Meenakshi Chaudhary | |
|---|---|
 Meenakshi in 2024 | |
| Born | (1997-03-05)5 March 1997 (age 28) |
| Alma mater | St. Soldier International Convent School, National Dental College |
| Occupations |
|
| Title | Femina Miss India 2018 (1st runner-up) Miss Grand International 2018 (1st runner-up) |
Meenakshi Chaudhary (born 5 March 1997) is an Indian actress and beauty pageant titleholder who works predominantly inTelugu andTamil films. She represented the state ofHaryana at theFemina Miss India 2018 pageant, where she was crowned asFemina Miss India Grand International 2018. Chaudhary represented India atMiss Grand International 2018 and finished as the first runner-up.[1]
Chaudhary made her film debut with theHindi filmUpstarts (2019) before making her lead debut with theTelugu filmIchata Vahanamulu Niluparadu (2021). She has since featured in the box-office hitsHIT: The Second Case (2022),The Greatest of All Time (2024),Lucky Baskhar (2024) andSankranthiki Vasthunam (2025).
Meenakshi Chaudhary was born on 5 March 1997 into aPunjabi family inPanchkula, Haryana, India. Her father, late B.R Chaudhary, was acolonel in theIndian Army.[2] She completed her schooling from St. Soldier International Convent School inChandigarh. She is also a state level swimmer and badminton player.[3] Chaudhary completed her bachelor's degree indental surgery from theNational Dental College and Hospital inDera Bassi,Punjab.[4]
In 2017, Chaudhary was adjudged as Miss IMA during theIndian Military Academy Autumn Ball Night, which is held towards the end of each term, to mark the culmination of the training schedule ofmilitary cadets.[5][6]
Chaudhary auditioned for theFashion Big Bazaar sponsored Campus Princess 2018 where she was crowned as one of the winners fromPatiala auditions.[7] She then auditioned for the title Femina Miss Haryana 2018, which she eventually won.[citation needed] She represented the state ofHaryana in the annualFemina Miss India competition.[8]
She was crowned 1st runner up at theFemina Miss India 2018 that took place inSardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium,Mumbai, on 19 June 2018.[9][10] She also won the sub-title 'Miss Photogenic' at the competition.[11]
Later, it was revealed by theMiss India Organization that Chaudhary had been considered as Miss Grand India, and would represent India at Miss Grand International 2018 pageant.[12] She was officially crowned as Miss Grand India 2018 by the then reigning Miss Grand International 2017,María José Lora ofPeru.[13]
Chaudhary represented India atMiss Grand International 2018 pageant inYangon,Myanmar, where she made it to the top 5 of the Miss Popular sub-contest.[14] At the end of the event, she won the first runner-up title to the eventual winner,Clara Sosa ofParaguay.[15] She is the first Indian woman to reach the said placement at the pageant.[16][17]
In May 2019, Chaudhary was voted to the 2nd place in the list of "Times 50 Most Desirable Women of India 2018", in an internet survey conducted byThe Times of India.[18] At theFemina Miss India 2019 sub-contest crowning ceremony, she was felicitated by the Miss India Organisation for her accomplishments at Miss Grand International.[19]
After a brief role inUpstarts (2019), Chaudhary starred in the web series,Out of Love, an official adaptation ofBBC drama seriesDoctor Foster. She played the role of a 22-year-old who faces adversity, stress and the repercussions for having a relationship with a married man.[20]
In 2020, she was cast as a lead oppositeSushanth in theTelugu movieIchata Vahanamulu Niluparadu.[21] Apart from pursuing herdental degree and modelling assignments, Chaudhary had enrolled in workshops. A month after the workshop, she was called by Sushanth to discuss a film script, which she accepted.[citation needed] She was later signed up forRamesh Varma Penmetsa's film titledKhiladi.[22]
She has also acted as one of the female leads in the mystery-thriller film inTelugu language, titledHIT: The Second Case. In 2023, She made her Tamil debut with thepsychological thriller filmKolai.
In 2024, she played the lead roles in the filmsGuntur Kaaram,Singapore Saloon,The Greatest of All Time,Lucky Baskhar,Matka andMechanic Rocky. In 2026, she appeared in the comedy entertainer filmAnaganaga Oka Raju featuringNaveen Polishetty.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Upstarts | Veer's girlfriend | Hindi | [23] |
| 2021 | Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu | Meenakshi "Meenu" Yadav | Telugu | [24][25] |
| 2022 | Khiladi | Pooja | [22] | |
| HIT: The Second Case | Aarya | [26] | ||
| 2023 | Kolai | Leila Borkar | Tamil | [27] |
| 2024 | Guntur Kaaram | Raji | Telugu | [28] |
| Singapore Saloon | Nilavoliyal "Nila" | Tamil | [29] | |
| The Greatest of All Time | Srinidhi Sunil | [30] | ||
| Lucky Baskhar | Sumathi Kumar | Telugu | [31] | |
| Matka | Sujatha | [32] | ||
| Mechanic Rocky | Priya | [33][34] | ||
| 2025 | Sankranthiki Vasthunam | ACP C. Meenakshi "Meenu",IPS | [35] | |
| 2026 | Anaganaga Oka Raju | Charulata "Charu" | [36] | |
| Vrushakarma† | TBA |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2021 | Out of Love | Alia Kashyap Kapoor | Disney+ Hotstar | Hindi | [20][37] |
| Year | Title | Singer | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Ki Mai Kalli Aa" | Sara Gurpal | Punjabi | [38] |
| 2019 | "Kyun" | Sushant Rinkoo | Hindi | [39] |
| 2025 | "Sithira Puthiri" | Sai Abhyankkar | Tamil | [38] |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Female Debut – Telugu | Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu | Nominated | [40] |
| 2023 | Best Actress – Telugu | HIT: The Second Case | Nominated | [41] | |
| 2025 | Lucky Baskhar | Nominated | [42] | ||
| Best Actress Critics – Telugu | Won |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Femina Miss Haryana 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Grand India 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Grand International 1st Runner-up 2018 | Succeeded by |
