Sanya Malhotra Birthday Special: The unconventional actor

Sanya Malhotra Pic/Sanya Malhotra`s Instagram

Sanya Malhotra, who has earned fame by doing an array of unconventional roles on the big screen, turns 31 on February 25 (today). Trained as a dancer, Sanya commenced her career as an artist by participating in a reality show that didn't turn in her favour. She soon found herself on the sets of television commercials, giving auditions for that one big break. Her hard work paid off, and Sanya became a known name thanks to Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports drama 'Dangal' where she essayed the role of wrestler Babita Phogat.

‘Dangal' didn't put Sanya in the spotlight since it focused more on Aamir Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh. She reunited with Khan in Secret Superstar for which she choreographed the song ‘Sexy Baliye'. Her chance at doing an unconventional role took place with Vishal Bhardwaj's film ‘Pataakha' alongside Radhika Madan which allowed her to show her acting prowess in a rugged avatar. She was later roped in for ‘Badhaai Ho' which didn't have much scope for her since it leaned more on Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. However, Sanya didn't back down and bagged her first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress nomination with Ritesh Batra's ‘Photograph' opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

After doing films like 'Shakuntala Devi' and 'Ludo', Sanya took off as the lead in Netflix's 'Pagglait', a black comedy that saw her essay the role of a young widow, who is anything but a wailing wife after discovering her late husband's affair.

Sanya went on to do films like 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar' and the remake of 'HIT: The First Case' but her performance in 'Love Hostel' backed by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment allowed her once again to shine among seasoned actors Vikrant Massey and Bobby Deol.

2023 saw Sanya ace the role of a cop assigned to find missing jackfruits with Netflix's 'Kathal'. Just like ‘Pagglait', this film which saw her take charge as the lead did not disappoint. After teaming up with SRK once again in ‘Jawan', Sanya proved that when it comes to evoking emotions on screen, she is the boss. Her role as Dr. Eeram was nothing less than phenomenal. In the same year, she essayed the role of Silloo Manekshaw in the Vicky Kaushal-starrer ‘Sam Bahadur', making her filmography an envious one.

This year, Sanya is set to wow once again with ‘Mrs.' a remake of the Malayalam film ‘The Great Indian Kitchen'. For those who have watched the original, know that this could be another solo hit by Sanya, that will put her in the limelight for her skills as an actor.