Bollywood Actress Biography

Raashii Khanna is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in a supporting role with the Hindi film Madras Cafe and subsequently appeared in Telugu film Oohalu Gusagusalade, which won her the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Telugu. Wikipedia

Born: November 30, 1990 (age 34 years), New Delhi, India

Parents: Sarita Khanna, Raj K. Khanna

Siblings: Raunaq Khanna

Alma mater: Lady Shri Ram College

Rupanty Akid

Rupanty Akid is an Australian actor born in Manly, New South Wales. She gained prominence after playing the title role of Jennifer in Hello Bangladesh (2015). Since graduating from Western Sydney University, she has been working in films, commercials, TV shows, theatre productions, as well as modeling in print and online campaigns.

Poonam Dhillon (born 18 April 1962)

is an Indian actress and politician. A former Eve’s Weekly Miss Young India 1978,[1] she is best known for her 1979 film Noorie. Some of her well-known films include Red Rose (1980), Dard (1981), Romance (1983), Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Teri Meherbaniyan (1985) Samundar (1986), Saveraywali Gaadi (1986), Karma (1986), Naam (1986) and Maalamaal (1988).

Dhillon participated in Bigg Boss in 2009. She played the lead role of Sharda Modi in the Sony TV series Ekk Nayi Pehchaan in 2013. She has done theatre, starting with the award-winning "The Perfect Husband" and many other plays, the latest being "The Perfect Wife" with several shows in United States and Dubai.

The first time Dhillon gained fame was when she got crowned Miss Young India 1978.[2]

Director Yash Chopra noticed her and offered her a role in the film Trishul (1978) where her song "Gapoochi Gapoochi Gum Gum" with Sachin Pilgaonkar[3][4] became

popular.[5] Chopra then gave her the title role in Noorie (1979) opposite Farooq Shaikh, which he produced. The low budget film Noorie shot in Bhaderwah, Kashmir, became a superhit and was a phenomenal success at the box office, partly also for Khayyam's music. For this film, Poonam was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[citation needed]

Subsequently, she went on to act in around 90 films in Hindi, including Sohni Mahiwal, Red Rose, Teri Kasam, Dard, Nishana, Yeh Vaada Raha, Samunder, Romance, Kasam, and Sitamgar. She was paired with Rajesh Khanna[6] in six films: Dard, Nishaan, Zamana, Awam, Red Rose (1980 film) and Jai Shiv Shankar.[7][8] She made a special appearance in Judaai as a favour to producer Boney Kapoor when Juhi Chawla had to drop out.

She also appeared in regional films such as Nyay Danda (Bengali), Yuddha Kaanda (Kannada), Ishtam (Telugu) and Yavarum Nalam (Tamil), 13B: Fear Has a New Address (Hindi).

Dhillon was a contestant on Season 3 of Bigg Boss aired on Colors TV in 2009. She ended up as the second runner-up on the show.[9] Her big comeback on Indian television in a lead role was with the serial Ekk Nayi Pehchaan on Sony TV in 2013 where she played the uneducated yet ideal wife of a rich businessman.[10]

She has been in the Hindi theater production The Perfect Husband, which won the best comedy play award in 2005 and which completed a Golden jubilee run. She then did another play The Perfect Wife co-starring Sooraj Thapar and Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi with Asif Sheikh. She was also seen in a play called U Turn which is the Hindi version of a Marathi play.[11]

Dhillon ventured into the make-up van business in 1991 pioneering the concept in the Indian film industry. She runs a make-up van company called "Vanity."[12][13][14][15]

Personal life

[edit]

Dhillon was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.[citation needed] Her father Amreek Singh was an aeronautical engineer in the Indian Air Force and would often get transferred. Her mother was a school principal and both her siblings are doctors. Poonam was quite studious growing up and aspired to become a doctor.[12][16][17] Poonam attended Carmel Convent in [Chandigarh] for schooling and did her graduation after joining films at age 16.[18]

Dhillon was married to producer Ashok Thakeria and has two children, a daughter Paloma[19] and a son Anmol.[20]

She has been very active with social causes like drug awareness, AIDS awareness, family planning and organ donation.[12]

