Swara Bhasker | |
|---|---|
 Bhaskar in 2017 | |
| Born | (1988-04-09)9 April 1988 (age 36) Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | University of Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | C. Uday Bhaskar |
Swara Bhasker (also spelledBhaskar; born 9 April 1988) is an Indian actress who works inHindi films. Best known for her supporting work in mainstream productions and starring roles inindependent films, she has won twoScreen Awards and has received nominations for fourFilmfare Awards .
Bhasker made her film debut with a supporting role in the 2009 dramaMadholal Keep Walking, a commercial failure. She got wider recognition in 2011 for her supporting role in the commercially successful romantic comedy-dramaTanu Weds Manu, earning her critical praise and aFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
Bhasker garnered further accolades for her performance in the critically acclaimed romantic dramaRaanjhanaa (2013), earning her a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. In 2015, she reprised her role fromTanu Weds Manu inthe film's sequel and later appeared in the family dramaPrem Ratan Dhan Payo, both productions among thehighest-grossing Bollywood films of the year. Her starring roles in the independent filmsNil Battey Sannata (2016) andAnaarkali of Aarah (2017) earned her further acclaim. She won theScreen Award for Best Actress (Critics) for the former and was nominated for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for the latter.[1] In 2018, she starred in the comedy-dramaVeere Di Wedding, which earned her a third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Swara Bhasker was born in aHindu family[2] on 9 April 1988[3][4] in Delhi toC. Uday Bhaskar, anIndian Navy officer ofTelugu descent, and his wife Ira Bhaskar, a professor of cinema studies inJNU Delhi who is ofBihari origin.[5]
Bhasker grew up in Delhi,[6] where she did her schooling fromSardar Patel Vidyalaya.[7] She subsequently studied UG in English atMiranda House where she was classmates withMinissha Lamba. She did her PG in sociology fromJNU Delhi.[8][9][10][11]
Before Bhasker started acting in films she was associated with N. K. Sharma's "Act One" theater group inDelhi.[12] She shifted toMumbai in 2008[13] and made her acting debut with the 2009 filmMadholal Keep Walking, which was screened at the33rd Cairo International Film Festival but underperformed at the box office India. She then played a supporting role inSanjay Leela Bhansali's dramaGuzaarish (2010), alongsideHrithik Roshan andAishwarya Rai.
Bhasker then appeared inSrinivas Sunderrajan's black and white thrillerThe Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project, which was touted as India's firstmumblecore film, made on the budget of₹40,000 (US$460) and completed in one year, was also the first Indian film to be screened at theTransilvania International Film Festival. However, bothGuzaarish andThe Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project were box-office failures and Bhasker remained unnoticed for her performances.[6][14]
Bhasker garnered widespread recognition from critics and audiences with a supporting role in the 2011's commercially successful romantic comedy-dramaTanu Weds Manu in which she played the role of Payal, the best friend of the film's lead actressKangana Ranaut.[5] She received praise and several nominations for her performance, including her first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.[15]
In 2013, she played the lead role inListen... Amaya (2013), which also saw the reunion of actorsFarooq Sheikh andDeepti Naval after 28 years, and earned positive reviews from critics.[16] She then appeared inRaanjhanaa, along withDhanush andSonam Kapoor, which was one of thehighest-grossing Bollywood film of the year. She received high critical praise as well as her second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role of Bindiya in the film.[17] She appeared in a lead female role in the box-office flopSabki Bajegi Band oppositeSumeet Vyas and in the moderate successfulMachhli Jal Ki Rani Hai withBhanu Uday.
Bhasker served as a host forShyam Benegal's television mini-seriesSamvidhaan, which was based on the making of theIndian Constitution. The series aired onRajya Sabha TV from March 2014 to May 2014.[18] On her trip toLahore,Pakistan, Bhasker appeared as a guest in the Pakistani TV comedy show,Mazaaq Raat which was aired in April 2015.[19]
Bhasker had three releases in 2015. In her first release, she reprised her role of Payal in the romantic comedy-dramaTanu Weds Manu Returns, a sequel to the 2011 filmTanu Weds Manu. The film and Bhasker's performance received high critical acclaim. The film was a financial success as well and became one of the few women-centric films that rank among thehighest-grossing Indian films. Her next release was the romantic family dramaPrem Ratan Dhan Payo, in which she played the role of Rajkumari Chandrika alongsideSalman Khan andSonam Kapoor. Directed bySooraj Barjatya, the film received mixed reviews. However, Bhasker's performance was well received by critics and audiences. With an estimated collection of₹400 crore (US$46 million), the film became one of thehighest-grossing Indian films.[20] That same year, she played a minor role in the collaborative bilingualX: Past Is Present. The film was directed by eleven filmmakers, and Bhasker appeared inNalan Kumarasamy's segment,Summer Holiday, which revolves around a young boy (played byAnshuman Jha), who goes toSouth India for summer holidays where an Aunty seduced him so that her husband can rape him. Although the film received mixed reviews, but her role of Aunty was particularly praised.Namrata Joshi ofThe Hindu wrote "X: Past Is Present belongs to its women".
