Kiara Advani

Kiara Advani’s acting career began with the 2014 ensemble comedy Fugly, where her performance earned praise for her looks and talent, though the film was a box-office disappointment. Two years later, she gained recognition for her role as Sakshi Rawat, MS Dhoni’s wife, in the biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), which was a major commercial success, grossing over ₹216 crore (US$25 million).

In 2017, Advani starred in Machine, an action thriller that failed at the box office. She then collaborated with Karan Johar in the Netflix anthology Lust Stories (2018), where she portrayed a sexually unsatisfied wife, receiving praise for her performance.

Advani also ventured into Telugu cinema in 2018 with Bharat Ane Nenu, starring alongside Mahesh Babu. While her brief role was noted, her character was seen as unnecessary to the plot. Despite this, the film was a huge success, grossing ₹225 crore (US$26 million). Her second Telugu film, Vinaya Vidheya Rama, with Ram Charan, was a failure, with critics criticizing her role. She also made a cameo in Kalank (2019), produced by Karan Johar.

Kiara Advani gained wider recognition in 2019 with her role in Kabir Singh, starring alongside Shahid Kapoor. Despite the film’s commercial success, grossing ₹378 crore (US$44 million), it faced criticism for its portrayal of misogyny and toxic masculinity. Critics noted that Advani’s role was passive and underdeveloped. She also starred in Good Newwz, alongside Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, and Diljit Dosanjh, about two couples’ struggles with IVF. The film was a commercial hit, grossing over ₹200 crore, and Advani won the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2020, Advani appeared in the Netflix film Guilty, where she portrayed a troubled college student. She earned praise for her performance in Guilty but faced criticism for her role in Laxmii, a horror comedy, which was released digitally and received poor reviews despite its high viewership. Later that year, Indoo Ki Jawani, a romantic comedy, also underperformed.

Advani’s next big hit came in 2021 with Shershaah, in which she played Vikram Batra’s girlfriend. The film, released on Amazon Prime Video, became the most-streamed Indian film, and Advani received critical praise, earning a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. In 2022, she starred in the comedy horror Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which was a major commercial success, grossing ₹2.6 billion (US$30 million). She followed this with a role in Jugjugg Jeeyo, a family comedy-drama, which also performed well at the box office.

In 2023, Advani starred in Satyaprem Ki Katha, a romantic drama about a troubled marriage, earning another Filmfare nomination. Her performance was praised for its sensitivity and depth. Advani’s latest project, Game Changer (2025), a Telugu action film, received mixed reviews, with some critics feeling her role was underutilized.

Looking ahead, Advani will star in the highly anticipated War 2 within the YRF Spy Universe and also feature in the Kannada action film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.

Other work and public image

Kiara Advani has received praise for her charming and vivacious personality, with Raghuvendra Singh of Filmfare describing her as always full of energy. The New Indian Express‘s Shama Bhagat highlighted her successful career comeback after early setbacks, noting her impressive streak of hit films.

Beyond acting, Advani actively supports various social causes. She has promoted initiatives like “Quaker Feed A Child” for Smile Foundation and supported The Quint‘s #SpreadTheLight campaign. During the COVID-19 crisis, she contributed to the “I Stand With Humanity” campaign to aid daily wage workers in the entertainment industry.

Advani is also a popular brand ambassador for companies such as Audi, Galaxy Chocolate, Colgate, and Slice. In 2019, she joined a campaign for Giordano handbags, and in 2020, she collaborated with Myntra. In 2022, she represented Spanish brand Mango in India and signed with Reliance Retail’s beauty brand Tira and Quaker Oats in 2023.

Her influence extends to live performances, including her participation in the Women’s Premier League opening ceremony and the “Entertainer No. 1” tour in 2023.

Advani’s popularity is reflected in several rankings. She was named the sixth and fourth “Most Desirable Woman” by The Times of India in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Rediff.com ranked her among the top 10 popular Bollywood stars in 2019 and 2022, and in 2022, GQ India included her in their “30 Most Influential Young Indians” list, recognizing her as one of the best-dressed celebrities. In 2023, she became the most searched personality on Google in India.