Misplaced Pages

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Gagan Malik
Born	29 February Delhi, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation(s)	Actor, Model
Years active	2005–present

Gagan Malik is an Indian actor and Buddhism activist. He won the Best Actor Award in the World Buddhist Film Festival organised by the United Nations for his role as Prince Siddhartha in the Sri Lankan Sinhala film Sri Siddhartha Gautama. Malik is also known for his leading role as lord Rama in Ramayan.

Early life and modelling career

Malik was born and brought up in a Jat Hindu family in Delhi, India. His father is a businessman from New Delhi, India. He has three elder brothers and a sister. He was educated in Hansraj school Central in Delhi. In his childhood, his mother used to read the epic Ramayana to him. When he was young, he used to participate in his colony Ramleela and he have always played the character of Ram in it. Prior to his acting debut, Malik played first class cricket in India. He also played cricket for the Ranji Trophy team in Delhi. After twelve years of cricket he moved to acting. Malik has vast experience in TV commercials (Times of India, Skoda, Birla Sun Life Insurance), music videos, modeling and designer shows. In 2004, he won Mr. Photogenic in national male beauty pageant Mr India.

Career

In 2005, Malik landed a starring role in Hum Ladkiyan. It tells the story of the young engineer Siddharth, Indian-born engineer, raised and living in the U.S. arrives in Varanasi to work on the Ganga Cleaning Project. The show premiered in Tel Aviv, Israel on 9 September 2005.

He began his acting career in television with Kumkum on Star Plus and then he played a lead role in Zee TV's show Saath Saath Banayenge Ek Aashiyaan, he also appeared in Star One's, TV serial Shakuntala. In 2012, he played the lead role of Ram in Ramayan. The show was immensely popular in Indonesia and hence Malik, together with his co-stars Neha Sargam and Neil Bhatt, were invited to perform in a special stage show in Jakarta organised by antv.

In 2013, Malik debuted in international film with the Sri Lankan Sinhala language film "Sri Siddhartha Gautama" as the titular character. "Siddhartha Gauthama" film inspired by the spiritual odyssey of The Buddha has won international awards at the Delhi International Film Festival in India and the United Nations Buddhist Film Festival in Vietnam and broken box office records in Sri Lanka. He won the Best Actor Award in the 2014 World Buddhist Film Festival for his role in "Siddhartha Gauthama".

Malik is part of celebrity cricket team Jaipur Raj Joshiley for Indian sport-reality entertainment show Box Cricket League season 2. Currently he plays the role of Lord Rama in Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman in Sony TV.

In 2016, he confirmed that he is "strongly involved" in an international film based on the Buddha. It is reported will be the most expensive movie made on the Buddha. The pre production is on and the team will be shooting the teaser towards July or August.

Personal life

Gagan Malik married his high-school sweetheart, when he was 22. His wife's name is Pooja and they live in Mumbai. Malik said, "I am married and have my Sita with me who is very supportive. Otherwise, I am all sorted and therefore don’t have to worry about any kind of controversies."

In 2014, Gagan Malik renounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism on Poson Poya day in Mihintale, Sri Lanka. On 10 February 2022, Malik ordained at Wat That Thong [th] Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. His short-termed monkhood will last for 15 days which he would take the opportunity to further study the teachings of Buddhism in Thailand. But he remained a Buddhist monk for 4 months (until June 2022), during which time he visited major Buddhist sites related to the life of the Buddha and Ambedkar.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

• 2005 Bharati as Siddharth (lead role)

Music videos appearances

• Chalte Chalte remix - Music Today
• Ang Lag Ja Balam Universal

Charity

In 2013, the idealist actor Gagan Malik, together with Navin Gooneratne who produced "Sri Siddharta Gautama" film, launched the "Lotus World" project based on the fundamentals of Buddhism by The Light of Asia Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Sri Lanka focused on the advancement of Buddhism throughout the world through audio visual media, to invite likeminded people around the world to the "Lotus Family" to serve humanity. The idea is to form a Family of Members of like thinking based on the Noble Eightfold Path. Three basic principles have been identified. The first is Goodness – cultivating purity of self through Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. The second is Friendship – extending the hand of friendship to all who wish to be in the Family of Members and the community at large. The third is Mindfulness – elevating self-awareness through the practice of Mindfulness Meditation resulting in greater clarity and peace of mind .