In 2016, Bhasker played the lead inAnand L. Rai's comedy dramaNil Battey Sannata which marked her fourth collaboration with Rai. Bhasker was initially skeptical about the film because of the age difference between her and her character. However, she changed her mind after reading the script and played the role of a mother of a teenager.[21] Upon the release, the film as well as Bhasker's performance received critical acclaim and she was awarded with theBest Actress award at the Silk Road International Film Festival in September 2015. She began working in web series withIt's Not That Simple, which is produced byViacom 18's streaming serviceVoot. The show revolves around the idea of marriage, relationships, a woman's stand in a marriage, love etc. The series stars Bhasker along with television starsVivan Bhatena,Akshay Oberoi and Karanveer Mehra, withDanish Aslam as the director.
As of 2013[update], Bhasker had completed shooting forAbbas Tyrewala's comedy dramaMango, starringChandan Roy Sanyal andMonali Thakur, being produced under the banner ofKaleidoscope Entertainment. The film has been indefinitely delayed.[22]
She also played the lead role inShashanka Ghosh's 2018 romantic comedy filmVeere Di Wedding, co-starringKareena Kapoor,Sonam Kapoor and Shikha Talsania, about four girls who embark on a trip from Delhi to Europe.[23] Hermasturbation scene using avibrator in the film was praised for its frank portrayal of women's sexuality.[24][25][26] Her performance in the film earned her a third Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
On 16 February 2023, she marriedFahad Ahmad.[27][28] On 23 September that year, she gave birth to their daughter, Rabiya.[29]
Bhasker has been a vocal critic of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens). She has actively participated in the CAA protests.[30]
In October 2024, she commented on the assassination ofYahya Sinwar, the former leader ofHamas who was listed as aterrorist by the USA[31] and European Union,[32] calling him a "revolutionary hero" after viewing footage of his last moments.[33][34] She stated:
"I didn’t know anything about #yahyasinwar till I saw the footage of his last moments & assassination by the Zionist State and now I think he’s a revolutionary hero. Listen to his will, his last words and tell me that you are unmoved. #FreePalestine."
— Swara Bhaskar, x.com/ReallySwara
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Madholal Keep Walking | Sudha M. Dubey | |
| 2010 | Guzaarish | Radhika Talwar | |
| The Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project | Swara Bhaskar / Maya | ||
| 2011 | Tanu Weds Manu | Payal Sinha Singh | |
| Chillar Party | Battle Hour Anchor | ||
| 2013 | Listen... Amaya | Amaya Krishnamoorthy | |
| Aurangzeb | Suman | ||
| Raanjhanaa | Bindiya | ||
| Sabki Bajegi Band | Jaya | ||
| 2014 | Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai | Ayesha Saxena | |
| 2015 | Tanu Weds Manu Returns | Payal Sinha Singh | |
| Prem Ratan Dhan Payo | Rajkumari Chandrika | ||
| X: Past Is Present | Aunty | ||
| 2016 | Nil Battey Sannata | Chanda Sahay | |
| 2017 | Anaarkali of Aarah | Anarkali | |
| 2018 | Veere Di Wedding | Sakshi Soni | |
| 2018 | The Story | ZEE5 | |
| 2020 | Sheer Qorma | Rukhsar Siddiqui | |
| 2022 | Jahaan Chaar Yaar | Shivangi | |
| Mimamsa | Adhira | ||
| 2024 | Mrs Falani † | TBA | Completed[35] |
| Year(s) | Show | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Samvidhaan | Presenter | [36] | |
| 2015–2017 | Rangoli | Host/presenter | [37][38] | |
| 2016–2018 | It's Not That Simple | Meera | [39][40] | |
| 2019 | Hello Mini | [41] | ||
| 2020 | Rasbhari | Shanoo Bansal | ||
| 2020 | Flesh | ACP Radha Nautiyal | ||
| 2020 | Bhaag Beanie Bhaag | Beanie Bhatnagar | [42] | |
| 2021 | Aapkey Kamrey Mein Koi Rahta Hai | Mausam | MX Player |
| Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanu Weds Manu | 57th Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [43] |
| 2012 Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female | Won | [44] | |
| 13th IIFA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [citation needed] | |
| Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [45] | |
| Raanjhanaa | 59th Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [46] |
| 15th IIFA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [citation needed] | |
| Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | [47] | |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female | Won | [48] | |
| Nil Battey Sannata | Silk Road International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | [49] |
| Screen Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Won | [49] | |
| Anaarkali of Aarah | 63rd Filmfare Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Nominated | [50] |
| Veere Di Wedding | Lux Golden Rose Awards | Confident Beauty of the Year | Won | [51] |
| 64th Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [52] | |
| Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [53] |
