ELLE Digital Cover Star: Rohit Saraf Wants It All

On set, Rohit Saraf hits his mark like it’s hardwired into him—a glance here, a weight shift there, and a jawline that could double as a catering knife. Today, the jawline comes accessorised with an iced americano—the kind of casual, off-duty touch that feels like it’s been workshopped, though he’ll swear it hasn’t. He’s mid-sip when I bring up the internet’s fixation with his thirst traps, the six-pack, the smirk—essentially, the new Saraf starter pack.

“I don’t think it’s as much a transformation as it is an evolution,” he says, leaning back just far enough to signal he’s not here for a full TED Talk. “I’m still the hopeless romantic who believes in true love and a fitness enthusiast who hates leg days.” Instagram, naturally, tells a slightly different story—one of abs and slow-motion walks that scream heartbreaker far louder than they whisper ‘hopeless romance’.

And the danger factor? “Dangerous? That word and I are a complete mismatch,” he insists. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a walking green forest.” Delivered deadpan, it’s the kind of line that makes you wonder whether he’s trolling or just genuinely whimsical.

His upcoming projects don’t exactly scream ‘pastoral’ either. There’s Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life, the bubblegum chaos of Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, and the period grit of The Revolutionaries. That’s a genre shuffle if there ever was one, though Saraf plays it down. “When you have good writers and directors, you don’t have to do much,” he says, neatly sidestepping any heavy lifting on his own part.

If his career has a guiding principle, it’s apparently “to trust myself before each scene,” he says. And though the rom-com halo still hovers, he’s clearly keen to mess with the image. Villain arc? Action hero? Period drama prince? “All of the above, please and thank you,” he replies, with the energy of someone ticking boxes on a brunch menu.

Not that he’s above poking at the genre that made him. Asked to name his current life phase, he doesn’t miss a beat: “Love, Actually… no thanks,” he smirks. This pivot—from doe-eyed charm to calculated career moves—is intentional. “To be present in the now while also inviting what’s to come,” he says. “The people I have around me now—I want them in my life forever, so I make it a point to nurture those relationships.” It’s wholesome… in a LinkedIn-optimised kind of way.

He’s cagier when it comes to Mismatched, the Netflix show that anointed him the internet’s boyfriend. With the final season approaching, his answer to how it feels to say goodbye is, “Can’t answer this yet.” The pause is deliberate, the smile just as rehearsed as the sip of his americano.

Between shoots, Saraf’s been catching concerts—Kendrick Lamar and SZA are currently on loop—and rewatching Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso (“never guilty” is the verdict). If he could speak to his younger self, he’d go part-philosopher, part-financial advisor: “‘Darker the night, closer the dawn’… and learn how to do your taxes now, so we don’t struggle later.”

For all the charm, he’s quick to admit to one flaw—an obsession with “what’s next?”. “Life gets so fast that I don’t even end up working on things I struggle with,” he says. “This question was a reminder of that, so thank you.”

So yes, Rohit Saraf is still the hopeless romantic. He’s also the man who’ll drop a green-forest metaphor, sip an iced coffee like a carefully placed prop, and pivot from Netflix boyfriend to grittier roles without mussing his hair. The evolution is real. And he knows exactly how it photographs.

Editorial Director: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Photographer: Farhan Hussain rep by Feat Artists; Stylist: Edward Lalrempuia rep by TAP; Makeup:  Imtiaz Sheikh; Hair: Tushar Shinde; Bookings Editor: Rishith Shetty; Set Design: Jahnavi Patwardhan; Words by: Vishakha Punjabi; Brand Coordinator: Rhea Sanil; Assisted by: Sneh Lad (bookings); Artist Reputation Management: Communique Film PR