Anushka Sharma (born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and film producer who works in Hindi films. She made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). She became one of the leading actresses of the 2010s with Band Baaja Baaraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, Sultan and Sanju. At 25 she co-founded the production company Clean Slate Filmz, which made the thriller NH10 and the acclaimed series Paatal Lok. She is married to the cricketer Virat Kohli.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Anushka Sharma |
| Born | 1 May 1988, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Age | 38 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress, film producer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Education | Army School, Bengaluru; Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru (BA) |
| Parents | Col. Ajay Kumar Sharma (retired Army officer), Ashima Sharma |
| Sibling | Karnesh Sharma (film producer) |
| Spouse | Virat Kohli (m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 (Vamika, born 2021; Akaay, born 2024) |
| Known for | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Band Baaja Baaraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, NH10, Sultan |
Early Life and Education
Sharma was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, was an Indian Army officer, so the family moved several times during her childhood, and she spent part of it in Assam. She grew up mainly in Bengaluru, where she attended the Army School and earned an arts degree from Mount Carmel College. Her elder brother, Karnesh, served in the Merchant Navy before becoming a film producer. She began her career as a model, making her runway debut in 2007 for the designer Wendell Rodricks at Lakmé Fashion Week.
Career
Aditya Chopra cast Sharma, then 20 and unknown, as the lead opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the romantic comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), and the film was a major hit. Her breakthrough as a performer came in Yash Raj Films’ Band Baaja Baaraat (2010). She played a determined young Delhi wedding planner opposite Ranveer Singh, and critics praised her energy and comic timing. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Yash Chopra’s final film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), again opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
Sharma starred in Rajkumar Hirani’s satire PK (2014), which was then the highest-grossing Indian film. The following year she produced and starred in NH10 (2015), a dark road thriller about a woman fighting back against violent men. The film was her first as a producer and was praised for its boldness. She also appeared in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). She played a wrestler opposite Salman Khan in the blockbuster Sultan (2016). In 2018 she appeared in Pari, which she produced, in Sanju with Ranbir Kapoor, and in Zero, her third film with Shah Rukh Khan.
In 2013 Sharma and her brother founded the production company Clean Slate Filmz. It produced NH10, Phillauri (2017) and Pari, and later the Netflix horror film Bulbbul (2020), the acclaimed Prime Video crime series Paatal Lok (2020) and the period drama Qala (2022). She stepped back from producing in 2022 to focus on acting. After Zero she took a long break from lead roles. In 2022 she filmed Chakda ‘Xpress, a Netflix biopic of the Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami. The film has faced lengthy delays and has not yet been released. She made her Cannes Film Festival red-carpet debut in 2023.
Personal Life
Sharma married the Indian cricket star Virat Kohli on 11 December 2017 in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. They have a daughter, Vamika, born in January 2021, and a son, Akaay, born in February 2024. The couple generally keep their children away from the cameras. Kohli retired from T20 internationals after India’s 2024 World Cup win and from Test cricket in 2025. Sharma launched the clothing brand Nush in 2017. She has been a vegetarian since 2015 and supports animal welfare causes.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Anushka Sharma born?
Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India and is 38 years old.
What is Anushka Sharma known for?
Known for: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Band Baaja Baaraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, NH10, Sultan.
Featured image: Anushka Sharma at the trailer launch of Sultan, Mumbai, 2016. Photo by Bollywood Hungama, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
