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Samir Soni
Samir Soni at Suzanne Roshan's The Charcoal Project Launch
Born	(1968-09-29) 29 September 1968 (age 43) [1][2] Meerut, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar (divorced) Neelam Kothari (2011–present)

Samir Soni (Hindi: समीर सोनी) (born September 29, 1968) is an Indian film and television actor and a former model.^[1][2]

Biography[link]

Soni was born to a Punjabi Hindu family in London, United Kingdom and attended school at St. Xavier's School, Delhi. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in Economics.

Prior to his Bollywood career, Samir was an investment banker with one of the bulge bracket firms on Wall Street in New York, before coming back to India to start modeling. He has attended acting courses in New York and Los Angeles.^[2]

Acting career[link]

Soni made his debut in the 1995 Hindi serial Samandar based on Navy officers. Later that year, he appeared as Ashok Mathur in Doordarshan's A Mouthful Of Sky, based on Ashok Banker's script and directed by Mahesh Bhatt. He made his film debut as a lead actor opposite Mamta Kulkarni in China Gate (1998),^[3][4] though it was followed by forgettable cameos in films.^[2]

In 2003, Samir shot to fame by appearing in the film Baghban opposite legendary artists Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini. He then played his first solo lead roles in Basti and Kahan Ho Tum.^[5][6][7]

After failing to become a successful actor in Bollywood, Samir established himself on television with his performances in popular TV shows Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Saakkshi, with both airing on Sony.^[8] Samir became a prominent TV star. He also showcased his skills in the popular TV show Kumkum on STAR Plus, portraying the negative role Yash Thakur.

Samir continued his movie career with supporting roles in blockbuster movies including Vivah, Fashion and I Hate Luv Storys. In 2010, Samir Soni was featured as one of the contestants in the season 4 of reality television show Bigg Boss. He was evicted from the house a week prior to the grand finale.^[9] As of 2011, Samir is portraying the lead role of a lawyer Kunal Chopra in Balaji Telefilms' TV serial Parichay that airs on Colors TV.

Personal life[link]

Through modeling, he met his ex-spouse, Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar.^[10] The two were married for six months before they divorced.^[10]

On 24 January 2011, he married former actress Neelam Kothari.^[11]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Samir Soni at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Samir Soni at Indian Express