Journalist-Turned-Actor Saurabh Dwivedi Trolled For Acting In Netflix Movie Kartavya: 'Yeh Kya Hai?'

Netflix premiered Kartavya, which starred Saif Ali Khan, on Friday, May 15. Social media users have mostly praised the cop thriller movie; however, Saurabh Dwivedi, a former journalist who is now an actor, has come under fire for his performance.

Saurabh Dwivedi's acting was trolled by several social media users, who compared his dialogue delivery to someone reading from a news script and called it 'expressionless'. Many also joked that he should learn acting from Arjun Kapoor. 

Saurabh Dwivedi In Kartavya; Watch Video:

pic.twitter.com/a8nRxUHJOR

— Content Hub (@bwoodpolkhol) May 16, 2026

A user wrote, "Saurabh Dwivedi was a bad journalist. Now he became actor. He acted so badly that people are saying he was better off as a journalist. His acting was so poor that they cut his climax scene. Even KRK could probably act better than him."

Another user wrote, "It feels like he’s taking an interview. Delivering serious dialogues with a fake smile and forced politeness. He even takes long pauses before saying the next line. I genuinely want to know what Sanjay Mishra and Saif Ali Khan must have been thinking during the shoot whenever Saurabh gave his take."

A third user wrote, "Arjun Kapoor is feeling good today." A fourth user said, "Seeing his acting, for 2 seconds, respect for Arjun Kapoor welled up in my heart." A fifth wrote, "Acting/dialogue delivery is actually a tough job...takes lotsa skill to show it natural/impactful...which we don't appreciate for many actors till we come across such abomination called Saurabh Dwivedi..."

ALSO READ - Kartavya Twitter Review: Saif Ali Khan’s Netflix Movie Gets Mixed Reactions; Netizens Praise Performances But Call Storyline Weak

Saurabh Dwivedi On Kartavya

Saurabh Dwivedi explained how he was cast in the movie in a lengthy Instagram post on May 14. The actor-turned-journalist claimed that three and a half years ago, he received a message from filmmaker Pulkit expressing his desire to discuss a role.

Saurabh Dwivedi went on to write that after he told Pulkit that he hadn't even performed as a pillar in a play, the director informed him that they had seen his interviews and decided to cast him.

ALSO READ - Kartavya Ending Explained: What Happens To Saif Ali Khan's Character Pawan Malik In Netflix's Cop-Drama?

About Netflix Movie Kartavya

Saif Ali Khan portrayed Pawan, a law-abiding police officer assigned to the Kartavya village of Jhamli. The narrative started with the murder of a journalist looking into a child abuse scheme connected to a spiritual sect. Anand Shri, portrayed by Saurabh Dwivedi, came under suspicion when a teen involved in the investigation vanished inexplicably.

Pawan had to deal with family strife following his brother's elopement with a girl from a different caste in addition to the investigation. 

Kartavya has a runtime of around 147 minutes and is currently streaming on Netflix.