Vijay Varma as Captain Sharan Dev in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Some actors are synonymous with Netflix. Think Millie Bobby Brown, whose career took off with Stranger Things and led to her starring in Original movies like Damsel, The Electric State, and three Enola Holmes films. Or Adam Sandler, who’s starred in eleven Netflix Original movies, plus a standup special and voice acting in animated flicks like Leo.
When it comes to Netflix Originals from India, Saif Ali Khan immediately comes to mind. In 2018, he starred in the first Indian Original series, Sacred Games, before headlining Original films like Jewel Thief and Kartavya. Shefali Shah comes to mind as well, thanks to her International Emmy-nominated performance in the Original series Delhi Crime, not to mention her roles in the film Darlings and the anthology Ajeeb Daastaans.
But neither Khan nor Shah comes close to ranking as the actor with the most appearances in Netflix India Originals. To even crack the Top 10, a performer needs to have appeared in at least six Netflix India Originals (or have unreleased Original projects currently in the works).
To narrow down the list, we gave preference to actors with major roles in Original movies, series, or anthologies — if not the lead, then a villain or other major character. By way of ranking, we gave preference to already-released projects. Movies and series weighed more heavily than appearances in anthologies (some of which Netflix classifies as movies, some as series).
So, who appears in the most Netflix India Originals? Read on to find out!
To learn more about new movies and series from Netflix India coming in 2026 and beyond, check out our huge Netflix India 2026 preview.
10. Sanya Malhotra
Movies: Ludo (2020); Pagglait (2021); Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021); Kathal (2023); Toaster (2026)
Upcoming projects: Pagglait 2 (no date)
Sanya Malhotra is Netflix India’s queen of offbeat comedies. Whether its playing a woman tracking down a stolen sex tape in the terrific ensemble comedy Ludo or starring as a cop hunting jackfruit thieves in Kathal, Malhotra always strikes the right balance between drama and laughs. Production is set to begin shortly on a sequel to her 2021 family comedy Pagglait.
9. Rajkummar Rao
Movies: Ludo (2020); The White Tiger (2021); Monica, O My Darling (2022); Toaster (2026)
Series: Guns & Gulaabs (2023)
Upcoming projects: Untitled KAMPA Films satire (no date)
The word “quirky” is overused in media discourse, but it’s hard to find a better word for Rajkummar Rao’s Netflix filmography. Every one of his Originals can be classified as a dark comedy. The first film from Rao’s recently established production company KAMPA Films is the 2026 Netflix Original Toaster, which Rao also stars in. The production house is currently working on a satirical film for Netflix, but it doesn’t have a title or release date yet.
8. Vikrant Massey
Movies: Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare (2020); Ginny Weds Sunny (2020); Haseen Dillruba (2021); Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba (2024); Sector 36 (2024)
Upcoming projects: Musafir Cafe (2026)
When Netflix needs a normal-seeming guy who’s a secret weirdo, they call Vikrant Massey. He brings an edge to every role he plays, be it a caller to a phone sex line in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, a serial killer in Sector 36, or one of the twisted lovers in the Haseen Dillruba franchise. Massey turns to more traditional romantic fare later in 2026 with the release of his first series, Musafir Cafe (“Traveler’s Cafe“).
7. Manav Kaul
Movies: Music Teacher (2019); Baramulla (2025)
Series: Ghoul (2018); The Fame Game (2022); Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper (2024)
Anthologies: Ajeeb Daastaans (2021)
Manav Kaul has one of the most varied Original filmographies on this list, playing a mix of leading men and supporting characters, heroes and villains. 2019’s Music Teacher is an overlooked gem in which Kaul plays a singer who missed his chance to make it big and struggles when one of his students does. He gets wilder as an accountant forced to take an unconventional second job in the 2024 series Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper.
