Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma (pronounced [@|nUs.ka: |S@rma:]; born 1 May 1988)is an Indian film actress, producer and former model. In 2008, she wassigned by Aditya Chopra for a three-film contract with YashRaj Films and consequently made her acting debut in Chopra's RabNe Bana Di Jodi. She later received critical acclaim for her role asan ambitious wedding planner in the 2010 romantic comedy BandBaaja Baaraat. Both films earned her Best Actressnominations at the Filmfare Awards. Sharma later gatheredcritical appreciation for her performance in the 2012 romantic dramaJab Tak Hai Jaan, which earned her the Filmfare Award for BestSupporting Actress. Due to these prime achievements, Sharma has beennoted as one of the most promising new actresses of Hindicinema.

Early life and background

Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya,Uttar Pradesh, India to Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, an armyofficer, and Ashima Sharma, a housewife. Her father isfrom Uttar Pradesh, while her mother is aGarhwali. Sharma grew up in Bangalore.She has an elder brother named Karnesh, who is in theMerchant Navy. She studied in Army School and graduated withspecialization in arts from Mount Carmel College,Bangalore. She later moved to Mumbai to further pursueher modelling career, where she currently resides.

Career

2007-10: Early work and breakthrough

Sharma says she originally wished to make it big in the modeling worldbut had no strong aspirations for films. She began hermodeling career at the Lakme Fashion Week as a model for WendellRodricks's Les Vamps Show and was picked to be Rodricks's finale modelat the Spring Summer '07 Collection. Since then she has done campaignsfor 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 appreciatedwith film critic Taran Adarsh stating, "Anushka looks thecharacter and surprises you with a confident performance. It's nosmall achievement to share screen space with an actor of the caliberof SRK and Anushka manages it very well from start to end."Sonia Chopra of Sify, also gave Sharma a favourable review, callingher "definite[ly] star material", and praised her dialogue deliveryand range as an actor. The film received positive reviews andwas declared a blockbuster, and had been concluded as thesecond-highest grossing film of all-time to that point by the end ofthe year.Sharma with co-star Ranveer Singh at the DVD launch of BandBaaja Baaraat.

Her second film, Badmaash Company, also under Yash Raj Films, wasreleased on 7 May 2010. Performing moderately at the box office, thefilm only received mixed reviews, as did her performance, with Adarshadding, "Anushka is a revelation. She looks stunning, her performanceis livewire and the chemistry with Shahid is electrifying."Aparajita Ghosh, of Apunka Choice contradicted Adarsh and stated,"Anushka Sharma looks gorgeous but has miles to go in terms ofacting".

"I was very young when I was in RNBDJ and that journey had enabled meas an actor. I am not very confident of my growth as an actor but I amvery confident of my growth as a person."--Sharma on her journey from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi to Band BaajaBaaraat.

In 2010, Sharma completed her three-film contract with Yash Raj Films,starring in Band Baaja Baaraat, a romantic comedy directed byManeesh Sharma and co-starring debutant RanveerSingh. She played a middle-class Delhi-Punjabi girlwho goes on to launch her own independent business of weddingplanning and later falls for her partner. In preparation for the part,Sharma was required to master the dialect of a young Punjabi womanfrom Delhi. She cited it as the toughest part of her role, describingthe way the lead characters in the film interact as "crude but cute",and calling for her to "talk fast, sometimes mix words and even omitwords completely". Prior to its release, she referred to itas her "best film till date". Some pundits, however, hadexpressed doubts about the film's prospects to leave a mark, citingthe middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, thelack of a male star, and claiming that by then Sharma was an"almost-forgotten" actress.

