Anushka Sharma
Encyclopedia
Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress and former model who appears in Hindi
films. In 2008, she was signed by Aditya Chopra
for a three-film contract and made her screen debut in Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She later received acclaim for her role as Shruti Kakkar in Band Baaja Baaraat
(2010). Both films fetched her a Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards
ceremony.
, but her parents are from Garhwal
, Uttarakhand
. Her father, Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer and her mother Ashima Sharma is a housewife. She has an elder brother named Karnesh, who was a state-level cricketer and now, is in the Merchant Navy. She studied in Army School and graduated with specialization in arts from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She later moved to Mumbai
to further pursue her modelling career, where she currently resides.
's Les Vamps Show and was picked to be Rodricks's finale model at the Spring Summer '07 Collection. Since then she has done campaigns for Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio.
Her first acting role was in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) opposite Shahrukh Khan
. Her performance was appreciated with film critic Taran Adarsh
stating, "Anushka looks the character and surprises you with a confident performance. It's no small achievement to share screen space with an actor of the caliber of SRK and Anushka manages it very well from start to end." Her second film, Badmaash Company
, also under Yash Raj Films, was released on May 7, 2010. While Taran Adarsh added, "Anushka is a revelation. She looks stunning, her performance is livewire and the chemistry with Shahid is electrifying."
In 2010, Sharma completed her three-film contract with Yash Raj Films, starring in Band Baaja Baaraat
, a romantic comedy directed by Maneesh Sharma
and co-starring debutant Ranveer Singh
. She played a middle-class Delhi
-Punjabi
girl who goes on to launch her own independent business of wedding planning
and later falls for her partner. In preparation for the part, Sharma was required to master the dialect of a young Punjabi woman from Delhi. She cited it as the toughest part of her role, describing the way the lead characters in the film interact as "crude but cute", and calling for her to "talk fast, sometimes mix words and even omit words completely". Prior to its release, she referred to it as her "best film till date". Some pundits, however, had expressed doubts about the film's prospects to leave a mark, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, the lack of a male star, and claiming that by then Sharma was an "almost-forgotten" actress.
Band Baaja Baaraat was released on December 10, 2010 to positive reviews and went on to become a sleeper hit
. Box Office India website reported that the film grossed approximately 21.44 crore
after five weeks, making it a moderate box office success. Sharma's performance was praised by critics, many of whom called it her best work up to that point. Taran Adarsh
described her as "truly wonderful," noting that it is "the first time in her 3-film career, a film rests mainly on Anushka's shoulders, and she handles the responsibility so well." For her work in the film, Sharma received her second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and earned several awards and nominations at different award ceremonies.
In December 2009, she began shooting for Patiala House
, her first venture outside of Yash Raj with Nikhil Advani
and Akshay Kumar
. Patiala House was released on February 11, 2011.
Despite the film's lukewarm performance at the box office, Sharma received positive reviews. Nikhat Kazmi
of The Times Of India
wrote, "Anushka Sharma’s vivacity may have an after taste of her bubbling Band Baaja Baraat act but her passage from Janakpuri’s dhinchak girl to Southall’s siren is sweet and smooth. Watch out for the girl; she’s truly on a roll."
As of June 2011, she is set to re-unite with her Band Baaja Baarat gang Ranveer Singh and Maneesh Sharma for Yashraj Films's December 2011 release Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
films. In 2008, she was signed by Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra is an Indian film producer, screenwriter and director. He is most known for directing his only three films Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , Mohabbatein , and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi...
for a three-film contract and made her screen debut in Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She later received acclaim for her role as Shruti Kakkar in Band Baaja Baaraat
Band Baaja Baaraat
Band Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the...
(2010). Both films fetched her a Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
ceremony.
Early life and background
Sharma was born in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, but her parents are from Garhwal
Garhwal Division
Garhwal is the north-western region and administrative division of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand which is home to the Garhwali people. Lying in the Himalayas, It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon region, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the north-west by...
, Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. Her father, Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer and her mother Ashima Sharma is a housewife. She has an elder brother named Karnesh, who was a state-level cricketer and now, is in the Merchant Navy. She studied in Army School and graduated with specialization in arts from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She later moved to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to further pursue her modelling career, where she currently resides.
Career
Sharma says she originally wished to make it big in the modeling world but had no strong aspirations for films. She began her modeling career at the Lakme Fashion Week as a model for Wendell RodricksWendell Rodricks
Wendell Rodricks is a prominent fashion designer based in the western Indian region of Goa. He has been listed among one of India's top ten designers. His work has involved a wide range of fashion—from lecturing on world costume history to fashion journalism and styling for international...
's Les Vamps Show and was picked to be Rodricks's finale model at the Spring Summer '07 Collection. Since then she has done campaigns for Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio.
Her first acting role was in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) opposite Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
. Her performance was appreciated with film critic Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
stating, "Anushka looks the character and surprises you with a confident performance. It's no small achievement to share screen space with an actor of the caliber of SRK and Anushka manages it very well from start to end." Her second film, Badmaash Company
Badmaash Company
Badmaash Company is a 2010 Bollywood film directed by actor-turned-director Parmeet Sethi, produced by Aditya Chopra and starring Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chаng and Vir Das in the lead roles...
