Sanon won theNational Film Award and theFilmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role of a surrogate mother in the comedy-dramaMimi (2021). This was followed by a series of commercially unsuccessful films, including the big-budget and controversial filmAdipurush (2023), though the comedy horrorBhediya (2022) was well received. Sanon has since achieved commercial successes with the 2024 comediesTeri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya andCrew.
In addition to acting, she is a celebrity endorser for several brands and products. Sanon has launched her clothing line Ms. Taken, fitness company The Tribe, skin-care brand Hyphen, as well as her production companyBlue Butterfly Films.[1]
Sanon made her acting debut in 2014 with theTelugu psychological action thriller1: Nenokkadine, playing the love interest ofMahesh Babu's character.[13][14] The part required her to participate in action sequences filmed at sea; she has said that the experience made her nervous as she did not know how to swim.[15] Reviewers forThe Times of India andSify took note of her beauty and were encouraging of her acting prowess.[16][17] After completing the first schedule of1: Nenokkadine, Sanon was signed on forHeropanti, aHindi action film opposite newcomerTiger Shroff; she divided her time between both films.[18][19] Trade journalistTaran Adarsh opined that Sanon "has the trappings of a star",[20] but critic Srijana Das ofThe Times of India criticised her emoting, calling it "more cheesy than sharp".[21]Heropanti emerged as a commercial success.[22] Sanon won theFilmfare Award for Best Female Debut and theIIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female forHeropanti.[23]
After a yearlong absence from the screen, Sanon teamed withMaddock Films producerDinesh Vijan, in their first of many collaborations, in his directorial debutRaabta (2017), which featured her andSushant Singh Rajput as star-crossed lovers.[28] In a scathing review, Sukanya Verma ofRediff.com labelled the film "embarrassingly daft" but took note of Sanon's "statuesque, spirited presence".[29] The film failed commercially.[30] Sanon's starring role as a headstrong small-town woman aspiring to a better life inAshwiny Iyer Tiwari's romantic comedy-dramaBareilly Ki Barfi was better received. Co-starringAyushmann Khurrana andRajkummar Rao as her love interests, the film was an adaptation of French writer Nicholas Barreau's novelThe Ingredients of Love.[31] Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV noted that "the burden of makingBareilly Ki Barfi work rests upon Kriti Sanon and she doesn't put a foot wrong", but Shubhra Gupta ofThe Indian Express thought that despite Sanon's effort, her performance lacked naturalism.[32]
Sanon worked in two of Vijan's productions in 2019. She starred in cinematographerLaxman Utekar's Hindi directorial debut,Luka Chuppi, a satire on live-in relationships, which paired her oppositeKartik Aaryan.[33] Devesh Sharma ofFilmfare was appreciative of her comic timing.[34] A commercial success,Luka Chuppi grossed₹1.29 billion (US$15 million) worldwide.[35][36] Following an appearance in the unremarkable comedyArjun Patiala,[37][38] Sanon played one of the leading ladies in the reincarnation comedyHousefull 4, the fourth instalment of theHousefull franchise, which paired her oppositeAkshay Kumar. Despite poor reviews,Housefull 4 was one of the biggest grossers of the year, earning over₹2.8 billion (US$33 million).[39][40] In her final appearance of 2019, Sanon portrayedParvatibai oppositeArjun Kapoor'sSadashivrao Bhau inAshutosh Gowariker's period dramaPanipat, based on theThird Battle of Panipat, which emerged as a box-office bomb.[41]
Mimi and career fluctuations (2021–2023)
Sanon collaborated once again with Vijan and Utekar in the comedy-dramaMimi (2021), which proved to be a turning point in her career.[42] A remake of the 2011 Marathi dramaMala Aai Vhhaychy!, it starred her in the title role of an aspiring actress who becomes asurrogate mother.[43] Sanon gained 15 kg of weight for scenes involving her character's pregnancy.[44] The film was released digitally onNetflix andJioCinema. Critics were generally unimpressed with the film, but Sanon's performance received praise,[45] withMashable India deeming it a career-best.[46] Pallabi Dey Purkayastha ofWION wrote that Sanon had succeeded in her "attempt to establish herself as a standalone actor, not just a pretty heroine" and took particular note of the subtlety in her performance.[47] Sanon received several awards for her performance, including theFilmfare Award for Best Actress and theNational Film Award for Best Actress (shared withAlia Bhatt forGangubai Kathiawadi).[48][49]Her next release, the comedyHum Do Hamare Do (2021) oppositeRajkummar Rao, premiered onDisney+ Hotstar.[50] Saibal Chatterjee found hers to be "the most noteworthy performance in [the] unfunny caper".[51]
Sanon in 2022
