Debuted in the famous Shah Rukh Khan starrer movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Anushka Sharma has now become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood celebrities. She is a military brat who started her acting career through modelling. With her diligent efforts, she has achieved a lot at a very young age. She is happily married to the popular and charming Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and blessed with a baby daughter.
She has millions of fans who love her for her amazing performance in the movies and her gentle nature towards the needy as well as her effort for social awareness. Let’s have a deeper look at her life journey and the milestones she has achieved along the way.
Family
Anushka Sharma was born in Ayodhya city of Uttar Pradesh on 1 May 1988. Her mother, Ashima Sharma, is a homemaker, and her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer. Her mother is a Garhwali while her father is a native of UP. She has an ancestral home on the Naishvilla road in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Anushka also has an elder brother, Karnesh Sharma, who is a film producer and had also served Merchant Navy.
So, she belongs to a military family and has stated that she is prouder about being the daughter of an army officer than being an actor. She has also confessed that this military lifestyle has helped her a lot in shaping her personality.
Education
Anushka was born in UP but brought up in different cities, mainly Bangalore. She completed her primary schooling at St. Mary’s School, Assam. She took further education at Army School in Bangalore and also completed her graduation in arts from Bangalore’s Mount Carmel College.
Initially, she wanted to become a journalist but was confused between pursuing journalism and modelling. She chose modelling and that took her to become one of the finest Bollywood actresses.
Stages in Anushka’s Career
There are many stages in everyone’s profession which help them to reach the position they want to be at.
Anushka Sharma has also gone through many stages in her life to become a highly successful actress in the Bollywood industry. Let’s see what steps lead Anushka to become a well-known celebrity in India.
Modelling
It has been mentioned earlier that Anushka wanted to pursue either journalism or modelling. Well, she chose modelling but was not aspire to become an actress. To pursue a professional modelling career, she moved to Mumbai after completing her graduation. There, she got enrolled in Elite Model Management and the famous style consultant Prasad Bidapa groomed and styled her. Anushka made her runway debut in 2007 at the Lakme Fashion Week for the popular designer Wendell Rodrick in his Les Vamps Show.
She performed so well that she got picked as the finale model for the Spring Summer 2007 Collection. After getting huge recognition from the fashion shows, she started doing ad campaigns and has modelled for brands like Whisper, Silk & Shine, Fiat Palio, Nathella Jewelry, etc. She later considered acting as a good career option hence joined an acting school and started auditioning for films.
Bollywood Breakthrough
Anushka got an amazing opportunity to work with Shah Rukh Khan in the 2008 romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi for her debut in the Bollywood industry. She performed amazingly and the film became the second-highest-grossing Bollywood movie of that year. In 2010, she was cast in a crime comedy, named Badmaash Company, alongside Shahid Kapoor, Meiyang Chang, and Vir Das. The film was directed by Parmeet Sethi and received mixed reviews from the audience. In the same year, she got another movie to show her talent in the industry. The movie was a romantic comedy titled Band Baaja Baaraat opposite Ranveer Singh, who earned his debut in this film. Anushka’s performance was highly praised in the movie and she got nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
In 2011, she got her first non-Yash Raj Films venture. The movie was Patiala House and she got the opportunity to work with the very famous Akshay Kumar in this film. Anushka got a huge appreciation for her performance in the movie and was labelled as a Metaphor for Energy. In the same year, she was again cast with Ranveer Singh for a comedy-drama titled Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. The film was a moderate success and got mixed reviews from the audience.
Anushka was cast alongside Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan in the 2012 romance movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan. This film turned out to be the third highest-grossing Bollywood Film of that year and Anushka also got the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.In the next year, she appeared in a political satire set in a Haryanvi village, titled Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, in which she was cast alongside Imran Khan, Shabana Azmi, and Pankaj Kapur.
A Well-Renowned Celebrity
By 2014, Anushka had become a renowned actress in Bollywood. She got a fabulous role as a TV journalist in the 2014 religious satire PK co-star with Aamir Khan. This movie was the highest-grossing film of that year and she played her role brilliantly. She launched her own production company in 2013 named Clean Slate Films. The first movie to be produced under this tag was the 2015 thriller NH10. Anushka played the lead role in this film and it got screened at the 5th Beijing International Film Festival. To increase her stamina for this role, she went through an intensive training routine for three months. In the same year, she was also got cast in Anurag Kashyap’s crime drama Bombay Velvet opposite Ranbir Kapoor. But unfortunately, the movie failed to perform well at the box office. Anushka also played a supporting role opposite Ranveer Singh in the ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do.