, also under Yash Raj Films, was released on May 7, 2010. While Taran Adarsh added, "Anushka is a revelation. She looks stunning, her performance is livewire and the chemistry with Shahid is electrifying."
In 2010, Sharma completed her three-film contract with Yash Raj Films, starring in Band Baaja Baaraat
Band Baaja Baaraat
Band Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the...
, a romantic comedy directed by Maneesh Sharma
Maneesh Sharma
Maneesh Sharma is an Indian film director and film story writer, who made his debut with Band Baaja Baaraat which won him Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director.-Early life and education:...
and co-starring debutant Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh is an Indian actor working in the Hindi film industry. Born in Mumbai, India, Singh had always wanted to be an actor since his childhood. However, during his college days he felt that the idea of acting was far-fetched and focused on creative writing...
. She played a middle-class Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
-Punjabi
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
girl who goes on to launch her own independent business of wedding planning
Wedding planner
A wedding planner is a professional who assists with planning and organization of weddings. Weddings are significant events in people's lives, and those involved are often willing to spend a considerable amount of money to ensure it is organized as perfectly as possible.Professional wedding...
and later falls for her partner. In preparation for the part, Sharma was required to master the dialect of a young Punjabi woman from Delhi. She cited it as the toughest part of her role, describing the way the lead characters in the film interact as "crude but cute", and calling for her to "talk fast, sometimes mix words and even omit words completely". Prior to its release, she referred to it as her "best film till date". Some pundits, however, had expressed doubts about the film's prospects to leave a mark, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, the lack of a male star, and claiming that by then Sharma was an "almost-forgotten" actress.
Band Baaja Baaraat was released on December 10, 2010 to positive reviews and went on to become a sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
. Box Office India website reported that the film grossed approximately 21.44 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
after five weeks, making it a moderate box office success. Sharma's performance was praised by critics, many of whom called it her best work up to that point. Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
described her as "truly wonderful," noting that it is "the first time in her 3-film career, a film rests mainly on Anushka's shoulders, and she handles the responsibility so well." For her work in the film, Sharma received her second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and earned several awards and nominations at different award ceremonies.
In December 2009, she began shooting for Patiala House
Patiala House
Patiala House is a 2011 Hindi family drama / sports film directed by Nikhil Advani and starring Akshay Kumar and Anushka Sharma. British Asian Actor Armaan Kirmani also makes his debut in this film as Akshay's brother...
, her first venture outside of Yash Raj with Nikhil Advani
Nikhil Advani
-Early life and background:Advani was born in Mumbai. His father has a Pharmaceutical business and his mother is an advertising professional.He studied at Green Lawns High School, Breach Candy, and later did his Masters in chemistry at St...
and Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
. Patiala House was released on February 11, 2011.
Despite the film's lukewarm performance at the box office, Sharma received positive reviews. Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi is a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from India, who has been writing for The Times of India, since 1987.-Books:* If Shakespeare was a gun: a play. Writers Workshop, 1984....
of The Times Of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
wrote, "Anushka Sharma’s vivacity may have an after taste of her bubbling Band Baaja Baraat act but her passage from Janakpuri’s dhinchak girl to Southall’s siren is sweet and smooth. Watch out for the girl; she’s truly on a roll."
As of June 2011, she is set to re-unite with her Band Baaja Baarat gang Ranveer Singh and Maneesh Sharma for Yashraj Films's December 2011 release Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi | Tani Sahni | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress |
| 2010 | Badmaash Company Badmaash Company Badmaash Company is a 2010 Bollywood film directed by actor-turned-director Parmeet Sethi, produced by Aditya Chopra and starring Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chаng and Vir Das in the lead roles... |
Bulbul Singh | |
| 2010 | Band Baaja Baaraat Band Baaja Baaraat Band Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the... |
Shruti Kakkar | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress |
| 2011 | Patiala House Patiala House Patiala House is a 2011 Hindi family drama / sports film directed by Nikhil Advani and starring Akshay Kumar and Anushka Sharma. British Asian Actor Armaan Kirmani also makes his debut in this film as Akshay's brother... |
Simran | |
| 2011 | Ladies VS Ricky Bahl | Ishika Desai | |
| 2012 | Matru Ki Biwi Ka Mann Dola | ||
| 2012 | Yash Chopra's Untitled Next |
Filmfare Awards
Nominated- 2009: Filmfare Best Actress AwardFilmfare Best Actress AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - 2011: Filmfare Best Actress AwardFilmfare Best Actress AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
; Band Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the...
Star Screen Awards
Nominated- 2008: Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
- 2011: Star Screen Award for Best Actress; Band Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the...
Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards
Winner- 2009: Best Debut (Female)Apsara Award for Best Female DebutThe Apsara Award for Best Female Debut is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in her debut film...
; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - 2011: Best Actress in a Leading RoleApsara Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleThe Apsara Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role...
; Band Baaja Baaraat
Zee Cine Awards
Nominated- 2011: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female; Band Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja BaaraatBand Baaja Baaraat , also known by the abbreviated form BBB is a 2010 Indian feature film that marks the directing debut of Maneesh Sharma and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, the film is a romantic comedy set in the...