Kriti Sanon

Kriti Sanon (Hindi pronunciation: [krɪti sænɒn]; born 27 July 1990) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. She is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards. Sanon was featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.

After pursuing a degree in engineering from the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sanon briefly worked as a fashion model. She began her acting career by playing the leading lady in the 2014 action films 1: Nenokkadine and Heropanti. The latter earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her career progressed with starring roles in the commercially successful romantic comedies Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) and Luka Chuppi (2019), and her highest-grossing releases came with the ensemble comedies Dilwale (2015) and Housefull 4 (2019).

Sanon won the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role of a surrogate mother in the comedy-drama Mimi (2021). This was followed by a series of commercially unsuccessful films, including the big-budget and controversial film Adipurush (2023), though the comedy horror Bhediya (2022) was well received. Sanon has since achieved commercial successes with the 2024 comedies Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Crew.

In addition to acting, she is a celebrity endorser for several brands and products. Sanon has launched her clothing line Ms. Taken, fitness company The Tribe, skin-care brand Hyphen, as well as her production company Blue Butterfly Films.

Sanon was born on 27 July 1990 in New Delhi. Her mother Geeta Sanon is a physics professor at the University of Delhi while her father Rahul Sanon is a chartered accountant. She belongs to a Punjabi Hindu family. Her younger sister, Nupur Sanon, is also an actress.

Sanon attended Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram and later secured a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida. She briefly worked as a model before becoming an actress.

Sanon made her acting debut in 2014 with the Telugu psychological action thriller 1: Nenokkadine, playing the love interest of Mahesh Babu's character. The part required her to participate in action sequences filmed at sea; she has said that the experience made her nervous as she did not know how to swim. Reviewers for The Times of India and Sify took note of her beauty and were encouraging of her acting prowess. After completing the first schedule of 1: Nenokkadine, Sanon was signed on for Heropanti, a Hindi action film opposite newcomer Tiger Shroff; she divided her time between both films. Trade journalist Taran Adarsh opined that Sanon "has the trappings of a star", but critic Srijana Das of The Times of India criticised her emoting, calling it "more cheesy than sharp". Heropanti emerged as a commercial success. Sanon won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female for Heropanti.

The following year, Sanon had her second Telugu film release in the crime drama Dohchay, co-starring Naga Chaitanya. She was next cast in Rohit Shetty's action comedy Dilwale with Varun Dhawan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, which emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films at that time, grossing more than ₹3.72 billion (US$44 million) worldwide. Anupama Chopra disliked the film and wrote that Sanon and Dhawan "work as bait, meant to bring in the critical youth segment".