Manish Goel is a Delhi-born Hindi television actor, remembered as Tilak Chopra in Bhabhi and seen more recently as Raghav Singh in Anupamaa. He entered Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss 20 as its first wildcard contestant in October 2026. He is married to actor Poonam Narula, his partner on the first season of Nach Baliye.
Inside the house he has played a calm game that some viewers like and the hosts have questioned. He lost the first of his two lifelines on 24 October and was not among the nominees for the eviction that followed a week later.
- Profession: television and film actor; also produced the short film Azaan
- From: New Delhi
- Known for: Bhabhi, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Anupamaa
- Wife: actor Poonam Narula Goel
- Bigg Boss 20: first wildcard, introduced in the Weekend Ka Vaar episodes of 9 and 10 October 2026
- Age: 51, born on 27 August 1975 in New Delhi, according to Filmibeat
Delhi, a salon and a school play
Manish was born in New Delhi on 27 August 1975, Filmibeat reported, which makes him 51; the age calculator works out the exact figure. That fits the Times of India describing him as turning 50 in September 2025. He grew up around his father’s salon business, where film magazines and a Friday movie ritual fed his interest, Indulge Express reported. A school play in which he performed as Lord Ram first made him want to act.
The start was rough: his first trip to Mumbai after school led nowhere, so he went back to Delhi and studied interior decoration. He told mid-day in October 2026 a part of the story he says few people know: “I ran away from Delhi at the age of 17 and started as a spotboy.”
His first wide exposure came in 1998, when he was the lead model in the Punjabi music video Dil Le Gayi Kudi Gujarat Di, India Today wrote. He told mid-day that people still recognize the song long before they recognize him in it.
TV career from Bhabhi to Anupamaa
Daily soaps made his name, with Tilak Chopra in Bhabhi as his most remembered role, and he also appeared in Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, India Today reported when he joined Bigg Boss. His other credits include Devi, Bhagyalakshmi, Ayushman Bhava, Tantra and Hamari Wali Good News, Pinkvilla noted. More recently he played Raghav Singh in Anupamaa.
Non-fiction television ran alongside the soaps. He and Poonam Narula were runners-up in the first season of Nach Baliye, and he later did Zara Nachke Dikha, Say Shava Shava and Ustaadon Ka Ustaad. In 2013 he won the celebrity cooking show Welcome: Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Ki, and he later hosted BIG Memsaab.
The work did not arrive steadily. Between 2011 and 2015, he told mid-day, he went to nearly 100 auditions without landing any of them. He spent 2021 on the crime film Hanak, in which he played Vikas Dubey, and turned down television offers that resembled parts he had already played. Television remains his base, and he has said so plainly. “I will never quit TV,” he told the Times of India in September 2025, while adding that the dream of a big-screen career was still unfulfilled for him.
The Bigg Boss 20 wildcard entry
His entry began as a prank during the Weekend Ka Vaar episodes of 9 and 10 October. Salman Khan and Manish told the housemates he had come to promote a project, then revealed he was staying on as the first wildcard, India Today reported.
Social media creator Nakul Dhull followed as the second wildcard that Sunday. Nakul lasted barely a day before he was evicted over a physical fight with Gullu, Deccan Chronicle later noted. That left Manish as the only newcomer from that weekend still in the game.
On stage he also gave his first read of the existing housemates and described Mahhi Vij as calculative. He went in without having watched a single episode of the season, he told mid-day, and said he wanted to show a side of himself that viewers had never seen.
“People don’t know the real side of Manish Goel. They know my characters,” he said. Some viewers responded to exactly that, and a mid-October post on r/BiggBossBetter drew 345 upvotes for praising his temperament:
“It is not necessary to always have a mudda or act all alpha to be winning Big Boss.”
– r/BiggBossBetter, October 2026 (345 upvotes)
Losing a lifeline
The hosts saw the same calm as a weakness. Bigg Boss 20 gives each contestant two lifelines, and a contestant with none left faces eviction after finishing at the bottom again. Manish was one of seven nominees in the week Rohit Shetty hosted in Salman’s absence.
On 24 October boxer Mary Kom was evicted and Manish lost his first lifeline, the Times of India reported. Shetty then reminded him that he was a senior personality and told him “you don’t need to be so sweet. Show your personality; open up now,” as quoted by Indian Express.
Later that week, reports said his health had suffered during a fight between Gullu and Yung DSA. They traced to a post on X by the gossip account Khabri. Siasat noted it was unclear what happened or whether he received medical attention, and no outlet cited here confirmed it.
He was not among the six nominees for the eighth week, Deccan Chronicle reported on 31 October, so the lifeline he still holds was not at stake that weekend.
Wife Poonam Narula and family
Manish married actor Poonam Narula Goel in 2002, Filmibeat reported. She worked with him in Kasautii Zindagii Kay and partnered him on Nach Baliye. She gave up acting at the peak of her career to become a mother and stayed away for 15 years, he told the Times of India in September 2025.
The couple reunited on screen for a short film that year, almost two decades after their last project together. “She’s a fabulous actress, and I’ve been her fan since the day I met her,” he said, adding that she seemed ready to return to acting if the right role came along.
They have a son, Aryaveer, and a daughter. When trolling of the family grew during the show, Aryaveer posted a note on Instagram defending his father. “What you see in the house is who he is,” he wrote. Viewers could dislike him as a contestant, Aryaveer added, but “basic decency should never be too much to ask.”
Manish Goel: quick answers
Who is Manish Goel’s wife?
Manish Goel’s wife is actor Poonam Narula Goel. The two finished as runners-up on the first season of Nach Baliye and appeared together in Kasautii Zindagii Kay.
How old is Manish Goel?
Manish Goel is 51. Filmibeat gives his birth date as 27 August 1975, which matches the Times of India describing him as turning 50 in September 2025.
Is Manish Goel still in Bigg Boss 20?
Yes, as of 31 October 2026. Manish Goel lost one of his two lifelines on 24 October, and he was not nominated for the eighth week’s eviction.
Which serials has Manish Goel acted in?
Manish Goel’s serials include Bhabhi, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Devi, Bhagyalakshmi, Tantra, Hamari Wali Good News and Anupamaa, where he played Raghav Singh.