Band Baaja Baaraat was released on 10 December 2010 to positivereviews and went on to become a sleeper hit. Box Office Indiawebsite reported that the film grossed approximately INR214.4 million after five weeks, making it a moderate box officesuccess. Sharma's performance was praised by critics, many ofwhom called it her best work up to that point. Taran Adarshdescribed her as "truly wonderful," noting that it is "the first timein her 3-film career, a film rests mainly on Anushka's shoulders, andshe handles the responsibility so well." Noted film criticAnupama Chopra also praised Sharma's work in the film and said she"comes into her own as the ambitious Delhi girl, who dreams ofupgrading to multi-crore Sainik Farms weddings". For her workin the film, Sharma received her second nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress and earned several awards andnominations at different award ceremonies. It has often beennoted that the film has acted as a major career move for the actress,as it brought her much recognition.

2011-present: Recent work

Sharma at the 58th Filmfare Awards, where she won the BestSupporting Actress award for Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Sharma's first venture outside the Yash Raj banner was PatialaHouse directed by Nikhil Advani and co-starring Akshay Kumar.Patiala House was released on 11 February 2011. Despite thefilm's lukewarm performance at the box office, Sharma receivedpositive reviews. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India wrote,"Anushka Sharma's vivacity may have an after taste of her bubblingBand Baaja Baraat act but her passage from Janakpuri's dhinchak girlto Southall's siren is sweet and smooth. Watch out for the girl; she'struly on a roll." Sukanya Verma of Rediff also praisedSharma's work and called her a "metaphor for energy".

In December 2011, she re-united with her Band Baaja Baarat team ofRanveer Singh and Maneesh Sharma for Yashraj Films's Ladies vsRicky Bahl. The film and Sharma's performance received mainly mixedreviews, with Piyali Dasgupta of NDTV Movies calling her "believablebut not endearing". Despite negative media perception, thefilm was a moderate success at the box office.

In 2012, Sharma appeared in Yash Chopra's swan song, the romanceJab Tak Hai Jaan alongside Shah Rukh Khan and KatrinaKaif. Whilst the film was commercially successful and earned a mostlypositive reception from critics, her portrayal of the ambitiousDiscovery Chanel reporter Akira Rai, fetched her positive reviews frommost critics, with Adarsh noting: "She's an integral part of thisstory and it must be said that she walks away with some of the bestscenes and lines in the movie. Her performance is full ofgrit." Noted critic Rajeev Masand also praisedSharma's performance and said she "brings a spark to thefilm". Film critic Raja Sen however, disagreed and said,"while Anushka can indeed play spunky, she needed here to tone it downseveral notches". This would be her second film withShah Rukh Khan, opposite whom she made her Bollywood debut withRab Ne Bana Di Jodi and her fifth collaboration with theproduction house, Yash Raj Films. Additionally, for her role, shewon the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Sharma was last seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijlee KaMandola, a political satire set in the rustic surroundings of avillage in Haryana. Co-starring alongside Pankaj Kapur,Imran Khan and Shabana Azmi, Sharma played the role ofBijlee Mandola, a strong headed, girl who is also a spoilt brat.Despite the hype, the film generated mixed reviews fromcritics and underperformed at the boxoffice. Whilst many critics noted that Sharma wasbeing stereotyped as the loud, bubbly girl, Sharma's performanceattracted mixed reviews from critics, much like the film. Raja Sennoted that she "is great in a couple of scenes near theclimax," though Kanika Sikka was more critical, calling herperformance "unconvincing."

Sharma has completed work on Rajkumar Hirani's political satireP.K. alongside Aamir Khan, and Anurag Kashyap's periodromance Bombay Velvet, opposite Ranbir Kapoor, both of whichare scheduled for release in late-2014. She hasalso co-produced Navdeep Singh's action thriller NH10 alongwith Phantom Films, in which she plays the lead role oppositeNeil Bhoopalam. Sharma is currently shooting forZoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, a drama about a dysfunctionalPunjabi family co-starring Farhan Akhtar, Ranveer Singh andPriyanka Chopra, in which Sharma will play Singh's loveinterest.

Galleries of Anushka Sharma