Sanon’s first release in 2022 came with the action comedyBachchhan Paandey, which marked her second collaboration with Akshay Kumar.[52] Adapted from the 2014Tamil filmJigarthanda, Sanon played a part originally portrayed by a male actor.[53] The film was unable to recoup its₹180 crore (US$21 million) investment.[54] Sanon starred with Varun Dhawan inBhediya, the third instalment inDinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe.[55] It was shot over a span of two months in various locations ofArunachal Pradesh.[56] Sonal Dedhia ofNews18 noted how much she stood out in the film despite her limited screen time.[57]
In 2023, Sanon played the leading lady opposite Kartik Aaryan inShehzada, a remake of the Telugu filmAla Vaikunthapurramuloo.[58] The film was a critical and commercial failure,[59] with Zinia Bandyopadhyay ofIndia Today dismissing her as "completely wasted".[60] She playedJanaki inOm Raut's mythological filmAdipurush, based on the Hindu epicRamayana, co-starringPrabhas asRaghava.[61] She agreed to the project as she deemed such films "educational for kids".[62] Filmed simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, it had a production budget of around₹6 billion (US$71 million), making it one of themost-expensive Indian films.[63][64] Critical reception to the film was negative;[65] Devesh Sharma opined, "Sanon is divinely beautiful as Janki but doesn't have much to do here, except look the part of a damsel in distress."[66] Amidstseveral controversies, it emerged as another box-office bomb for Sanon.[67][68] She then reunited with Tiger Shroff inVikas Bahl's science fiction action filmGanapath.[69] Once again, it was a critical and commercial failure.[70]
Commercial success (2024–present)
In 2024, Sanon starred withShahid Kapoor inTeri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, a science fiction romantic comedy between a man and a robot, in which she played Sifra, ahumanoid robot.[71] Monika Rawal Kukreja ofHindustan Times was appreciative of her look and body language as a robot, but bemoaned that "the poor storyline doesn't really let her go all out".[72] She next starred withTabu andKareena Kapoor Khan in the female-led heist comedyCrew, in which the trio played flight attendants.[73] In preparation, they received training from former cabin crew members.[74]WION's Shomini Sen was appreciative of Sanon for holding her own in the presence of Tabu and Kapoor Khan.[75] BothTeri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya andCrew emerged as commercial successes, ranking among thehighest-grossing Hindi films of 2024.[76]
Sanon launched her own production company, named Blue Butterfly Films, under which she producedDo Patti, a mystery film for Netflix co-starring Kajol andShaheer Sheikh.[77][78] She expressed that her role inMimi inspired her to seek out more well-written roles and pursue greater creative freedom in her career.[79] Sanon playeddual roles of Saumya and Shailee, twin sisters with contrasting personalities.[80] In a negative review of the film, Nandini Ramnath ofScroll.in praised Sanon for being "compelling in her anguish as well as her inner strength".[81] Sanon will next star oppositeDhanush inAanand L. Rai's romantic dramaTere Ishk Mein and alongsideShahid Kapoor andRashmika Mandanna in the sequel toCocktail.[82][83]
Commenting on her career growth in 2017, Chandni Sehgal fromVogue India wrote that she was "more introspective, focused and less insecure" than when she started out.[84] A journalist forHindustan Times called Sanon a "confident performer" who "can switch from glamourous [sic] to small town personas with ease."[85] In 2021, Sukanya Verma featured her inRediff.com's list of "Best Bollywood Actresses".[86]Harper's Bazaar's Meghna Sharma stated: "Counted amongst the top female actors in the country today, Kriti's quiet determination can be credited for her steady rise."[87] Nibandh Vinod fromNews 18 calls Sanon "one of the most versatile actresses of Bollywood" and credits her "dedication and hard work over the years" for carving "a place for herself in the film industry".[88]
Sanon is an endorser for several brands and products[101] includingCoca-Cola,Titan's Raga,Parachute andTissot.[102][103][104][105] In theTimes of India's 50 Most Desirable Women list, she ranked 14th in 2017, 13th in 2018, 15th in 2019 and 19th in 2020.[106][107][108] Sanon has been vocal on various topics, including pay disparity in Hindi cinema and the "patriarchal mindset" prevalent in the industry.[109][110] In 2016, Sanon launched her own clothing line, named Ms. Taken.[111] In 2022, she co-founded a fitness startup called The Tribe, and the following year, she launched her skincare brand Hyphen. Within its first year, Hyphen generated revenue of ₹100 crore (US $12 million), which grew to ₹400 crore (US $47 million) in its second year.[112][113][114][115]
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