Namrata Shirodkar

A former model and Indian actress, Namrata Shirodkar hails from a Maharashtrian family of Goan origin. In the year 1993, Namrata won the crown of Miss India. Apart from Bollywood, she has also been a part of Telugu cinema. The beauty achieved fifth place in Miss Universe pageant in 1993. She was also selected as first runner-up in the Miss Asia Pacific contest.

Namrata Shirodkar was born on January 22, 1972. The former Bollywood actress Shilpa Shirodkar is her elder sister. The well-known Marathi actress Meenakshi Shirodkar is her grand-mother. Namrata is married to the Tollywood star Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni on February 10, 2005. The actress lives in Hyderabad at present and the couple is having a boy and a girl. Post marriage, she waved goodbye to her filmy career. Talking about her debut in Hindi films, Namrata stepped in with the film 'Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai' in 1998, in which she played a small yet pivotal role. She shared the screen space alongside Salman Khan in this super hit flick. Namrata received acclaim in the industry with another hit film 'Vaastav'. Her performance attained many praises from the folks and she became a famous face in Bollywood industry.

Namrata carried on essaying prominent roles in the films, such as 'Hera Pheri', 'Pukar', 'Albela', 'Tera Mera Saath Rahein', 'Hero Hindustani', 'Maseeha', 'Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye', 'Dil Vil Pyar Vyar', 'Astitva', 'Kachche Dhaage', 'LOC - Kargil', 'Tehzeeb', 'Hathyar', 'Charas', 'Bride and Prejudice' and 'Rok Sako To Rok Lo'. 'Vamsi' was her Telugu flick in 2000, in which Namrata was paired up with Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni.

In the year 1999, Namrata Shirodkar was seen featuring in a Malayalam flick 'Ezhupunna Tharakan' opposite Mammootty. Alongside Chiranjeevi, she starred in a Telugu film 'Anji' in 2004. In the film 'Bride and Prejudice', Namrata essayed the role of Jaya Bakshi, the elder sister of Aishwarya Rai. This movie turned out to be a hit in UK, while it performed average in India. For her performance in the movie 'Pukar', Namrata was nominated for IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award.