She has been a prominent speaker at the SAARC business summits in Kathmandu and Delhi and was appointed cultural ambassador.[21] She was also a speaker at the MINDMINE event.[22] In 2012, she along with other celebrities participated in a show supporting the "Save and Empower the Girl Child" cause in collaboration with Lilavati Hospital.[23][24]

In 2014, she launched an event management and film production company called "Poetic Justice Films and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd." with industrialist Aneel Murarka and choreographer Samir Tanna.[25]

In 2017, Dhillon was appointed as one of four members to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which is the official body for appeals against decisions of the Central Board of Film Certification in the Indian film industry.[26]

Dhillon joined the Bhartiya Janta Party in 2004 and was appointed vice president of the Mumbai unit of the party in 2019.[27][28]

Raashii Khanna :

Raashii Khanna (born 30 November 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in a supporting role with the Hindi film Madras Cafe (2013) and subsequently appeared in Telugu film Oohalu Gusagusalade (2014), which won her the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Telugu.[1][2]

Khanna has starred in a number of commercially successful films such as Bengal Tiger (2015), Supreme (2016), Jai Lava Kusa (2017), Tholi Prema (2018), Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018), Venky Mama (2019), Prati Roju Pandage (2019), Thiruchitrambalam (2022), Sardar (2022) and Aranmanai 4 (2024) that established her as one of the leading actresses in Telugu and Tamil cinema. Khanna has also sung a few songs in different languages. She has since starred in the streaming series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022) and Farzi (2023).

Early life

Khanna was born on 30 November 1990 and hails from Delhi.[3][4] She did her schooling at St. Mark's Senior Secondary Public School, Delhi and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi.[5][6]

According to Khanna, she was an academic topper who was extremely studious, geek during her schooling and college days. When Khanna was young, she wanted to become a singer but as she grew up, she was more interested into studying and aspired to become an IAS officer. Khanna claims that she neither had interest in modelling nor thought of becoming an actress and it was her destiny that made her an actress. During her college days, she tried a hand at copywriting for advertisements,[7] before she made her venture into acting in various advertisements prior to films.

Debut and rise in Telugu cinema (2013–2015)

Khanna made her on-screen debut with a supporting role in the 2013 Hindi political spy thriller film Madras Cafe directed by Shoojit Sircar, where she played the role of Ruby Singh, the wife of an Indian intelligence officer portrayed by John Abraham, who was also the producer.[10] She had to undergo acting workshops before taking up the role.[11] The film—particularly the story and direction—impressed most Indian critics.[12] Reviewing the film, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated that Khanna "makes an impact in a brief but significant appearance".[13] Madras Cafe was a box-office hit grossing ₹67 crore.[citation needed]

Impressed with her performance in Madras Cafe, actor Srinivas Avasarala approached her for the female lead role in his directorial debut Oohalu Gusagusalade, which also featured himself and Naga Shaurya in the lead roles,[14] which she signed in late October 2013 after considering many other south films, adding that the scope of performing made her sign the film.[15] Khanna initially felt that it would be more of a dancing role with little scope for acting when approached for narration, but found her character practically in every scene in the film.[14] She called her character Prabhavati as a grey, stubborn, arrogant girl but in a lovable way, which she claimed to be very different from what she was in real life except for the fact that she hails from Delhi.[16] Khanna confirmed in early April 2014 that she appeared in a small role in the Telugu film Manam,[17] which had its theatrical release before Oohalu Gusagusalade.[a] Oohalu Gusagusalade opened to positive reviews from critics and Khanna received praise for her work. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called her an "actor with potential",[19] while Hemanth Kumar of The Times of India stated that she gave a "commendable" performance which helped the movie to some extent.[20] The film was a commercial success at the box office.[21]

Khanna at the screening of Madras Cafe

Her next Telugu film was Joru, directed by Kumar Nagendra opposite Sundeep Kishan, which she signed after Madras Cafe and while shooting for Oohalu Gusagusalade. She played the role of Annapurna, whom Khanna described as a "modern yet traditional" girl who "is highly emotional and cries at the drop of a hat", which she called the exact opposite of the character of Prabhavati she played in her previous film.[22] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu stated that she provides solace along with Kishan, Brahmanandam and Saptagiri in a film which was "let down by incoherent writing and amateurish execution".[23] Joru was a commercial failure at the box office.[24]

