EXCLUSIVE: Sapne Vs Everyone actor Ambrish Verma has been handed an IMDb ‘Breakout Star’ STARmeter award.

This recognizes talent whose popularity on IMDb has been significant, and has in the past flagged the rise of stars such as Zahan Kapoor, Sharvari, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Hawke and Regé-Jean Page.

Verma wrote, directed and starred in Hindi-language series Sapne Vs Everyone, which launched a second season in March. The show, which Verma created for Indian streamer and online channel The Viral Fever, debuted on YouTube before heading to Prime Video.

The psychological drama follows Paramvir Singh Cheema and Verma as two ambitious men navigating cutthroat worlds to achieve their dreams in acting and real estate, respectively. Verma’s breakout performance led him to claim the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list in two consecutive weeks.

Following the release of the second season in May, Sapne Vs Everyone has entered IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows list at No. 171.

“This award means a lot to me because it’s decided by the people,” said Verma. “In today’s times, when some awards are influenced by lobbying or someone putting in a word for you, this is something that can happen only when you create something people truly think is worthy. It’s a similar feeling to when Sapne Vs Everyone gets a certain rating on IMDb. I’m very proud of it.”

“Recently, I was also ranked No. 1 on the IMDb Popular Indian Celebrities list,” he added. “For someone like me, who stayed so far away from the industry, it felt amazing. I know I’m getting this because of the show — people saw it, saw the work, and wanted to look me up on IMDb.

“It’s hard to believe that you can top that rank because when I scroll down that list and see the kind of people on it, it feels incredible. These things give you the confidence that if you just keep at it and keep doing things the right way, things will happen for you.”