Both "Raazi" and "Sanju" proved to be among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2018, and with earnings of over , the latter ranks among Indian cinema's biggest grossers. In his final release of the year, Kaushal reunited with Kashyap for "Manmarziyaan", a love triangle set in Punjab and co-starring Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. Anupama Chopra took note of how well he used silences to convey his character's pain and desire. For "Sanju", Kaushal won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor (tied with Gajraj Rao for "Badhaai Ho"). In 2019, Kaushal starred as a military officer in "", an action film based on the 2016 Uri attack, directed by Aditya Dhar and filmed in Serbia. To prepare, he gained muscle weight, practised a ketogenic diet, and underwent five months of military training and mixed martial arts sessions. He injured his arm while filming an action sequence in it. Uday Bhatia of "Mint" found Kaushal to be a "fetching stoic lead" but bemoaned the lack of depth in his character. Rajeev Masand took note of the film's jingoism and criticised the over-the-top characterisations, but opined that Kaushal "brings both the bulked-up physicality and the sort of steely determination that the part requires". "Uri" earned in India, and over worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing Indian film domestically. Kaushal was awarded with the National Film Award for Best Actor (shared with Ayushmann Khurrana for "Andhadhun") and was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. A year later, Kaushal starred in the horror film "" (2020), produced by Karan Johar. He suffered an accident during the filming of an action sequence when he fractured his cheekbone. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV found Kaushal to be "earnest" in a film he considered to be a "horrific misfire". Kaushal will next portray the freedom fighter Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer, in a biopic directed by Shoojit Sircar, after which he will star as the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in "Takht", a historical drama directed by Johar, which features an ensemble cast, including Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Bhumi Pednekar.