Khanna's next was Jil, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar opposite Gopichand,[25] which she signed in early July 2014 after the makers approached her considering her performance in Oohalu Gusagusalade.[26] The film received mixed reviews from the critics.[27] In early May 2015, she was signed for the film Shivam alongside Ram Pothineni. The film received negative reviews from the critics and performed poorly at the box office.[28]

Commercial success and fluctuations (2015–2021)

Her next release was Bengal Tiger opposite Ravi Teja directed by Sampath Nandi.[29] The film opened to mixed reviews but was commercially successful at the box office. It grossed ₹405 million (US$4.7 million) globally and became the 8th highest grossing Telugu film of 2015.[30] In 2016, her first release was Supreme, in which she starred alongside Sai Dharam Tej, and was a commercial success,[31] with critics praising her comic-timing in her performance as Bellam Sridevi, a cop who gets into hilarious situations.[32] Her next release was Hyper, opposite Ram Pothineni for the second time which opened to mixed reviews and was an average grosser at the box office.[33]

In 2017, her first release was Jai Lava Kusa, opposite N. T. Rama Rao Jr. which opened to positive reviews and became a box office hit by grossing more than ₹100 crore.[34] Later she made her Malayalam debut with Villain, starring Mohanlal and Vishal, directed by B. Unnikrishnan where she essayed a cop in the movie. The movie opened to positive reviews with critics praising her performance as a tough, investigating cop and the movie had a good run at box-office.[35] Her last release of 2017 was Oxygen, marking her second collaboration with Gopichand, opening to mixed reviews and the movie went on to be an average grosser at the box office.[36]

Khanna in 2018

In 2018, her first release was Touch Chesi Chudu, marking her second collaboration with Ravi Teja. Though the movie went on a huge hype pre-release, it later opened from mixed to negative reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office. Within a span of a week, her next release was Tholi Prema opposite Varun Tej, which opened to widespread acclaim from critics and audience alike, with critics praising her performance as Varsha as her best ever performance, and also applauded the chemistry between the lead pair.[37] Her next release was Srinivasa Kalyanam, opposite Nithiin, directed by National Award winner Satish Vegesna which opened to mixed reviews but the chemistry between the lead pair was appreciated. Her next release was a multi-starrer Imaikkaa Nodigal, marking her debut in Tamil cinema opening to highly positive reviews with critics praising her performance as a girl-next-door character and was commercially successful at box office.[38] Her next release in Tamil was Adanga Maru, opposite Jayam Ravi which received positive reviews from the critics[39] and became a commercial success at the box office.[40]

In 2019, Her first release was Ayogya opposite Vishal, which was an official remake of the 2015 Telugu hit, Temper which received generally positive reviews from audience and critics. The film did considerably well at the box-office.[41] Her next release was Sangathamizhan opposite Vijay Sethupathi which opened to mixed reviews, but Khanna received praise for her performance. In December 2019, She had two releases, Venky Mama opposite Naga Chaitanya and Venkatesh which received mixed reviews and Prati Roju Pandage marking her second collaboration with Sai Dharam Tej, which received generally positive reviews with critics praising her comic-timing in her performance as "Angel" Aarna, a highly self-obsessed girl from the village town, Rajahmundry.[42] Both the films were commercially successful at the box office.[43][44] Her only release in 2020 was World Famous Lover opposite Vijay Deverakonda which opened to negative reviews and did not perform well at the box office.[45][46]

In 2021, Her first release was Tughlaq Durbar marking her second collaboration with Vijay Sethupathi. The film did not opt for a theatrical release and had its direct television premiere prior to an OTT release.[47] The film received mixed reviews from the critics.[48][49] In October 2021, Khanna had two of her movies released. The first release was Bhramam opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran which had a direct OTT release only in India and an overseas theatrical release.[50] The film was a Malayalam remake of the 2018 Hindi film Andhadhun.[51] The film received generally positive reviews from the critics.[52][53] Her next release in the same month was Aranmanai 3 opposite Arya. Despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics,[54] The film was a commercial success at the box office.[55]

