Nitu Chandra | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nitu in 2017 | |
| Born | Neetu Chandra Srivastava (1984-06-20)20 June 1984 (age 40) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress,film producer,model,martial artist |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Relatives |
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Nitu Chandra (bornNeetu Chandra Srivastava on June 20, 1984) is an Indian actress, model, film producer and theatre artist. She has worked inHindi,Tamil andTelugu films.[1] She is also a classical dancer and a sportsperson, involved in the promotion ofbasketball in the country through her close association with the NBA andTaekwondo, being a fourth Dan black-belt.[2] She has her own production house namedChamparan Talkies, winning theNational Film Award for the filmMithila Makhaan in the category of BestMaithili Film.[3] The national award-winning film was directed by her brother Nitin Chandra.
Nitu Chandra was born on 20 June 1984 inPatna,Bihar. Her mother tongue isBhojpuri.[4] She was educated at theNotre Dame Academy, Patna and completed her undergraduate education at Delhi'sIndraprastha College.[5] She started modelling and Nitu gives credit of her success to her mother, a native ofEast Champaran in Bihar.[citation needed] She has appeared in severaladvertisements and videos for firms since her graduation. She holds two Danblack belts inTaekwondo and representedIndia in the 1997World Taekwondo Championships inHong Kong.[6]
Chandra's brother is Nitin Chandra who directed the movieDeswa.[7]
Chandra debuted in the Hindi film industry in 2005 withGaram Masala in which she portrayed the role of Sweety, an air-hostess. She also acted inGodavari, aTelugu film, in 2006. In 2007 she appeared inMadhur Bhandarkar's film,Traffic Signal.
In 2008, she had four releases, being directed byDibakar Banerjee, Rahul Dholakia, Ashwini Dheer and Vikram. HerTamil film,Yavarum Nalam withMadhavan, released in 2009, was declared a major hit. In 2010 she was seen in four Hindi films,Rann,Apartment,No Problem, in which she made a special appearance, andSadiyaan, and one Tamil film,Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai.[citation needed]
In 2011Deswa, aBhojpuri film which she produced and which was directed by her brother, was released.[8]
In 2013, she acted in the Tamil-language action filmAmeerin Aadhi-Bhagavan alongsideJayam Ravi. In 2013 she had completed filming for a Greek filmHome Sweet Home,[9] in which she plays an Indian girl. On the recommendation of the directorAnurag Kashyap, she auditioned for the film viaSkype.[10] She had to learn Greek for the film and also dubbed herself. Later it was revealed thatHome Sweet Home was the working title of the film and the film's actual name wasBlock 12 where she played an Indian goddess. The film was released in 2013 and was bilingual (it was shot in English and Greek).[11] She has two Hindi films,Kusar Prasad Ka Bhoot andShooter, coming up.[4]
In 2020, she appeared in the Hollywood showGown and out in Beverly Hills with Bollywood actor Sammy John Heaney.[citation needed]In 2021, she made her Hollywood film debut through a woman-centric martial arts filmNever Back Down: Revolt which is the standalone sequel toNever Back Down: No Surrender and the fourth installment overall in theNever Back Down franchise. Unlike its predecessors in the franchise, the film is much darker in tone. She plays a female martial artist named Jaya in that film. She revealed that in 2019, when she was invited to the special screening ofBad Boys For Life atSony Pictures Studios, she met the producer of the filmDavid Zelon at the screening who was looking for an Indian actress for the film at that time. Zelon was impressed by her diverse film portfolio and martial arts experience and she was selected for the role without having any audition or look test. Chandra went on a vegan diet and did rigorous exercise in order to prepare for her role. She did all of her stunts in that film without using any body double. The film was released digitally and onDVDs on 16 November 2021 and it received mixed reviews.
Chandra became the brand ambassador for the Hoop, a Gitanjali brand.[12] She also took part in a commercial forMysore Sandal Soap. Nitu Chandra also appeared in music directorIsmail Darbar'smusic video "Rasiya Saajan" along withZubeen Garg.[13] She was also seen in the music video ofBombay Vikings' singerNeeraj Shridhar's hit single"Aa Raha Hoon Main".[14] She also appeared in a successful remix ofSajna Hai Mujhe from D.J. Hot Remix Vol.1 (and the song appeared in 7 other albums after that), and the super hit songMera Babu Chhail Chhabila (CD - Sophie & Dr.Love, DVD - D. J. Hot Remix Vol.2 & The Return Of Kaanta Mix) alongsideSophie Choudry (the song appeared in 9 other albums after that).[citation needed]
In 2013, Chandra made her debut in theatre,[15] in a play, called Umrao, which featured her in the title role.[16] She has been hosting Rangoli on DD National since May 2017. In 2018, Chandra became Community Ambassador for Patna Pirates inpro kabbadi league.[citation needed]
In 2008, 7Seas Technologies launched a 3Dmobile game,Nitu — The Alien Killer, with Nitu Chandra as the lead character.[17]
Nitu was featured on the cover of the January 2009 issue ofIndian Maxim.[18]
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| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Vishnu | Teju | Telugu | Telugu debut film |
| 2005 | Garam Masala | Sweety | Hindi | Hindi debut film, credited as Neetu |
| 2006 | Godavari | Rajeswari 'Raji' | Telugu | |
| 2007 | Traffic Signal | Rani | Hindi | |
| 2008 | One Two Three | Inspector Mayawati Chautala | ||
| Summer 2007 | special appearance in song | |||
| Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! | Sonal | |||
| 2009 | Satyameva Jayate | Basara Papa | Telugu | |
| Yavarum Nalam | Priya Manohar | Tamil | Bilingual film Tamil debut | |
| 13B | Hindi | |||
| 2010 | Mumbai Cutting | |||
| Rann | Yasmin Hussain | |||
| Apartment | Neha Bhargav | |||
| No Problem | Sophia | |||
| Sadiyaan | special appearance in song | |||
| Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai | Tejaswini | Tamil | ||
| 2011 | Yuddham Sei | Cabaret Dancer | Special appearance in song "Kannitheevu Ponna" | |
| Kucch Luv Jaisaa | Ria | Hindi | ||
| Deswa | Bhojpuri | Special Appearance | ||
| 2013 | Aadhi Baghavan | Rani Sampatha / Karishma | Tamil | SIIMA Award for Best Actress in Negative role |
| Settai | Herself | Special appearance in song "Laila Laila" | ||
| Block 12 | Indian Goddess | Greek | Greek film debut | |
| 2014 | Manam | Air hostess | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
| Power | Kannada | Special appearance in song "Why Why (YY)" | ||
| 2015 | Thilagar | Village Dancer | Tamil | special appearance in song |
| 2017 | Singam 3 | Bar Dancer | Tamil | Special Appearance in song "O Sone Sone" |
| Vaigai Express | Radhika/ Jyothika | Dual Role | ||
| Brahma.com | Nitu Chandra | |||
| 2021 | Never Back Down: Revolt | Jaya | English | Hollywood Debut[19][20] |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Deswa | Bhojpuri | |
| 2016 | Mithila Makhaan | Maithili |
| Year(s) | Show | Role | Channel | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 | Rangoli | Host/presenter | DD National | [21] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