In 2016, she got featured opposite Salman Khan in the romantic sports drama Sultan. To portray her role as a female wrestler in this movie, she got trained in sports for six weeks and interacted with female wrestlers to understand their body language. She also learned the Haryanvi dialect to increase perfection in her role. The movie turned out to be a big success and counts among Indian cinema’s highest-grossing movies.
She was also cast alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai in the 2016 romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Anushka played her roles with great dedication and effort earning lots of love and attention from her fans. She was ranked as the most successful Bollywood actress for the year 2016.
The Great Expansion to Production
In 2017, Anushka starred in a fantasy comedy, titled Phillauri, alongside Diljit Dosanjh and Suraj Sharma, in which she portrayed a friendly ghost. In the same year, she was again cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Jab Harry Met Sejal. Both of these movies failed to perform well at the box office and turned out to be flops.
Anushka started her 2018 with a horror film titled Pari which she has produced as well. Then she portrayed a biographer in the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Sanju based on the life of the popular actor Sanjay Dutt. This movie turned out to be Anushka’s third movie to earn over ₹5 billion worldwide. She was also cast opposite Varun Dhawan in a comedy-drama Sui Dhaaga.
For this movie, she got nominated for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She ended this year by reuniting with Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif in the movie Zero, the movie turned out to be a box-office failure.
Movie List
Anushka Sharma has been a part of many brilliant movies. She has performed amazingly in every project she has been a part of. Following is the list of movies Anushka has blessed us with.
| # | Movie Name | Released Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi | 2008 |
| 2 | Badmaash Company | 2010 |
| 3 | Band Baaja Baaraat | 2010 | 4 | Patiala House | 2011 |
| 5 | Ladies vs Ricky Bahl | 2011 |
| 6 | Jab Tak Hai Jaan | 2012 |
| 7 | Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola | 2013 |
| 8 | PK | 2014 |
| 9 | NH10 | 2015 |
| 10 | Bombay Velvet | 2015 |
| 11 | Dil Dhadakne Do | 2015 |
| 12 | Sultan | 2016 |
| 13 | Ae Dil Hai Mushkil | 2016 |
| 14 | Phillauri | 2017 |
| 15 | Jab Harry Met Sejal | 2017 |
| 16 | Pari | 2018 |
| 17 | Sanju | 2018 |
| 18 | Sui Dhaaga | 2018 |
| 19 | Zero | 2018 |
Achievements of Anushka
Being a fantastic actress, Anushka has earned numerous awards and has been recognised for her skills. Let’s have a look at some of the awards she has received throughout her acting career.
| # | Award Name | Receiving Year | Received For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Guild Award for Best Female Debut | 2009 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi |
| 2 | IIFA Award for Best Actress | 2011 | Band Baaja Baaraat |
| 3 | Star Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role | 2011 | Band Baaja Baaraat |
| 4 | Stardust Award for Best Comedy/Romance Actress | 2012 | Ladies vs Ricky Bahl |
| 5 | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | 2013 | Jab Tak Hai Jaan |
| 6 | IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress | 2013 | Jab Tak Hai Jaan |
| 7 | Star Guild Award for K. A. Abbas Honour for Social Consciousness | 2016 | NH10 |
| 8 | Zee Cine Award for Best Actor (Female) - Viewers' Choice | 2017 | Sultan |
| 9 | Stardust Award for Best Actress of the Year | 2017 | Ae Dil Hai Mushkil |
| 10 | Zee Cine Award for Best Actor (Female) - Jury's Choice | 2019 | Pari |
| 11 | IIFA Award for Jodi of the Year (along with Ranbir Kapoor) | 2014 | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani |
| 12 | IIFA Award for Best Actress | 2014 | Chennai Express |
| 13 | IIFA Award for Entertainer of the Year | 2014 | ---- |
| 14 | BIG Star Entertainment Award for Most Entertaining Actor in a Drama Film – Female | 2015 | Piku |
| 15 | IIFA Award for Woman of the Year | 2015 | ---- |
| 16 | Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice) | 2015 | Happy New Year |
| 17 | Filmfare Award for Best Actress | 2016 | Piku |
| 19 | Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice) | 2016 | Bajirao Mastani |
| 18 | IIFA 20 Years Award for Best Actress | 2019 | Chennai Express |
Other Recognitions
Anushka is not only appreciated for her acting and performances in the Bollywood industry but also for her social work. She has been recognised for her charitable work and social awareness by various national and international organisations.
