Ohanna Shivanand (born Shilpa Shivanand,[1] 10 December 1982) is an Indian model and actress, who is known for her two different television roles as Dr. Riddhima Gupta and Dr. Shilpa Malhotra in Dill Mill Gayye.[2][3] She has also starred in Indian films like Vishnu, also appeared in Music videos and television commercials. She was last seen in Bollywood film Yeh Hai Lollipop (2016).[4][5][6]
Shivanand was born on 10 December 1982[7] in South Africa and did her schooling there. Her parents were from India, and later she moved there.[8] In 2015, she changed her name to Ohanna Shivanand.[9] In an Interview, she stated that:
I always wanted to have a unique name and Shilpa is a very common name. Also, my original surname is Shivanand only. So 'Ohanna' which means God's precious gift or family is also as per my astrological star and this name suits me. Astrology is not the main reason, but yes it is one of the reasons.[10]
She is the younger sister of Sakshi Shivanand, who is also an actress.[11] Shivanand obtaining a Masters in Computer Applications (MCA), from 2000 to 2003. She worked as a software developer for five years, with Java J2EE application development and E-Learning.[8]
Shivanand started her career as a model.[12] She has done over 40 commercials, including for Coca-Cola with Aamir Khan, Lux soap with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Dabur Pudin Hara and Nerolac Paint with Amitabh Bachchan. She has also worked as a model advertising a variety of brands.[13][8][14]
Shivanand made her acting debut in South Indian film industry. Her first movie was Bezawada Police Station . In 2003, she starred in the telugu film Vishnu opposite Vishnu Manchu, produced by Mohan Babu.[15] In 2006, she made her Bollywood debut with Ravi Shankar's film Iqraar by Chance, as Rashmi Mehra.[13]
Shivanand is also a television actress. She began her television career with the 2007 medical youth show Dill Mill Gayye, where she portrayed the role of Dr.Riddhima Gupta.[16][17] It became no.1 show of Star One and she became an "instant success".[18][19][20] In May 2008, she quit Dill Mill Gayye and her exit caused a sizeable drop in the ratings of the show.[21][22] In 2019, during her Interview with "Spotboye", she revealed that she had quit in 2008 because she had a fight with the executive producer during shoot of "Zara Zara Touch Me Touch Me" dance sequence.[10] In April 2009, when Sukirti Kandpal had quit, the producer Siddharth Malhotra approached Shivanand for returning to Dill Mill Gayye but she asked for high amount of money which caused a conflict between her and the producer.[23] In June 2010, she finally returned on fans' demands and portrayed a different character, Dr. Shilpa Malhotra.[24][25][26] But her track was abruptly cut short.[27] In October 2010, Shivanand made an early exit from the show as per script, also because of internal differences among actors and low TRP.[28][29]
In 2012, she was featured in BBC Production's telefilm Teri Meri Love Stories, where she portrayed the role of Meera.[30] In 2015, she did a cameo role in channel BIG magic's show Mahisagar.[31][32]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Bezawada Police Station | Shilpa | Telugu | [15] |
| 2003 | Vishnu | Vaishnavi/Vedika | [33] | |
| 2004 | Sarvabhouma | Anju | Kannada | [34] |
| 2006 | Iqraar by Chance | Rashmi Mehra | Hindi | [8] |
| 2013 | Bloody Isshq | Raadhika | [35] | |
| 2016 | Yeh Hai Lollipop | Namita | [4] |
| Year | Show | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | Dill Mill Gayye | Dr. Riddhima Gupta | [2] | |
| 2010 | Dr. Shilpa Malhotra | [24] | ||
| 2012 | Teri Meri Love Stories | Meera | Episode 2: A Love Triangle | [36] |
| 2015 | Mahisagar | Herself (Celebrity Guest) | Episode 328 | [31] |
| Year | Song | Album | Singer | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Gol Gol Akh | Haaye Sohniye | Hans Raj Hans | Punjabi |
| 2006 | Kuch Der Tak | Tanhai: Lonely Hearts | Hariharan | Hindi |
| 2014 | Kachichiyan | Kachichiyan | Savvy Sandhu | Punjabi[37] |
| Khwaishein | Khwaishein: An Endless Dream | Shael Oswal and Ankita Mishra | Hindi[38] | |
| 2016 | Over Under | Illuminati | Tarsem Jassar | Punjabi[39] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Global Indian Film & TV Honours | Best Onscreen Couple (with Karan Singh Grover ) | Dill Mill Gayye | Nominated | [citation needed] |
| Indian Television Academy Awards | Won | [41] |