Gagan Malik considers Emperor Ashoka, who spread the Buddhism in the world, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, who revived the Buddhism in India, as his role models. He says that the greeting Namo Buddhay (trans: salutations to the Buddha) is never complete without Jai Bhim (trans: salutations to Ambedkar). He stressed that playing the role of Sri Siddharta Gautama had entirely changed his life and his attitude, which is how Lotus World was born. The satisfaction of "doing something for another person" is what has encouraged actor Gagan Malik to give-up the glamorous life style of a film star. As the founder of this project, Malik hopes that children would learn the joy of serving others, books to record their good deeds as a part of the Lotus World's "One good deed a day project" were presented at the launch.

References

1. "Zee TV's RAMAYAN: Gagan Malik, Neha Sargam to play Ram & Sita". bollywoodlife. 24 August 2012.
2. Upasana Mantri, TNN (31 August 2012). "Gagan Malik bids adieu to his wig". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
3. Gagan Malik to star in Sri Lankan film
4. "TV's new Lord Ram Gagan Malik". Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
5. "Conversation with Gagan Malik". The Island. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
6. "Siddharta-Gagan Malik". skyrock. 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
7. "People think I look like the actor who plays Mahadev: Gagan". The Times of India. 10 September 2012.
8. "TV actor Gagan Malik to star in Sri Lankan film on Buddha". Zee News. 2 September 2012.
9. "Milestones". niketmishra. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
10. "Gagan Malik". the Agenda. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
11. Gagan Malik gets his big break
12. Shy Gagan and cool Reema get intimate
13. "'Mahabharat', 'Ramayan' cast rocks Indonesia!". Pinkvilla. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
14. "Bintang Ramayana hibur fans Indonesia lewat "Mahacinta"". Antara News. 9 December 2014.
15. "Gagan Malik Pemeran Serial Ramayana". Tribun News. 10 December 2014.
16. Gagan, Neha, Neelima in Ramayan
17. I can't even get close to Arun Govil: Gagan Malik
18. ‘Siddhartha Gautama’ wins best movie award
19. "Siddhartha Gautama sweeps the boards at UN Buddhist Film Fest". Daily Mirror. 5 August 2014.
20. Award Winning Sri Lankan film, ' Siddhartha Gautama' debuts in Guangzhou, China
21. "Gagan Malik An Actor with a Sacred Heart". the Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
22. "The Film Siddhartha Gautama wins five of eight awards in Vietnam". the Island. 7 May 2014.
23. "BCL Team Members". Box Cricket League. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
24. "BCL heads to California!". urbanasian. 6 May 2016.
25. "Happiness happens". Daily News. 30 May 2016.
26. "I am not bothered of controversies, have already got my Sita: Gagan Malik". tellychakkar. 29 August 2012.
27. "Lead actor 'Gagan Malik' in film "Sri Siddhartha Gautama" embraces Buddhism - Nirvana Peace". Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
28. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=132794
29. "Happiness happens".
30. JAYAWARDANA, Ruwini. "Happiness happens". Daily News. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
31. "Bollywood star of Siddhartha movie enters monkhood in Bangkok". Bangkok Post. 10 February 2022.
32. "Sri Siddhartha Gautama (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
33. "BCL Recipe: Bigg Boss brand controversies, soap masala and a pinch of cricket". indiatoday. 11 March 2016.
34. "Gagan Malik to join the cast of Tu Sooraj Main Saanjh Piyaji!". BollywoodMDB Team. bollywoodmdb.com. 24 September 2017.
35. "आर्ट ऑफ लिविंग ने जारी कियाआदि शंकराचार्य का पोस्टर - Art of Living released poster of "Adi Shankaracharya"".
36. "Indiase musical voor westerlingen". de Volkskrant. 7 September 2006.
37. "Lotus World". Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
38. Lotus World: A journey to unearth "inner happiness"

External links

• Gagan Malik at IMDb
• Lotus World by Gagan Malik

• Indian male television actors
• Living people
• Indian male soap opera actors
• 21st-century Indian male actors
• Buddhist activists
• 21st-century Buddhists
• Indian Buddhists
• Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism
• Buddhist missionaries