Taaruk Raina
OccupationActor · Singer
Years active2015–present
Known forMismatched

Taaruk Raina is an Indian actor, singer, songwriter and composer.[1] He is known for his portrayal of Anmol Malhotra in Mismatched.

Early life

Raina has been singing since he was six years old. He grew up listening to a lot of rock music, rap, heavy metal, and ghazals, and used to sing in his school choir as well.[2] Lacking technical knowledge about music, he began learning via YouTube. After some years, he started performing gigs at bars and weddings.[3][4]

Career

In 2015, Taaruk began working as Aditya Chopra's assistant at Yash Raj Films for Befikre.[5]

He then performed in theatre plays, notably as the lead character in an Indian adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin,[6] where he had to act in front of a live audience and sing iconic numbers.[2]

In 2018, he made his film debut in High Jack as Parth. The following year, in 2019, he appeared in ZEE5's Dhumrapaan and Kaand.[7]

In February 2020, he starred in MX Player's relationship-drama Pawan & Pooja as Pawan opposite Natasha Bharadwaj.[8][9] In June 2020, he also featured in the short film Purple.[10] Since November 2020, he has been portraying Anmol Malhotra in the Netflix teenage romantic drama Mismatched, where he acted as well as composed two songs for the show.[11] He was next seen in Sony Music India's song "Sukoon", featuring himself opposite Aisha Ahmed.[12]

In 2021, he appeared in the Netflix mini-series Aryan & Meera as Aryan opposite Zayn Marie Khan.[13]

In 2022, he featured in two web shows, ZEE5's The Broken News, and Amazon Prime Video's Jugaadistan.[14] In the same year, he also portrayed Rishi Kapoor's son Vinayak Sharma in Sharmaji Namkeen.[15][16]

In January 2023, Raina released his first independent single, "Narazi".[17] In May 2023, he was a part of Audible's podcast series called Desi Down Under,[18] along with Adarsh Gourav and Prajakta Koli, directed by Mantra,[19] where the story is set in Sydney about three 20-year-olds from Mangalore who go to Australia to learn surf-lifesaving skills at Coogee Beach.[20]

In March 2025, he was seen playing advocate Kantilal Sahni in Ram Madhvani's historical drama The Waking of a Nation, a story about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, on SonyLiv.[21]

He will next be seen in Danish Renzu's musical drama Songs of Paradise.[22]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2015BefikreAssistant director[5]
2018High JackParth[23]
2019DhumrapaanOwen[24]
KaandUnnamedTeleplay[25]
2020PurpleNeilShort film[10]
2022Sharmaji NamkeenVinayak "Vincy" Sharma[26]
2025Songs of ParadiseRumi[27]

Web series

YearTitleRoleRef.
2020Pawan & PoojaPawan Srivastav[28]
2020–presentMismatchedAnmol Malhotra[29]
2021Aryan & MeeraAryan Khanna[30]
2022The Broken NewsAnuj Saxena[31]
JugaadistanLucky Kohli[14]
2025The Waking of a NationKantilal Sahni[32][33]
RangeenSunny[34]

Dubbing

YearTitleRoleLanguageRef.
2023Desi Down UnderRahulEnglish[35]

Music videos

YearTitleSingerRef.
2025"Raazdaariyan"Sagar Bhatia[36]

Discography

YearTitleFilm/SeriesCo-singerMusicLyricsRef.
2018"Happy Ending Song" (Version 1)High JackSumedha KarmaheRajat TiwariAkarsh Khurana[37]
"Happy Ending Song" (Version 2)Manasi Mulherkar
2020"Sukoon"SingleHimself, Charan Singh Pathania, Bruno Gonçalves MotaHimself, Charan Singh Pathania[12]
"Main Chala"Mismatched (season 1)Chaitanya Sharma alias SlowCheetaHimselfShwetang Shankar[38]
2022"Kho Gaye"Mismatched (season 2)Himself[39]
2023"Narazi"SingleHimself, Charan Singh Pathania[40]
"Kaise Banu"[41]
"Kalleyan"Akasa SinghHimself, Akasa Singh[42]
2024"Lost and Found"Himself, Charan Singh Pathania[43]
"Majboor"Himself[44]

