Manoj Kumar Tiwari is an Indian singer, actor, television host, and politician born on 1 February 1971 in the Kabir Chaura locality of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, to Chandradev Tiwari and Lalita Devi — one of six children. He hails from Atarwalia village, Kaimur district, Bihar. He completed a Master of Physical Education (M.P.Ed.) degree from Banaras Hindu University. He began his career as a Bhojpuri folk singer in the early 1990s and became one of the most celebrated names in Bhojpuri music. His role in the Bhojpuri film Sasura Bada Paisawala (2004, opposite Ravi Kishan) is widely credited with reviving and mainstreaming the Bhojpuri film industry — the film went on to become a record-breaking blockbuster. In 2005, the BBC listed him alongside Ravi Kishan as one of the two biggest Bhojpuri film stars in India, with a reported per-film fee of $90,000. He appeared in over 50 Bhojpuri and Hindi films, including Daroga Babu I Love You, Bandhan Toote Na, Desh Drohi (2008), and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012, for which he sang the iconic 'Jiya Ho Bihar Ke Lala'). In television he hosted Chak De Bachche (2008, Indian Telly Award for Best Anchor). He owns and captains the Bhojpuri Dabanggs team in the Celebrity Cricket League. In politics, he contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Gorakhpur on a Samajwadi Party ticket, losing to Yogi Adityanath. He joined the BJP in 2013, won the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat in 2014 (defeating Anand Kumar by 1.44 lakh votes), 2019 (defeating Sheila Dikshit by 3.63 lakh votes), and 2024 (defeating Kanhaiya Kumar). He served as Delhi BJP President from November 2016 to June 2020, leading the party to a decisive 2017 MCD election victory. He entered Bigg Boss 4 in October 2010 and was evicted in Week 9, finishing 9th overall.

Reviving the Bhojpuri film industry with Sasura Bada Paisawala (2004); BBC (2005) listing him alongside Ravi Kishan as one of India's two biggest Bhojpuri film stars; singing 'Jiya Ho Bihar Ke Lala' from Gangs of Wasseypur (2012, dir. Anurag Kashyap); three-time BJP Member of Parliament from North East Delhi (2014, 2019, 2024); former Delhi BJP President (2016–2020); WWE-style patriotic anthem 'Rinkiya Ke Papa'; Indian Telly Award for Best Anchor for Chak De Bachche (2008); Bigg Boss 4 contestant (9th place).

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