In 2022, Khanna's first release was Rudra: The Edge of Darkness alongside Ajay Devgn, which also marks her digital streaming debut.[56] It is an adaptation of the British TV show Luther.[57] The web series opened to highly positive reviews from the critics.[58][59] In July 2022, Khanna had two releases. The first release was Pakka Commercial, marking her third collaboration with Gopichand.[60] The film received mixed reviews from the critics upon its release.[61][62] The next release in the same month was Thank You, marking her second collaboration with Naga Chaitanya.[63] The movie received mixed to negative reviews upon release, but Khanna's performance as a "mature and stifled woman" was appreciated.[64][65] Both the films had poor runs at the box-office.[66][67] Her next release in August 2022 was Thiruchitrambalam starring Dhanush.[68] The film received rave reviews upon its release,[69][70] with critics appreciating the performances of the cast of the film.[71] Thiruchitrambalam became a box-office hit by grossing more than ₹100 crore worldwide.[72] Her next release in October was Sardar opposite Karthi.[73] The film opened to rave reviews from the audience and critics alike upon its release.[74][75] Sardar went on to become the second ₹100 crore worldwide grosser for Khanna within the same calendar year.[76]

In 2023, Khanna's only release was Farzi, created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., co-starring Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. The series received positive reviews from critics.[77][78]

In 2024, her first release was Yodha opposite Sidharth Malhotra. The film marks Khanna's return to Hindi cinema after a decade, following her debut in the film industry with Madras cafe (2013). Yodha opened to mixed reviews from the critics,[79][80] and ended up as a commercial failure at the box-office.[81] Her next release was Aranmanai 4 alongside Sundar C and Tamannaah. It was her second collaboration with Tamannaah after Bengal Tiger. The film received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences.[82][83][84] Janani K. from India Today found her performance to be "adequate".[83] Aranmanai 4 was a commercial success at the box-office, collecting over ₹100 crores worldwide, thus making it as third consecutive 100 crore grosser movie for Khanna in Tamil cinema.[85][86] Her next release in November was The Sabarmati Report opposite Vikrant Massey which opened up from mixed to negative reviews from the critics.[87][88] Khanna also reprised her role from the film in soap operas Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya as a cameo appearance.[89]

In 2025, her first release was Aghathiyaa co-starring Jiiva and Arjun Sarja which received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences,[90][91] and underperformed at the box-offi

As of March 2025, Khanna has completed shooting for Hindi film titled TME alongside Vikrant Massey.[93] She is currently shooting for a Telugu film, Telusu Kada alongside Siddhu Jonnalagadda and Srinidhi Shetty.[94] In 2017, Khanna started shooting for a Tamil film Shaitan Ka Bachcha opposite Siddharth.[95] The production status of the film is yet to be known.[96]

In the media

Khanna in 2024

Khanna is considered as one of the most popular actors in Telugu cinema.[97] She stood at the 16th place on Forbes India's most influential stars on Instagram in South cinema for the year 2021.[98] In February 2023, she topped IMDb's popular Indian celebrities weekly list.[99] Khanna has frequently featured in Hyderabad Times' 30 Most Desirable Woman list. She was placed 28th in 2018, 15th in 2019 and 10th in 2020.[100][101][102] She ranked 22nd in 2018 and 23rd in 2019 in Chennai Times' 30 Most Desirable Woman list.[103] Khanna has started an initiative called #BeTheMiracle to distribute free meals to the needy in Hyderabad. She also launched an NGO called "Roti Bank" foundation, where she tied up with several NGOs that cater to the different needs and issues facing people during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[104][105]

Ileana D'Cruz :

was born to a Goan Catholic father and Muslim mother in Mahim, Bombay (now Mumbai) on 1 November 1986. She is an atheist. Her family moved to Parra, Goa when she was 10 years old. Her first modelling portfolio was created in January 2003, and D'Cruz called it a "disaster".

Alia Advani (born 31 July 1991),

She is known professionally as Kiara Advani ([kɪˈjaːra əɽˈʋaːɳi]), is an Indian actress who works in Hindi and Telugu films. Advani is a recipient of several accolades including an IIFA Award and two Zee Cine Awards, alongside nominations for two Filmfare Awards.

