Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma has been in a relationship with cricketer Virat Kohli since 2013, when they met while shooting for a commercial. Their affair and alleged breakup had been a hot topic for tabloids till the couple finally got married at a private ceremony in Italy on December 11, 2017.

Anushka Sharma was born on May 1st, 1988, in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, to Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, an army officer, and Ashima Sharma, a homemaker. She has an elder brother named Karnesh Sharma who earlier served in the Merchant Navy and is now a film producer.

She grew up in Bangalore where she attended the Army School before receiving a degree in arts from Mount Carmel College. She initially wanted to pursue a career in modeling or journalism, and moved to Mumbai after completing her education to seek modeling opportunities.

Anushka Sharma began her career as a model. She was signed to Elite Model Management, where she was groomed by the style consultant Prasad Bidapa. At the same time, she took acting classes and auditioned for roles. She made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Wendell Rodricks's Les Vamps Show and was subsequently selected as his finale model at the Spring Summer 2007 Collection.

By the time she gave her screen test at the Yash Raj Films studio, she had already done campaigns for brands like Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio. She refused to do an impromptu audition and prepared for a day instead, and bagged a three-film deal with the studio.

She debuted in the lead role of Tani Sahni, a young bride to a middle-aged man, portrayed by Shah Rukh Khan, in Aditya Chopra's romantic drama 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' (2008). She was praised for her role and received nominations for the 'Filmfare Award' for 'Best Actress' and 'Best Female Debut'.

She next appeared as the leading lady in the crime-comedy 'Badmaash Company' (2010), alongside Shahid Kapoor, Vir Das and Meiyang Chang, which was received with mixed reviews. Later that year, she starred in her third movie with Yash Raj Films, 'Band Baaja Baaraat', against debutant Ranveer Singh, a role that earned her a second Filmfare nomination for 'Best Actress'.

She went on to appear opposite Akshay Kumar in the sports drama 'Patiala House' (2011) in which her energetic performance was praised by critics. The same year, she reunited with Ranveer Singh for the comedy-drama 'Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl', which was a moderate success at the box office despite receiving mixed reviews.

Anushka Sharma's debut film 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' was a huge commercial success and became the second-highest grossing Bollywood film of 2008. Her next film with Shah Rukh Khan, 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', was the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2012.

Her first top-grossing film was the Aamir Khan-starrer 'PK', which earned a worldwide revenue of over ₹7 billion (US$110 million). Both her 2016 films, 'Sultan' and 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', were top-grossing films, with the former ranking among Indian cinema's biggest grossers.