Raj Kundra wins Best Debut Actor at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards for Mehar

Raj Kundra's move into Punjabi cinema has won him his first acting award. The businessman-turned-actor was named Best Debut Actor at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards, held on Wednesday, 22 October 2026, at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, for his performance in Mehar. The film that won it Mehar was Raj's Punjabi film debut and his first full acting role, after he played himself in UT 69 (2023). Directed by Rakesh Mehta, it released in cinemas on 5 September 2025. Raj plays Karamjit Singh, a rural Punjabi man and theatre actor who fights to protect his family and earn a second chance. Geeta Basra plays the female lead, marking her return to acting after a long break. The film was presented by DB Digitainment and Raghu Khanna, and produced by Divvya Bhatnagar and Raghu Khanna. The cast also includes Master Agamveer Singh, Baninder Bunny, Savita Bhatti, Rupinder Rupi and Deep Mandeep. Before its release, Geeta Basra called Raj her best co-star and praised how fully he committed to the role, physically and emotionally. Raj has said playing Karamjit helped him reconnect with Sikh values and his own roots. A debut with a cause Mehar arrived as floods hit Punjab in 2025. On the eve of release, Raj announced that the film's first-day worldwide collection would go to flood relief in the state. Who is Raj Kundra? Born in London in 1975 to a Punjabi family from Ludhiana, Raj Kundra built his name as an entrepreneur, with ventures in trading, the Super Fight League mixed martial arts league and hospitality. He is married to actress Shilpa Shetty. What is next Raj signed a three-film deal with DB Digitainment to headline Punjabi films. After Mehar came The Great Punjab Robbery (2026), written and directed by Saurabh Varma, in which Payal Rajput also stars. Payal walked the same PTC red carpet: read about it at https://mediamarvels.in/news/payal-rajput-ptc-punjabi-film-awards-2026-red-carpet-mumbai. Raj has said his next film will be a home production made for a pan-India audience. He has also said he believes many strong stories from Punjab have yet to reach the screen. Other winners on the night included Nikitin Dheer, who took Best Negative Lead for Akaal.