Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma at Women's Health inaugural issue launch
Born	(1988-05-01) 1 May 1988 (age 24)[1]
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Model, Actress
Years active	2008–present

Anushka Sharma (Hindi: अनुष्का शर्मा pronounced [əˈnʊʂkaː ˈʃərmaː]; born 1 May 1988)^[1] 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 with Yash Raj Films 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).^[2] Both films fetched her a Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.^[3]

Early life and background[link]

Sharma's father, Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer and her mother Ashima Sharma is a housewife. She has an elder brother named Karnesh,^[4] 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.^[5] She later moved to Mumbai to further pursue her modelling career, where she currently resides.

Career[link]

Early Career & Debut (2007-2009)[link]

Sharma says she originally wished to make it big in the modeling world but had no strong aspirations for films.^[5] She began her modeling career at the Lakme Fashion Week as a model for Wendell Rodricks'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."^[6] The film received positive reviews and was declared a blockbuster, and had been concluded as the second-highest grossing film of all-time to that point by the end of the year.^[7]

Breakthrough & Initial Success (2010-present)[link]

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."^[8]

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.^[10] 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".^[11] Prior to its release, she referred to it as her "best film till date".^[12] 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.^[13]

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.^[14] Sharma's performance was praised by critics, many of whom called it her best work up to that point.^[15] 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."^[16] 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.^[17]

Sharma's first venture outside the Yash Raj banner was Patiala House directed by Nikhil Advani and co-starring Akshay Kumar. Patiala House was released on February 11, 2011.^[18] 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."^[19]

In December 2011, she re-united with her Band Baaja Baarat team of Ranveer Singh and Maneesh Sharma for Yashraj Films's Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. Despite negative media perception, the film was a moderate success at the box office.^[20][21]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmfare Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2009: Filmfare Best Actress Award; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi^[23]
• 2011: Filmfare Best Actress Award; Band Baaja Baaraat^[24]

Star Screen Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2008: Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
• 2011: Star Screen Award for Best Actress; Band Baaja Baaraat

IIFA Awards[link]

Winner

• 2011: IIFA Award for Best Actress; Band Baaja Baaraat^[25]

Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards[link]

Winner

• 2009: Best Debut (Female); Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi^[26]
• 2011: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Band Baaja Baaraat^[27]

Zee Cine Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2011: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female; Band Baaja Baaraat^[28]
• 2012: Zee Cine Awards, International Icon Female

Other awards[link]

• 2011 - GQ Men of the Year Awards: Excellence Award^[29]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anushka Sharma at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anushka Sharma