Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma (born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and film producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India,  she has appeared in Forbes India‘s Celebrity 100 since 2012 and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018.

Born in Ayodhya and raised in Bangalore, Sharma had her first modelling assignment for the fashion designer Wendell Rodricks in 2007 and later moved to Mumbai to pursue a full-time career as a model. She made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the highly successful romantic film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and rose to prominence with starring roles in Yash Raj Films’ romances Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012); winning the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. Sharma went on to earn praise for playing strong-willed women in the crime thriller NH10 (2015), and the dramas Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), and Sui Dhaaga (2018). Her highest-grossing releases came with the sports drama Sultan (2016), Rajkumar Hirani’s religious satire PK (2014) and biopic Sanju (2018).

Sharma is the co-founder of the production company Clean Slate Filmz, under which she has produced several films, including NH10. She is the ambassador for multiple brands and products, has designed her own line of clothing for women, named Nush, and supports various charities and causes, including gender equality and animal rights. Sharma is married to Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.

Early life and modelling career

Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer, and her mother, Ashima Sharma, is a homemaker.  Her ancestral home is in Dehradun town of Uttarakhand on Naishvilla road, her father lived here before joining Indian army. Anushka Sharma’s grandmother Urmila still lives in their house. Sharma lived in Sheela Bhawan of Naishvilla road in her childhood.

Her father is a native of Uttar Pradesh, while her mother is a Garhwali.  Her elder brother is film producer Karnesh Sharma, who earlier served in the Merchant Navy.  Sharma has stated that being a military brat played an important role in shaping her as a person and contributing to her life. In an interview with The Times of India in 2012, she said, “I take pride in saying that I am an army officer’s daughter even more than being an actor.”

Sharma was raised in Bangalore.  But she did her primary schooling at St. Mary’s School, Margherita, Assam. Sakshi Dhoni, the wife of M.S Dhoni, was her classmate in that school. She completed her schooling at Army School, Bangalore. Then she did her graduation in arts from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

She originally intended to pursue a career in modelling or journalism, and had no aspirations to be an actress.  After graduation, Sharma moved to Mumbai to further her modelling career. She enrolled herself at the Elite Model Management, and was groomed by the style consultant Prasad Bidapa.  In 2007, Sharma made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Wendell Rodricks’s Les Vamps Show and was picked to be his finale model at the Spring Summer 2007 Collection.  Since then she has done campaigns for the brands Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio.  Sharma later said, “I think I was born to emote and act. I would walk down the ramp and smile and they used to say, ‘give us a blank look.’ It was really difficult, not to smile”. Whilst modelling, Sharma also joined an acting school and began auditioning for film roles.

• Net worth: $16 million

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2008	Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi	Taani Sahni	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
2010	Badmaash Company	Bulbul Singh
	Band Baaja Baaraat	Shruti Kakkar	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2011	Patiala House	Simran Chaggal
	Ladies vs Ricky Bahl	Ishika Desai
2012	Jab Tak Hai Jaan	Akira Rai	Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2013	Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola	Bijlee Mandola
2014	PK	Jagat “Jaggu” Janini
2015	NH10	Meera	Also producer Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
	Bombay Velvet	Rosie Noronha
	Dil Dhadakne Do	Farah Ali	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2016	Sultan	Aarfa Hussain
	Ae Dil Hai Mushkil	Alizeh Khan	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2017	Phillauri	Shashi Kumari	Also producer and playback singer for song “Naughty Billo”
	Jab Harry Met Sejal	Sejal Zaveri
2018	Pari	Rukhsana	Also producer
	Sanju	Winnie Diaz
	Sui Dhaaga	Mamta	Nominated—Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress
	Zero	Aafia Yusufzai Bhinder
2020	Paatal Lok	—	Executive producer; web series[97] Filmfare OTT Award for Best Series[173]
	Bulbbul	—	Producer Nominated—Filmfare OTT Award for Best Film, Web Original[175]
2022	Mai: A Mother’s Rage	—	Producer
TBA	Chakda ‘Xpress	Jhulan Goswami	Netflix film
	Qala	—	Producer

Music video