Sanya Malhotra (born February 25, 1992) is an Indian cinema actress who works in Hindi. She began her career as a supporting actress in the biographical sports film Dangal (2016) and the comedy Badhaai Ho (2018), both of which were box office successes in India.
Malhotra garnered Filmfare Critics Award nominations for Best Actress for her parts in the drama Photograph (2019) and the black comedy Ludo (2020), as well as plaudits for her roles in the streaming films Shakuntala Devi (2020), Pagglait (2021), and Love Hostel (2022).
Background and early life
Malhotra was born and reared in the Indian capital of Delhi. She is a trained contemporary and ballet dancer. Malhotra went on to compete in the dancing reality show dancing India Dance after graduating from Gargi College, reaching the top 100. She relocated to Mumbai, where she began auditioning and helping camerapersons for television commercials. Mukesh Chhabra, the film casting director, later approached her.
Career
Early career and recognition (2016-2019) Malhotra was cast alongside Fatima Sana Shaikh in Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports film Dangal. She stated before to the film that she knew very little about wrestling. She then viewed multiple wrestling videos and practiced "how wrestlers move, walk, and use body language." Malhotra and Sheikh both went through five rounds of auditions, as well as physical training and workshops with Tiwari and Aamir Khan. Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi, a former wrestler and coach, trained them. Dangal, which was released in 2016, gained critical acclaim and went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, generating more than 2,000 crore (US$250 million) globally. In her assessment, Anupama Chopra stated that Malhotra lends "strong support" to the tale. Malhotra later choreographed the song "Sexy Baliye" for Khan's Secret Superstar (2017).
Two years later, Malhotra appeared alongside Radhika Madan in Vishal Bhardwaj's drama Pataakha (2018). It is based on Charan Singh Pathik's short novel Do Behnen and portrays the narrative of two feuding sisters in Rajasthan. Pathik's siblings' wives inspired the story. To prepare for the film, she and Madan met with the genuine inspiration for the characters to learn about their quirks. They lived in Ronsi village near Jaipur and learned the Rajasthani dialect while milking buffaloes, thatching houses, plastering buildings with dung, and traveling long distances while balancing matkas full of water on their heads and another around their waist. They had to gain 10 kg in weight as well. Raja Sen, a critic, described Malhotra as a "fearless actress" who "plays this character with unhinged enthusiasm." She had a supporting role in Amit Sharma's critically and commercially successful comedy Badhaai Ho, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, the same year.
Malhotra appeared in Ritesh Batra's Photograph in 2019. Rafi, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is a street photographer who tries to persuade a student Miloni (Malhotra) to masquerade as his fiancée so that his grandmother stops pressuring him to marry. It was shown at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival and the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter listed her as a "breakout talent" from the latter festival. Photograph received a good review from picture Companion's Rahul Desai, who said that Malhotra "becomes the dreamy-eyed participant that enables the film to embrace its quiet glances and gentle flights of fantasy." For the film, Malhotra was nominated for a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.
Streaming films (from 2020 to the present)
Malhotra at a 2022 event
Malhotra's two 2020 films, the biographical Shakuntala Devi and the black comedy Ludo, were originally scheduled for theatrical release. However, because to the COVID-19 epidemic in India, they were only available on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Anu Menon's Shakuntala Devi is based on the mathematician of the same name and stars Vidya Balan as the title character, with Malhotra as Devi's daughter Anupama. The Guardian's Mike McCahill called Malhotra's performance "quietly affecting," and praised her for holding her own against her co-star. Ludo, an anthology film directed by Anurag Basu, starred her among an ensemble cast. The "outstanding camaraderie" between Malhotra and her co-star Aditya Roy Kapur was noted by India Today's Nairita Mukherjee. She was nominated for another Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for her work in Ludo.
Malhotra's first two films were released on Netflix in 2021. She played a young widow who finds her late husband's infidelity in the black comedy Pagglait. Critic Anna M. M. Vetticad thought she was well cast in a quiet role. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Filmfare OTT Awards. Malhotra then co-starred in the romantic comedy Meenakshi Sundareshwar with Abhimanyu Dassani as newlyweds. The film was panned for its stereotypical portrayal of Tamil people.
In 2022, she co-starred with Vikrant Massey in the ZEE5 film Love Hostel, a thriller about honour murders. According to Rediff's Sukanya Verma, both Massey and Malhotra "effortlessly convey the flavor of the world they inhabit." Malhotra appeared in the thriller HIT: The First Case, a remake of the Telugu film of the same name, in a tiny role opposite Rajkummar Rao.
Malhotra will next be seen in the Netflix satire Kathal, about a small-town cop on the hunt for a missing jackfruit. She will also appear in Jawan, an action film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Nayanthara, and Sam Bahadur, a biography starring Vicky Kaushal as Sam Manekshaw.
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dangal | Babita Kumari | |
| 2017 | Secret Superstar | — | Choreographer for song "Sexy Baliye" |
| 2018 | Pataakha | Genda/Chhutki | |
| Badhaai Ho | Renee Sharma | ||
| 2019 | Photograph | Miloni Shah | |
| 2020 | Shakuntala Devi | Anupama Banerjee | |
| Ludo | Shruti Choksi | ||
| 2021 | Pagglait | Sandhya | |
| Meenakshi Sundareshwar | Meenakshi | ||
| 2022 | Love Hostel | Jyoti Dilawar | |
| HIT: The First Case | Neha Mahta | ||
| 2023 | Kathal | Mahima | Completed |
| Jawan | TBA | Filming | |
| Sam Bahadur | Silloo Manekshaw | Completed |
| Year | Awards | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards | Best New Action Performer | Dangal | Won |
| 2019 | Screen Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Pataakha | Nominated |
| 2020 | Filmfare Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Photograph | Nominated |
| 2021 | Ludo | Nominated | ||
| Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actress in a Web Original Film | Pagglait | Nominated | |
| 2022 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Female) | Meenakshi Sundareshwar | Nominated | |
| Love Hostel | Nominated |
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Sanya Malhotra |
| Profession(s) | Actress, Dancer |
| Famous Role | "Babita Kumari" in the film 'Dangal' (2016) |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 157 cm in meters- 1.57 m in feet inches- 5’ 2” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 50 kg in pounds- 110 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 32-26-32 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 25 February 1992 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 31 Years |
| Birthplace | Delhi, India |
| Zodiac sign | Pisces |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| School | Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar, Delhi |
| College/University | Gargi College, University of Delhi, New Delhi |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Debut | Film: Dangal (2016) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Khatri |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Address | A 3-BHK apartment in Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Dancing, Travelling, Reading, Doing Yoga |
| Awards | 2018- Best New Action Star at the prestigious 4th annual Jackie Chan Action Movie Week in China |
| Tattoo | Left Arm |
| Boys, Affairs, and More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Not Known |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father- Sunil Malhotra (Engineer) Mother- Renu Malhotra (Homemaker) |
| Siblings | Brother- None Sister- Shagun Malhotra (Elder) |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Rajma Chawal |
| Beverage(s) | Coffee, Beetroot Juice |
| Actor(s) | Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor |
| Actresses | Kangana Ranaut, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone |
| Film(s) | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Chahta Hai, Maqbool, The Lunchbox |
| Director(s) | Vishal Bhardwaj, Imtiaz Ali, Karan Johar |
| Destination | Europe |
| Singer/Band(s) | Lana Del Rey, Coldplay |
| Money Factor | |
| Assets/Properties | In November 2021, she gifted herself a new home in the Bayview building on Juhu-Versova Link Road. Reportedly, the apartment is worth Rs 14.3 crore. |
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