References

  1. ^ "From Resul Pookutty to Taaruk Raina... these seven celebrities share their memorable new year resolutions". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  2. ^ "Multi-talented artist Taaruk Raina". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  3. ^ "Taaruk Raina talks about his journey as an independent musician". Mid-day. 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  4. ^ "Mismatched, Independent Music & More With Taaruk Raina!", retrieved 2023-07-19
  5. ^ "Exclusive! Taaruk Raina on Mismatched, working with Rishi Kapoor and more!". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  6. ^ "Disney's Aladdin, now a Broadway-style musical with an Indian flavour". Business Standard. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Dhumrapaan – ZEE5" (in en-IN). ZEE5. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  8. ^ "Pawan & Pooja – Season 1". MX Player. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  9. ^ "Pawan & Pooja trailer: Three couples explore changing definitions of love". Firstpost. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  10. ^ "Purple – Short Film featuring Taaruk Raina directed by Jasmin A. Singh". Humaramovie. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  11. ^ "'Mismatched' Actor Taaruk Raina On Real-Life Friends Rohit Saraf, Prajakta Koli, Show's Relatability Factor". Outlook India. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Sukoon sung by Taaruk – Sony Music India", retrieved 2022-12-27
  13. ^ "Aryan & Meera: A new Netflix Youtube series dropped Episode 1". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  14. ^ "Chart-Topping Films And Shows To Binge On The OTT Platform". Outlook India. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Rishi Kapoor's son from Sharmaji Namkeen, Taaruk Raina: 'Unki daant mein bohot pyar tha'". The Indian Express. 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  16. ^ "Taaruk Raina on working with Rishi Kapoor". Tribune India News. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  17. ^ "Narrating stories, one song at a time – Taaruk Raina". Hindustan Times. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  18. ^ "Taaruk Raina says India being country of fables, epics makes it perfect for audio storytelling". The Times of India. 2023-06-30. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  19. ^ "Prajakta Koli, Adarsh Gourav, Taaruk Raina open up about pressures of hustle culture; burnout in 20s". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  20. ^ "All about Audible India's latest original offering is Desi Downunder". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  21. ^ "The Waking of a Nation: Ram Madhvani set to explore the Jallianwala Bagh 'conspiracy' in new show". The Indian Express. 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  22. ^ "Danish Renzu's Songs Of Paradise". The Times of India. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  23. ^ "High Jack movie: Comic timing is the best thing about this doomed hijack drama". Firstpost. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  24. ^ "Taaruk Raina Movies" (in en-IN). ZEE5. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  25. ^ "Taaruk Raina on being a part of teleplay 'Kaand'". Tribune India. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Taaruk Raina fought back tears at this kind gesture of Rishi Kapoor during shoot of Sharmaji Namkeen". Hindustan Times. 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  27. ^ "Songs Of Paradise: Saba Azad And Soni Razdan's Performances Lend The Kashmir-Set Film Its Charm". NDTV. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  28. ^ "Pawan & Pooja review: Modern-day relationships!". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  29. ^ Service. "Taaruk Raina Playing differently abled was a challenge". Tribune India News. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  30. ^ "Aryan & Meera: A Netflix India YouTube Show – YouTube". Netflix India YouTube. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  31. ^ "The Broken News Season 1: A riveting drama with credible performances – The Times Of India", The Times of India, retrieved 2022-12-27
  32. ^ "The Waking of a Nation: Taaruk Raina starrer based on Jallianwala Bagh massacre". www.indiatvnews.com. 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  33. ^ Rachavelpula, Kausalya (2025-02-11). "Ram Madhvani’s The Waking of a Nation Explores Colonial Injustice, Streaming on Sony LIV from March 7". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  34. ^ "Rangeen: Gigolo Drama Lacks Passion And Punch". Times Now. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  35. ^ "Actor Taaruk Raina on re-living his Australian days through Desi Down Under | Bollywood Binge and Beyond Ep- 201". news.abplive.com. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  36. ^ "Prajakta Koli and Taaruk Raina living the "Raazdaariyan" dream in Sagar Bhatia's powerful new track". www.deccanchronicle.com. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  37. ^ "High Jack – Full Movie Audio Jukebox | Zee Music Company", retrieved 2023-07-02
  38. ^ "Main Chala – Spotify", 2020-11-11, retrieved 2022-12-27
  39. ^ "Kho Gaye sung by Taaruk Raina | Mismatched Season 2 – Netflix India", retrieved 2022-12-27
  40. ^ "Taaruk Raina hooks all with his latest track 'Narazi' ft. Tanya Maniktala". The Times of India. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  41. ^ "Kaise Banu by Taaruk Raina". The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  42. ^ "Kalleyan – Akasa & Taaruk Raina". Sony Music India. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  43. ^ "Taaruk Raina Talks About the Journey Behind His New Song "Lost and Found"". Lokmat Times. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  44. ^ "Majboor track out! Taaruk Raina calls this latest release a 'Piece of Himself'". Lokmat Times. Retrieved 2024-11-15.