6. Pankaj Tripathi
Movies: Drive (2019); Extraction (2020); Gunjan Saxena: The Kargill Girl (2020); Ludo (2020); Murder Mubarak (2024)
Series: Sacred Games (2018)
Pankaj Tripathi has been a part of Netflix India from the beginning, starting with his enigmatic role in the series Sacred Games. He even played a part in the Chris Hemsworth Original action flick Extraction. For the most fun, check Tripathi out as the linchpin of the hilarious ensemble comedy Ludo (which co-stars Sanya Malhotra and Rajkummar Rao).
5. Tillotama Shome
Series: Delhi Crime (2022); Tooth Pari (2023); Kota Factory (2024); Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper (2024); Saare Jahan Se Accha (2025)
Anthologies: Lust Stories 2 (2023)
Upcoming projects: Ikka (2026)
When Netflix needs to add intrigue to a returning series, they turn to Tillotama Shome. She stepped into Season 2 of Delhi Crime and Season 3 of Kota Factory, in addition to playing a spy’s wife in the historical thriller Saare Jahan Se Accha. Shome’s first Original movie — the courtroom Drama Ikka, in which she plays a lawyer — is expected to release later in 2026.
4. Jaideep Ahlawat
Movies: Jaane Jaan (2023); Maharaj (2024); Jewel Thief (2025)
Series: Bard of Blood (2019)
Anthologies: Lust Stories (2018); Ajeeb Daastaans (2021)
Upcoming projects: Untitled Sudip Sharma series (no date)
Jaideep Ahlawat has played some of Netflix India’s most colorful villains, from a corrupt holy man in Maharaj to a gangster-turned-art-collector in Jewel Thief. Ahlawat has an untitled series from Kohrra creator Sudip Sharma in the works, with no release date set as of yet. In the meantime, check out his most complicated performance as a helpful but socially awkward neighbor in the mystery Jaane Jaan (based on the novel The Devotion of Suspect X).
3. Amruta Subhash
Movies: Choked (2020); Dhamaka (2021)
Series: Selection Day (2018); Sacred Games (2019); Bombay Begums (2021)
Anthologies: Ghost Stories (2020); Lust Stories 2 (2023)
The big surprise on this list is Amruta Subhash, who quietly accrued appearances in seven different Netflix Originals. Though never the lead in any series or movie herself, she’s played critical roles, from a ratings-obsessed TV producer in Dhamaka to one of the ambitious women in Bombay Begums. Most notably, Subhash and Tillotama Shome starred in the unforgettable segment “The Mirror” from the 2023 Original anthology film Lust Stories 2. Netflix had the two women record a cheeky promo together when the movie released.
2. Radhika Apte
Movies: Raat Akeli Hai (2020); Monica, O My Darling (2022); Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders (2025)
Series: Sacred Games (2018); Ghoul (2018)
Anthologies: Lust Stories (2018)
Upcoming projects: Akka (2026); Lust Stories 3 (2026)
The inspiration for this list is Radhika Apte. She was a part of so many projects in the early days of Netflix India Original productions that even they joked about it, making a funny, fake behind-the-scenes video of her filming a movie in which she played all the characters (embedded below). When she returned to Netflix Originals after an absence of a couple of years for the 2020 mystery Raat Akeli Hai, they made a funny video about that, too. Yet, even with all her completed Original projects and two more on the way in 2026 — the drama series Akka and the anthology film Lust Stories 3 — Apte isn’t the actor with the most Netflix India Original credits to her name.
1. Vijay Varma
Movies: Darlings (2022); Jaane Jaan (2023); Murder Mubarak (2024)
Series: She (2020); IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024)
Anthologies: Ghost Stories (2020); Lust Stories 2 (2023)
Upcoming projects: Family Business (2026); Lust Stories 3 (2026)
The actor with the most Netflix India Original credits is Vijay Varma, leading the way with nine. He started off small, with a supporting role opposite Janhvi Kapoor in the 2020 anthology film Ghost Stories. He followed that by playing a drug dealer in the series She, and things took off from there. Varma has been absent from Netflix Originals since playing the lead in 2024’s historical drama IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, but he has two Original projects slated for release in 2026: the drama series Family Business and the anthology film Lust Stories 3 — co-starring Radhika Apte, of course.
Which of the Netflix regulars on this list is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
