Bollywood, 2001–2005 He was given his first role, Amar Shah in the movie
Tum Bin (2001), after the director's wife noticed him in a toothpaste ad and recommended him to her husband. He next played Gaurav in
Dil Vil Pyar Vyar (2002). He then appeared in the suspense thriller
Tumse Milke Wrong Number (2003) directed by Jignesh M. Vaishnav, in
Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aaya (2004), directed by Rajesh Bhatt; in
Naam Gum Jaayega, a romantic drama written and directed by Amol Shetge; and in the critically panned
Koi Mere Dil Mein Hai (2005), directed by Deepak Ramsay.
Television, 2005–2012 Bapat began his television career in 2005 with the
Sphere Origins Hindi television drama
Saat Phere – Saloni Ka Safar from 2005 to 2008. He was nominated for the
Indian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role. Bapat appeared in two films in 2006:
Jai Santoshi Maa, directed by Ahmed Siddiqui which also starred
Nushrat Bharucha in the lead role, and
Jaadu Sa Chal Gaya, directed by Dev Basu. In 2008, Bapat played the role of Anuj, in a show presented by Hats Off Productions, aired on
Imagine TV's
Ek Packet Umeed. The show depicted the tale of all genres of women living under one roof and Raqesh playing the sole man in the serial. The show was named Best Weekly Programme at
The Indian Telly Awards. In 2010, Bapat appeared in the show
Seven- The Ashvamedha Prophecy, an Indian supernatural television series that aired on
Sony Entertainment Television. The series was produced by
Yash Chopra. Bapat played the role of Shlok, the male guardian of Seven.
Seven was the story of the search for the seven descendants and their journey of discovering their real capabilities. The show won three Telly Awards and an ITA award. From 2010 to 2012, Bapat played the male protagonist Aditya Singh Jakhar in
Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak?, an Indian television drama on
Star Plus. The show revolves around the lives of four women of the Jhakar family and the darker realities of their relationships.
2012–present Bapat made a comeback in films after six years in 2012, with a releases: a Hindi and a Marathi film. He starred in
Heroine, a drama directed, written, and co-produced by
Madhur Bhandarkar. He then made his Marathi film debut with
Aayna ka Bayna, a dance film directed by
Samit Kakkad. The film also starred
Sachin Khedekar and
Amruta Khanvilkar. Bapat also appeared in
Hongey Judaa Na Hum, a television drama series which premiered on
Sony Entertainment Television India. He played a lead of Rohan Mishra opposite
Aamna Sharif. In 2013, he took part in
Nach Baliye 6, a dance, reality-television series that airs on
Star Plus with his then wife
Riddhi Dogra. On the show, ten television celebrity couples compete against each other. In the same year he appeared in two films. In
Gippi, a Hindi teen film, directed by Sonam Nair and produced by
Karan Johar, he played the role of a chemistry teacher. He also appeared in
A New Love Ishtory, a comedy drama film directed by
John Matthew Matthan. He replaced
Karan Singh Grover in the lead role of Asad Ahmed Khan on
Qubool Hai, which was produced by 4 Lion Films and broadcast on
Zee TV in January 2014. He did not continue with the series when it took a time leap in early 2014. He appeared in
Citizen (2015), a Marathi film, along with Rajshree Landge,
Yatin Karyekar,
Pushkar Shrotri, and
Uday Tikekar. In 2016, he played the lead roles in two Marathi films.
Vrundavan also starred many senior and celebrated actors from the Marathi film industry, including
Mahesh Manjrekar,
Ashok Saraf,
Mohan Joshi,
Sharad Ponkshe, and
Uday Tikekar.
Sarv Mangal Savdhan was a romantic comedy directed by Rahil Khan, in which Bapat appeared along with actress
Manjari Fadnis. In the same year he replaced
Karan Grover in the lead role of scientist Shantanu Kant in
Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant (2016–2017), a popular fantasy drama family show on
Life OK. The show also airs on
MBC 2. Bapat starred in
Savita Damodar Paranjpe in 2018. The film is a Marathi psychological thriller based on the famous 1985 Shekhar Tamhane directorial drama of the same name. It was very well received at the 11th edition of the Goa Marathi Film Festival. The audience gave a standing ovation during the screening. It also went on to screen on
Netflix. He also appeared in
Tu Aashiqui (2018) which aired on
Colors TV. This was a musical drama romance television show based on two lovers' efforts to unite. He played the role of Reyansh Diwan who made an entry in Pankti's life as an influential and charming businessman. Bapat played the lead role in two Marathi films in 2019, including
WhatsApp Love along with actress
Anuja Sathe, and directed by Hemant Kumar Mahale. Bapat played Raja in
Mumbai Apli Ahe (2019), a film directed by Bharat Sunanda, set in the Mumbai of the 90s and revolving around Raja, who starts as small criminal and grows up to become a notorious don in the city. He also starred in
Forever (2019), a romantic thriller film directed by Vinay Tiwari along with Nisha Aliya. In 2021, Bapat appeared in the reality show
Bigg Boss OTT and emerged as the third runner-up. Next, he entered
Bigg Boss 15 as a wildcard contestant on Day 35 but walked out of the house on Day 40 citing medical reasons. == Pageantry ==