Born on 28th October 1979, Nargis Fakhri is an American actress and model, who primarily works in the Hindi film industry. She made her Bollywood debut with
Imtiaz Ali's
Rockstar opposite
Ranbir Kapoor in 2011. A former participant of America's Next Top Model in 2004, Fakhri was also seen doing a supporting role in the Hollywood film
Spy. In 2009, Nargis also featured in the Kingfisher swimsuit calendar.
Early LifeNargis Fakhri was born in Queens, New York, USA to a Pakistani father Mohammed A. Fakhri and a Czech mother Marie A. Fakhri. Her Parents divorced when she was just six, and after a few years, her father also passed away. She has a younger sister, Aliya Fakhri, who she is very close to.
Personal Life Fakhri is often linked up with Yash Raj Fim's CEO and Bollywood actor, Uday Chopra, but they have neither accepted nor denied the existence of their relationship.
Acting CareerIn 2011, she made her Bollywood debut with Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar alongside Ranbir Kapoor. Nargis Fakhri played the role of Heer, a fun- loving and outgoing girl who is the undisputed diva of the college campus and has broken many hearts. For her part in the film, Rajeev Masand wrote, "Nargis Fakhri is lovely to look at, but offers very little in terms of acting, reducing her character ultimately to a simpering-whimpering victim". Rockstar was a huge hit, and both Nargis and Ranbir were awarded the coveted IIFA Hottest Pair of the Year Award, at the 13th IIFA award ceremony.
She then starred opposite John Abraham in Shoojit Sircar's political thriller
Madras Cafe (2013). The movie was a box office success, and Fakhri essayed the role of Jaya, a war correspondent. About her role in the movie, film critic Taran Adarsh noted, "Nargis Fakhri gets another stellar role [of a war correspondent] and I must add, she takes rapid strides as an actor." Post Madras Cafe, Fakhri appeared along with
Varun Dhawan and
Ileana D'Cruz in a rom-com,
Mai Tera Hero, directed by David Dhawan in 2014. The movie received a lukewarm response at the box office and failed to create any real impact.
Fakhri made her Hollywood debut in 2015, with the movie Spy, alongside big names such as Melissa McCarthy,
Jason Statham, and
Jude Law.
In 2016, Nargis Fakhri was seen in
Azhar, a movie inspired by the life events of the former captain of the Indian cricket team, Mohammad Azharuddin, which had
Emraan Hashmi playing the titular role. Recently, she starred in
Housefull 3 opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The movie also starred Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Riteish Deshmukh and Lisa Haydon in pivotal roles. Her 2019 release includes Amavas.