Acting

Kriti Kharbanda

**Kriti Kharbanda** (born 29 October 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu cinema. Recognized for her vibrant screen presence, relatable charm, and versatility across romantic comedies and commercial entertainers, she established herself as a top leading actress in Sandalwood before successfully transitioning into mainstream Bollywood. Born in New Delhi into a Punjabi family, Kriti moved with her family to Bengaluru in the early 1990s. She completed her schooling and graduated from Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College in the city. During her student years, she began appearing in cultural shows and print advertisements, modeling for prominent regional and national brands before catching the attention of film directors. She made her feature film acting debut with the Telugu action drama *Boni* (2009) opposite Sumanth. Shortly after, she entered Kannada cinema with the romantic film *Chirru* (2010), starring opposite Chiranjeevi Sarja. Her career in Sandalwood reached massive commercial heights with Pavan Wadeyar's blockbuster romantic comedy *Googly* (2013), where her charming performance as Swathi turned her into a household name and one of the most sought after leading ladies in Karnataka. She consolidated her star status in Kannada cinema with a string of major hits, including *Super Ranga* (2014) opposite Upendra, for which she won the Critics' Best Actress Award at the SIIMA Awards, alongside *Belli* (2014), *Minchagi Neenu Baralu* (2015), *Santhu Straight Forward* (2016), and *Dalapathi* (2018). In Telugu cinema, she featured in prominent films such as *Ala Modalaindi* (2011), the action comedy *Teen Maar* (2011) alongside Pawan Kalyan, and the actioner *Bruce Lee: The Fighter* (2015) with Ram Charan. Kriti made her foray into Hindi cinema with Vikram Bhatt's supernatural horror drama *Raaz: Reboot* (2016), co-starring Emraan Hashmi. She achieved widespread acclaim and national visibility with the romantic comedy-drama *Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana* (2017) opposite Rajkummar Rao, followed by the comedy *Guest iin London* (2017). Her subsequent releases in 2018 included *Veerey Ki Wedding*, *Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se*, and a cameo appearance in *Karwaan*. In 2019, she starred in the high-grossing reincarnation comedy ensemble *Housefull 4*, essaying the dual roles of Rajkumari Meena and Neha. She followed this with Anees Bazmee's multi-starrer comedy *Pagalpanti* (2019) and won critical appreciation for her performance as Aarfa Khan in Bejoy Nambiar's intense thriller *Taish* (2020). Her filmography further expanded with the social comedy drama *14 Phere* (2021) and the mystery thriller *Chehre* (2021). In March 2024, she married actor Pulkit Samrat, her co-star from *Veerey Ki Wedding*, *Pagalpanti*, and *Taish*. Balancing romantic leads with character driven roles across North and South Indian film industries, she remains a prominent and well regarded star in contemporary Indian entertainment.