Sobhita Dhulipala (born May 31, 1992) is an Indian cinema actress who predominantly works in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.
Sobhita Dhulipala (born May 31, 1992) is an Indian cinema actress who predominantly works in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. She won the Femina Miss India Earth 2013 title and represented India at the Miss Earth 2013 competition. Dhulipala made her acting debut in Anurag Kashyap^/s thriller Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) before rising to prominence in the Amazon Prime Video drama series Made in Heaven (2019).
Dhulipala later appeared in Telugu films Goodachari (2018) and Major (2022), Malayalam movie Moothon (2019) and Kurup (2021), Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022), and Hindi series The Night Manager (2023).
Childhood and education
Sobhitha Dhulipala was born into a Telugu Brahmin family on May 31, 1992, in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh. Venugopal Rao, her father, was a Merchant Navy engineer, and her mother, Santha Kamakshi, was a primary school teacher. She was raised in Visakhapatnam as a studious child who was mainly concerned with "being well-read, good in studies, and school captain." She traveled to Mumbai alone at the age of sixteen, seeking bigger vistas beyond her home city, and eventually attended H.R. College of Commerce and Economics at the University of Mumbai. She is also a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi classical dancer. Dhulipala was crowned Navy Queen in 2010 at the annual Navy Ball.
Career Planning (2013)
Dhulipala^/s college classmate was interning at the Miss Office and suggested she audition for the forthcoming pageant. Dhulipala joined with the idea of merely clearing the first round to prove to her friends that she could, describing herself as a "uncool geek" who yearned for validation. She opted to continue with the rounds after passing the auditions. Dhulipala achieved an auto-entry into the top 23 in the 50th year of Femina Miss India after winning the Femina Miss India South 2013 title, a zonal pageant of Femina Miss India. Miss Stylish Hair, Miss Adventurous and Miss Fashion Icon, Miss Talent, and Miss Digital Diva were also given to her. She later represented India at Miss Earth 2013 in the Philippines, but she did not place in the top 20, instead earning the titles of Miss Photogenic, Miss Beauty for a Cause, Miss Talent, and Miss Beautiful Face. She was also included in the 2014 Kingfisher Calendar.
Career as an actor (2016-present)
Dhulipala made her cinematic debut in 2016 with Anurag Kashyap^/s Raman Raghav 2.0. In July 2016, he also signed a three-film agreement with Kashyap^/s production firm, Phantom Films. The film premiered during the Director^/s Fortnight at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where she was nominated for best supporting actress by critics. She signed two projects in early August 2016, Kaalakaandi directed by Akshat Verma and Chef directed by Raja Menon, both starring opposite Saif Ali Khan.
Dhulipala made her Telugu debut in the 2018 film Goodachari, starring Adivi Sesh. She also has a starring role in the Amazon Prime original series Made In Heaven. In 2019, she played an intelligence agency operative in Bard of Blood, an Indian fictional spy thriller Netflix web television series based on the 2015 espionage novel of the same name. Dhulipala made her Malayalam film debut alongside Nivin Pauly in the 2019 Geetu Mohandas directed Moothon. Kurup (2021), starring Dulquer Salmaan, featured her.
Dhulipala appeared in the Hindi-Telugu biographical action film Major, starring Adivi Sesh as Sandeep Unnikrishnan, in 2022. She also starred in Mani Ratnam^/s Ponniyin Selvan: I.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Language(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Raman Raghav 2.0 | Smrutika Naidu | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Chef | Vinnie | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Kaalakaandi | Tara | Hindi | |
| Goodachari | Sameera Rao / Sameera Sheikh[a] | Telugu | ||
| 2019 | Moothon | Rosy | Malayalam | |
| The Body | Maya Verma | Hindi | ||
| 2020 | Ghost Stories | Neha | Hindi | Anurag Kashyap^/s segment |
| 2021 | Kurup | Sharada Kurup | Malayalam | |
| 2022 | Major | Pramoda Reddy | Telugu and Hindi | |
| Ponniyin Selvan: I | Vaanathi | Tamil | ||
| 2023 | Ponniyin Selvan: II  | Vaanathi | Tamil | Completed |
| Sitara | TBA | Hindi | Completed | |
| Monkey Man | TBA | English | American film; completed |
| Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
- All shows are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Title | Role. |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Made in Heaven | Tara Khanna |
| Bard of Blood | Isha Khanna | |
| 2023 | The Night Manager | Kaveri Dixit |
Awards and nominations
In 2019, the drama series “Made in Heaven” earned Sobhita a nomination for the Best Actress – Drama category at the iReel Awards. Other contestants were Shefali Shah (Delhi Crime), Shweta Tripathi (Laakhon Me Ek 2), Supriya Pilgaonkar (Home), and Dia Mirza (Kaafir). Shefali Shah won the covetous award.
