Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress and film producer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. Since her debut in 2008, she has established herself as one of the leading actresses of her generation and has also founded a production company that has backed several critically acclaimed films.
| Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anushka Sharma |
| Born | 1 May 1988, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Actress, film producer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Spouse | Virat Kohli (m. 2017) |
| Production house | Clean Slate Filmz |
| Industry | Hindi cinema (Bollywood) |
Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, into an Army family. Her father, Ajay Kumar Sharma, is a retired Army officer, and her mother is Ashima Sharma. She has an elder brother, Karnesh Sharma, a former merchant navy officer who is also her business partner. Owing to her father's profession, the family lived in different parts of India, and she spent much of her early life in Bangalore, where she attended Army School and later studied arts at Mount Carmel College.
Before entering films, she worked as a model in Bangalore and Mumbai, walking the ramp for designers including Wendell Rodricks at Lakmé Fashion Week.
Sharma made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), produced by Yash Raj Films. The film was a commercial success and earned her a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Female Debut. She followed this with Badmaash Company (2010) and Yash Raj Films' Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) opposite Ranveer Singh, which marked his debut and was widely praised.
She went on to feature in films including Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011), Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) directed by Yash Chopra, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013) directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, PK (2014) directed by Rajkumar Hirani, and NH10 (2015), which she also co-produced.
Her later notable films include Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Sultan (2016) opposite Salman Khan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017), Pari (2018), Sui Dhaaga (2018) and Zero (2018). She returned to acting after a hiatus with Chakda 'Xpress, a biographical film on cricketer Jhulan Goswami.
In 2013, Sharma co-founded Clean Slate Filmz with her brother Karnesh Sharma. The company has produced films such as NH10 (2015), Phillauri (2017) and Pari (2018), and the web series Paatal Lok (2020) and Bulbbul (2020) for streaming platforms.
Sharma has received multiple Filmfare Award nominations and won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). She has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list and has been included among the highest-paid Indian actresses by various publications.
Anushka Sharma married Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on 11 December 2017 in Tuscany, Italy. The couple have two children, a daughter named Vamika (born January 2021) and a son named Akaay (born February 2024).
Sharma is associated with animal welfare causes and has supported initiatives by PETA India. In 2017, she launched her own clothing line, Nush, focused on women's wear.
Sharma is considered among the prominent female actor-producers in contemporary Hindi cinema. Through Clean Slate Filmz, she has been credited with backing content-driven films and series, contributing to the expansion of women-led production ventures in the Indian film industry.