After making her acting debut in the comedy film Fugly (2014), she played MS Dhoni's wife in the sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). She gained appreciation for playing a sexually unsatisfied wife in the Netflix anthology film Lust Stories (2018) and played the leading lady in the political thriller Bharat Ane Nenu (2018). Advani received wider attention for starring in the romantic drama Kabir Singh and the comedy drama Good Newwz, two of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2019. She won the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She had further commercial success in the 2022 films Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Jugjugg Jeeyo. Her performances as Vikram Batra's girlfriend in the war film Shershaah (2021) and a troubled married woman in the romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023) earned her critical praise and nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

In addition to acting, she serves as the ambassador of several brands and products. Advani is married to actor Sidharth Malhotra.

Early life

Advani was born 31 July 1991,[1][2] to Jagdeep Advani, a Sindhi Hindu businessman and Genevieve Jaffrey, a teacher whose father was originally from Lucknow and whose mother was of Scottish, Irish, Portuguese, and Spanish ancestry.[3][4][5] She has a younger brother, Mishaal, who is a musician.[6] She is related to several celebrities through her maternal family. Actors Ashok Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey are her step-great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively.[7]

Advani was educated at Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai.[8] She then attended Jai Hind College, Mumbai where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications.[9]

Born as Alia Advani,[10] she changed her first name to Kiara prior to the release of her first film, Fugly, in 2014. Her choice of name was inspired by Priyanka Chopra's character Kiara in the film Anjaana Anjaani (2010). She stated that it was Salman Khan's suggestion to change her name, as Alia Bhatt was already an established actress.[11][12]

Career

Early work (2014–2019)

Advani promoting M.S. Dhoni:The Untold Story in 2016

Advani began her acting career with the Hindi ensemble comedy film Fugly (2014).[13] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote, "Kiara Advani catches you completely unaware" and has the "combination of looks and talent".[14] Mehul S Thakkar of Deccan Chronicle found her "very striking" and said that she "shows a lot of promise".[15] Fugly underperformed at the box office.[16][17]

Two years later, Advani appeared in the sports drama M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), a biopic of cricketer MS Dhoni who served as the former captain of Indian cricket team.[18] She had a supporting role opposite Sushant Singh Rajput (who essayed Dhoni), as the real-life character of his wife, hotel manager Sakshi Rawat. M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story was a major commercial success with global revenues of over ₹216 crore (US$25 million).[19][20]

Advani then starred in Abbas–Mustan's action thriller Machine (2017).[21] It failed at the box office.[22] She next collaborated with filmmaker Karan Johar, for their first of many films, in the Netflix anthological film Lust Stories (2018), where she starred opposite Vicky Kaushal as his sexually dissatisfied wife.[23][24] Writing for NDTV, Raja Sen found her to be "positively lovely" in it.[25]

Advani expanded to Telugu cinema in 2018, appearing with Mahesh B

Ketika Sharma:

She is an Indian actress, singer, model and influencer who predominantly works in Telugu films. Sharma was featured in a promotional video for the Telugu OTT platform AHA opposite Allu Arjun in 2021.

Sharma began her modelling career after completing her education at the La Martiniere Girls' College in Lucknow and pursuing her graduation from Miranda House at Delhi University, New Delhi, India. She also gained popularity and went viral on social media by featuring in Dubsmash videos.

Sharma debuted in the Telugu film industry with the film Romantic (2021), playing the role of Romantic (2021) opposite Akash Puri. The film was produced by Puri Connects and written by Puri Jagannadh. That year, she went on to work in Lakshya (2021), playing the role of Rithika. Sri Venkateswara Cinemas and Northstar Entertainment produced the film.

In 2022, she appeared in the Telugu romantic drama film Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga (2022) opposite Panja Vaisshnav Tej. Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra produced the film.

Besides movies, Sharma appeared in the music video Ammy Virk: Haaye Ve (2019) by singer Ammy Virk in 2019. She also sang the female cover version of Na Valla Kadhe in 2021. She was also featured in a promotional video for the Telugu OTT platform, AHA opposite Allu Arjun in 2021.