Similarly, in 2022, the Malayalam movie “Kurup” was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the South Indian International Movie Awards.
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | iReel Awards | Best Actress - Drama | Made in Heaven | Nominated |
| 2022 | 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress in A Leading Role (Malayalam) | Kurup | Nominated |
| Bio | |
| Profession(s) | Actress and Model |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in Feet Inches- 5^/ 9" |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 52 Kg in Pounds- 115 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 33-25-33 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 31 May 1992 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 30 Years |
| Birthplace | Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| School | Little Angels School, Visakhapatnam Visakha Valley School, Vishakapatnam |
| College | H.R. College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualifications | • Bachelor of Commerce • Master’s in Commerce and Economics |
| Debut | Film Debut: Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) |
| Family | Father- Venugpopal Rao Mother- Santha Rao Sister- Samantha (younger) Brother- Not Known |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Telugu Brahmin |
| Hobbies | Travelling, Reading, Writing, Painting, Gardening |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Tibetan Food, Noodles, Waffle |
| Actors | Mahesh Babu, Hrithik Roshan |
| Actresses | Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Meena Kumari |
| Films | Hollywood Films: The Harry Potter series, Cloud Atlas, Titanic Bollywood Films: Jodha Akbar, Umrao Jaan, Guzaarish, Fashion |
| Singer | Leonard Cohen |
| Poets | Charles Bukowski, Ezra Pound, Bertolt Brecht, John Keats |
| Fashion Brands | Gucci, Huemn, The Row, Raw Mango, Vintage YSL |
| Play | “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare |
| Book | “Letters to Milena” by Franz Kafka |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Husband | N/A |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Sobhita Dhulipala
- Does Sobhita Dhulipala smoke?: No
- Does Sobhita Dhulipala drink alcohol?: Not Known
- Sobhita won the Femina Miss India Earth title in 2013.
- She was also the 2014 Kingfisher Calendar Girl.
- When she was in 9th standard, she was afraid of failing in her history exam and participated in an essay-writing competition and surprisingly won it.
- She is a trained Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer.
- In 2016, she made her Bollywood debut in the film Raman Raghav 2.0, alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal. The film premiered at the Cannes Film festival 2016; she was nominated under the Critics’ Choice Best Performace.
- In 2019, Sobhita featured in the spy thriller web series “Bard of Blood,” which was based on the novel by the Bilal Siddiqi.
- During an interview, Sobhita talked about her personal growth and choosing what is right for oneself. In the context of her statement, she mentioned making sense of Hamlet’s soliloquy-
To be, or not to be.”
- She told during an interview that she never wanted to be an actress, instead, desired to be a writer. Talking about it, she says,
I didn’t grow up watching films or thinking that you know ‘Oh! mujhe actor banna hai, star banna hai, aisa maine socha to nahi’. I grew up reading a lot on literature and all of that. But this was something as I hope for a dream and I am glad it happened actually.”
- Sobhita loves playing the guitar in her leisure time.
- Sobhita says that the process of winning the Miss India crown damaged her self-esteem. Before Miss India, she was a loner and an uncool person, who felt the need to seek out her validation in college. Her friend, who was interning at the Miss India Office asked her to give an audition for the competition. She participated in the competition and won it. The competition brought changes in her attitude and lifestyle. Talking about the transition in her, she said-
For the first time in my life, I was getting attention. I was very awkward with myself, I was so lame… But Miss India did more damage to my self-esteem. It took me more away from me because you’re reduced to someone who’s entertaining, who is pleasing. It messed with my head. You have a constant identity crisis. You feel like you don’t belong anywhere like you’re following your ego or the need to feel good about yourself. Where does that end really?”