| # | Organisation Name | Receiving Year | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GQ Men of the Year Awards | 2011 | Excellence Award |
| 2 | Cosmopolitan India Fun and Fearless Awards | 2011 | Star on the Rise |
| 3 | Hello! Hall of Fame Awards | 2012 | Outstanding Talent of the Year |
| 4 | Zee Cine Awards | 2012 | International Female Icon |
| 5 | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India | 2012 | Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity |
| 6 | ETC Bollywood Business Awards | 2014 | Highest Grossing Actress of the Year |
| 7 | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India | 2015 | Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity (along with Aamir Khan) |
| 8 | ETC Bollywood Business Awards | 2016 | Highest Grossing Actress of the Year |
| 9 | GQ Men of the Year Awards | 2017 | Woman of the Year |
| 10 | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India | 2017 | Person Of the Year |
| 11 | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India | 2018 | Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity (along with Kartik Aaryan) |
| 12 | Smita Patil Memorial Award | 2018 | Best Actress |
Productions by The Sharmas
In 2013, Anushka Sharma created a production company named Clean Slate Filmz along with her brother Karnesh. The first movie to be produced under this tag was NH10 in 2015. Other movies produced by this company include Phillauri (2017) and Pari (2018). In 2020, it has also produced the famous Hindi TV series, Paatal Lok. The 2020 supernatural thriller, Bulbbul, was also produced under the Clean Slate Filmz tag. Some 2022 movies produced by this production are Mai: A Mother's Rage and Qala.
In 2022, Anushka announced backing off from this production company and now her brother Karnesh is the sole owner of this production company.
Personal Life
Anushka was in a relationship with the famous actor Ranveer Singh before marrying the popular Indian cricketer, Virat Kohli. Anushka and Virat have been dating each other for a very long time and got married on 11 December 2017 in Italy. The couple is happily married and blessed with a beautiful daughter, named Vamika, born on 11 January 2021. Anushka is very private about her life and has criticized the Times Group for sharing her daughter’s picture taken on a vacation without Anushka’s permission.
She started practising vegetarianism in 2015 and was praised by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for this action and named “The Person of the Year” by the organisation. She has also been listed as one of “Bollywood’s Hottest Vegetarian Celebrities” by The Times of India.
Anushka’s Popularity
Anushka Sharma is one of the most popular Indian celebrities and has put great effort into reaching where she stands now. She is a self-made woman who started her career from the scratch. She is famous among her fans not only for her acting but also for her social work. She has participated in many charitable events for several NGOs and welfare societies. She has also contributed to the victims and survivors of various hazards like the Nepal earthquake and Kashmir floods, and appeared in several awareness campaigns like the Right to Education for children, etc.
Anushka has frequently appeared in the various lists of the famous magazine Forbes India. She has been listed in this magazine’s top 100 celebrity list based on her popularity and income. She has also appeared in Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 list in 2018. Other than Forbes, other famous magazines and newspapers have mentioned her from time to time including The Huffington Post, The Times of India, Fortune India, Rediff, Filmfare magazine, Verve, etc. Anushka has endorsed many brands like Nivea, TVS Scooty, Bru Coffee, Pantene, Elle 18 Cosmetics, etc. In 2017, she launched her own clothing brand, named Nush. She is a wonderful actress and is greatly loved by her fans.
Summing Up
Anushka Sharma is one of the most talented and noble celebrities in India. She is humble and worked hard to achieve great success in her career. Began as a model, and she has now become one of the top celebrities in India. She started her Bollywood journey with Shah Rukh Khan and is now married to one of the leading Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli. She is a self-aware as well as a socially aware woman.
One can say that she is a good example of Beauty with Brains. She has achieved a lot in her life and there is still a lot more to gain.
