Sanya Malhotra
Malhotra in 2019
Born (1992-02-25) 25 February 1992 (age 31)
Delhi, India
Alma materGargi College
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present

Sanya Malhotra (born 25 February 1992) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has had supporting roles in the sports film Dangal (2016) and the action film Jawan (2023), both of which rank among the highest-grossing Indian films. Her other commercially successful films were the comedy Badhaai Ho (2018) and the biopic Sam Bahadur (2023).

Malhotra received nominations for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for her leading roles in the drama Photograph (2019) and the black comedy Ludo (2020). She also received praise for starring in the streaming films Shakuntala Devi (2020), Pagglait (2021), Love Hostel (2022) and Kathal (2023). The last of these earned her a Filmfare OTT Award.

Early life

Malhotra was born on 25 February 1992 in Delhi into a Punjabi Hindu family.[1][2] She is a trained dancer in contemporary and ballet.[3] After graduating from Gargi College,[4] Malhotra participated in the dance reality show Dance India Dance and made it to the top 100.[5] She moved to Mumbai, where she began appearing in auditions and began assisting camerapersons for television commercials.[6] She was later contacted by the film casting director Mukesh Chhabra.[5]

Career

Early work and recognition (2016–2019)

Malhotra was selected for Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports film Dangal along with Fatima Sana Shaikh, who was also relatively new.[3] Before the film, she said that she did not know much about wrestling. She then watched several videos on wrestling and "how wrestlers move, walk, their body language" and also did the training.[3] Both Malhotra and Sheikh went through five rounds of auditions, physical training and workshops with Tiwari and Aamir Khan.[6] They were trained by coach and former wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi.[6] Released in 2016, Dangal received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Indian film ever with earnings of more than ₹2,000 crore (US$250 million) worldwide.[7] Anupama Chopra said in her review that Malhotra provides "strong support" to the story.[8] Malhotra later choreographed the song "Sexy Baliye" for the Secret Superstar (2017), which featured Khan.[9]

Two years later, Malhotra starred in Vishal Bhardwaj's drama Pataakha (2018) alongside newcomer Radhika Madan.[10] Based on the short story Do Behnen by Charan Singh Pathik, it tells the story of two warring sisters in Rajasthan.[11] The story was based on the wives of Pathik's brothers.[11] To prepare for the film, both she and Madan met the real inspiration behind the characters to learn their nuances.[11] The two stayed in Ronsi village near Jaipur and learned the Rajasthani dialect; they also got accustomed to milking buffaloes, thatching roofs, plastering the walls with dung and walking for long distances while balancing matkas full of water on their head and another around their waist.[12] They also had to put on 10 kg of weight.[13] Critic Raja Sen found Malhotra to be a "fearless actress" and thought that she "plays this character with unhinged enthusiasm".[14] In the same year, she took on a supporting role in Amit Sharma's critically and commercially successful comedy Badhaai Ho, starring Ayushmann Khurrana.[15]

In 2019, Malhotra starred in Ritesh Batra's Photograph. The film follows a street photographer Rafi, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who tries to convince a student Miloni (Malhotra) to pose as his fiancée so that his grandmother stops pressuring him to get married. It was screened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[16] The Hollywood Reporter featured her in their listing of "breakout talent" from the latter festival.[17] Rahul Desai of Film Companion gave Photograph a positive review and wrote that Malhotra "becomes the dreamy-eyed participant that enables the film to embrace its quiet glances and gentle flights of fantasy."[18] Malhotra was nominated for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for the film.[19][20]

Streaming films and beyond (2020–present)

