar, Jeevan Ek Sangharsh, and Yodha. None of these worked at the box office. He did have hits like Saudagar (1991) but he only had small roles in these films. But, after a spate of flops, Abhinav called it quits in 1992. As per reports, at that time, the actor did not have money for rent and even lost his home in Mumbai. As a result, he decided to move back to Delhi, bidding adieu to films forever.

Abhinav Chaturvedi’s later career

In the 90s, Abhinav tried to launch a production house in Delhi but that never took off. He worked in a TV series briefly from 2001-02, which was to be his last acting stint. In the 2000s, he began working as an event organiser in the corporate world and found success there.

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