Malhotra at an event in 2022

Malhotra's two films of 2020—the biographical film Shakuntala Devi and the black comedy Ludo—were initially planned for theatrical release. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, they were released directly on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix respectively. Shakuntala Devi, directed by Anu Menon, is about the mathematician of the same name and starred Vidya Balan in the titular role, with Malhotra portraying Devi's daughter Anupama.[21] Mike McCahill of The Guardian found Malhotra to be "quietly affecting" in her part and commended her for holding her own opposite her co-star.[22] Anurag Basu's anthology film, Ludo, featured her alongside an ensemble cast.[23] India Today's Nairita Mukherjee took note of the "outstanding camaraderie" between Malhotra and her co-star Aditya Roy Kapur.[24] For her performance in Ludo, she received another nomination for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.[25]

Malhotra's first two films of 2021 were released on Netflix. In the black comedy Pagglait, she starred as a young widow who discovers her late-husband's infidelity. Critic Anna M. M. Vetticad found her to be aptly cast in a subtle part.[26] She received a Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards.[27] Malhotra then starred alongside Abhimanyu Dassani as newlyweds in the romantic comedy Meenakshi Sundareshwar.[28] The film received criticism for its stereotypical representation of Tamil people.[29] In 2022, she starred in the ZEE5 film Love Hostel, a thriller about honour killing, opposite Vikrant Massey.[30] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote that both Massey and Malhotra "effortlessly convey the flavour of the world they inhabit".[31] Malhotra had a small role opposite Rajkummar Rao in the thriller HIT: The First Case, a remake of the Telugu film of the same name. Reviewers for The Times of India and News 18 bemoaned her lack of screen time.[32][33]

In 2023, Malhotra had a starring role as a small-town cop in pursuit of a missing jackfruit in the Netflix satirical film Kathal.[34] Hindustan Times's Monika Rawal Kukreja was appreciative of her comic timing.[35] Her performance earned her a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Female).[36] She next had a supporting role as a doctor in Jawan, an action film starring Shah Rukh Khan.[37] It ranks as one of Indian cinema's biggest grossers.[38] In her final release of the year, she played the wife of Sam Maneckshaw in the biopic Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal in the title role.[39] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu reviewed, "Malhotra as his lovely, supportive wife Siloo proves equal to Vicky’s charm".[40] It was a modest commercial success.[41]

Malhotra will next star in a Hindi remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, titled Mrs.[42]

In the media

Malhotra in 2019

Tanisha Bhattacharya of Filmfare noted, "Malhotra has made a career out of seeking content-centric films. She has wowed the audience with her natural performance."[43] Shilpa Dubey of Femina stated, "Contradicting the cookie-cutter style big-screen debuts, her onset in Bollywood was a refreshing game-changer in Dangal."[44] Malhotra ranked 3rd in Rediff.com's "The 10 Best Actresses" list of 2021.[45] She is an endorser for several brands and products including Fastrack and Shoppers Stop.[46][47]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Films

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Dangal Babita Kumari [48]
2017 Secret Superstar — Choreographer for song "Sexy Baliye" [49]
2018 Pataakha Genda/Chhutki [50]
Badhaai Ho Renee Sharma [51]
2019 Photograph Miloni Shah [52]
2020 Shakuntala Devi Anupama Banerjee [53]
Ludo Shruti Choksi [54]
2021 Pagglait Sandhya [55]
Meenakshi Sundareshwar Meenakshi [56]
2022 Love Hostel Jyoti Dilawar [57]
HIT: The First Case Neha Mahta [58]
2023 Kathal Mahima Basor [59]
Jawan Dr. Eeram [60]
Sam Bahadur Silloo Manekshaw [39]
2024 Mrs. † Richa Completed [61]
VD18 † TBA Filming [62]

Accolades

Year Awards Category Film Result Ref.
2018 Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards Best New Action Performer Dangal Won [63]
2019 Screen Awards Best Actress (Critics) Pataakha Nominated [64]
2020 Filmfare Awards Best Actress (Critics) Photograph Nominated [65]
2021 Ludo Nominated [66]
Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actress in a Web Original Film Pagglait Nominated [27]
2022 International Indian Film Academy Awards Best Actress Nominated [67]
Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Female) Meenakshi Sundareshwar Nominated [68]
Love Hostel Nominated
2023 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actress in a Film: Critics Kathal Won [36]
Best Actress (Web Original Film) Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Sanya Malhotra gets birthday wish from Daniel Radcliffe, her response has a Harry Potter connection". Hindustan Times. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Sanya Malhotra: Interesting facts about the actress". The Times of India. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Dangal selection process: Sanya Malhotra talks about the emotionally exhausting experience". India.com. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  4. ^ Sharma, Riya (21 February 2017). "Sanya Malhotra: I did not attend even a single class during my three years in college". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Awaasthi, Kavita (22 January 2017). "Dangal: For some reason, I thought it's a Kangana Ranaut film, says Sanya Malhotra". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Rathi, Vasundhara (20 December 2016). "Braving the bruises". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. ^ Cain, Rob (19 June 2017). "How An Indian Drama Became The World's Highest-Grossing Sports Movie Of 2017". Forbes.
  8. ^ Chopra, Anupama (22 December 2016). "Dangal Movie Review". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  9. ^ Goyal, Divya (16 October 2017). "Secret Superstar: Sanya Malhotra Enjoyed Making Aamir Khan Dance To Sexy Baliye This Much". NDTV. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  10. ^ Countinho, Natasha (23 June 2018). "Vishal Bhardwaj's Pataakha opens on September 28". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Jhunjhunwala, Udita (14 September 2018). "Blood is thicker". Mint. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  12. ^ Iyer, Sanyukta (7 April 2018). "Sanya Malhotra, Radhika Madan in Vishal Bhardwaj's next". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  13. ^ "This is why Sanya Malhotra is gaining weight for Vishal Bhardwaj's film". Hindustan Times. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  14. ^ Sen, Raja (28 September 2018). "Pataakha review: The new Vishal Bhardwaj film is colourful, noisy and dazzling". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Saif's Baazaar Earns Rs 11.93 Cr in 3 Days, Ayushmann's Badhaai Ho Gets Closer to Rs 100-Cr Mark". News18. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  16. ^ Mankad, Himesh (2 February 2019). "Sanya Malhotra on being hailed as a global talent to watch out for: It feels great to be appreciated". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  17. ^ Roxborough, Scott (5 February 2019). "5 Breakout Talents to Watch From the Berlin Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  18. ^ Desai, Rahul (28 January 2019). "Slow-Burning Mumbai And A Leap Of Inter-Faith In Ritesh Batra's "Photograph"". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
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  20. ^ Dubey, Rachana (3 February 2020). "Nominations for the 65th Filmfare Awards 2020 are out!". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi biopic to be released on Amazon Prime, actor 'thrilled to entertain you in unprecedented times'". Hindustan Times. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  22. ^ McCahill, Mike (30 July 2020). "Shakuntala Devi review – spirited biopic of a mathematical genius". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Abhishek Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao starrer Ludo to release on Netflix". The Indian Express. 16 July 2020. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  24. ^ Mukherjee, Nairita (13 November 2020). "Ludo Movie Review: Abhishek Bachchan, Pankaj Tripathi Netflix film is naram-garam and delicious". India Today. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  25. ^ "66th Vimal Elaichi Filmfare Awards 2021: Check out the complete list of nominees". The Times of India. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  26. ^ Vetticad, Anna MM (26 March 2021). "Pagglait movie review: A clear-eyed view of funeral politics and an unsparing gaze on the living". Firstpost. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  27. ^ a b "My Glamm Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Nominations". FilmFare. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Sanya Malhotra, Abhimanyu Dassani star in Netflix's 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar'". The Hindu. 25 November 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  29. ^ Sahu, Sushri (9 November 2021). "Netflix's 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar' Is Being Called Out For Stereotyping And Appropriating Tamil Culture. Again!". Mashable India. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Sanya Malhotra was 'nervous' about filming lovemaking scenes with Aditya Roy Kapur in Ludo, but 'my god, he's good looking'". Hindustan Times. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  31. ^ "Love Hostel Review". Rediff. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Hit: The First Case Movie Review : Rajkummar Rao lends gravitas to this dawdling crime mystery". The Times Of India. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  33. ^ "HIT The First Case Review: The Film Is An Absolute Treat For Rajkummar Rao's Fans". News 18. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Netflix reveals the exclusive motion poster of its upcoming satire, 'Kathal'". Firstpost. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Kathal movie review: Sanya Malhotra's near-perfect satire impresses in parts". Hindustan Times. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  36. ^ a b "Winners Of The Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out". Filmfare. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Meet the women of Jawan - Nayanthara, Deepika Padukone, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra and others". NDTV. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide: All Time". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  39. ^ a b "SamBahadur: Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh commence shoot for Meghna Gulzar's next directorial". Bollywood Hungama. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  40. ^ Kumar, Anuj (1 December 2023). "'Sam Bahadur' movie review: An adulatory tribute to India's most beloved soldier". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  41. ^ Jogani, Rishil (18 December 2023). "Sam Bahadur 3rd Weekend Box Office: Vicky Kaushal led biopic drops by just 30 percent; Adds solid Rs 12 crores". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  42. ^ "Sanya Malhotra to star in Hindi remake of The Great Indian Kitchen". Indian Express. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  43. ^ "Sanya Malhotra on as real as it gets to essaying roles that leave a lasting impression". Filmfare. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  44. ^ "The Rising Star: Sanya Malhotra Gets Real With Femina". Femina India. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  45. ^ "The BEST ACTRESSES of 2021". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  46. ^ "Actress Sanya Malhotra becomes the new face of Fastrack!". Economic Times. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  47. ^ "Sanya Malhotra says 'You belong with me' in Shoppers Stop's new campaign". Economic Times. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  48. ^ "Sanya Malhotra gets emotional as Dangal turns 3: 'The journey that started 3 years back'". Hindustan Times. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  49. ^ "Sanya Malhotra turns choreographer for Aamir Khan in Secret Superstar : Bollywood News -". Bollywood Hungama. 18 March 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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  51. ^ "Fans Rejoice As 'Badhaai Ho' Stars Sanya Malhotra & Ayushmann Khurrana Are Back Together On Screen". ABP. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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  56. ^ Kanyal, Jyoti (25 November 2020). "Sanya-Abhimanyu are perfect Tamil couple in Meenakshi Sundareshwar first look". India Today. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  57. ^ "Vikrant Massey, Sanya Malhotra and Bobby Deol wrap up Love Hostel shoot". India Today. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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  59. ^ "Sanya Malhotra concludes filming for Netflix movie 'Kathal'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  60. ^ Chaubey, Pranita (3 June 2022). "Jawan Teaser: Shah Rukh Khan Is More Than "Ready" For Atlee's Action-Packed Film". NDTV. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  61. ^ "Sanya Malhotra's 'The Great Indian Kitchen' Hindi remake titled 'Mrs'; to premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival". The Hindu. PTI. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  62. ^ "Sanya Malhotra joins Varun Dhawan and Atlee's action entertainer: Report". The Times of India. 20 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  63. ^ "Dangal girls Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra win action award in China". Mid-Day. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  64. ^ Morani, Aly; Morani, Karim; Morani, Mohomed; Nadiadwala, Mazhar; Soorma, Neelam (31 December 2018). "A Star-studded Night". Star Screen Awards. Star Plus. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  65. ^ "Sanya Malhotra- Critics Best Actor in Leading Role Female Nominee | Filmfare Awards". Filmfare. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  66. ^ "Vimal Elaichi Filmfare Awards 2021: Sanya Malhotra is "grateful and excited" as she gets nominated in the Best Actress (Critics) category for 'Ludo'". The Times of India. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  67. ^ "IIFA 2022 Nominations: Shershaah takes the lead with 12 Nominations, Ludo and 83 emerge as strong contenders; check out the complete list". Bollywood Hungama. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  68. ^ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2022". filmfare.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.

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