Amrita Rao

Personal life

Of Dravidian ancestry, Amrita Rao was born on June 17, 1981 to a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Chitrapur, Karnataka[2]. She speaks English, Marathi, Konkani and Hindi.

Career

Model

Amrita Rao attended C.G High School in Mumbai,and later enrolled in Sophia College to pursue a degree in psychology. While studying there, she auditioned for an advertisement for Fairever Face Cream. To her surprise she was selected amongst 60 other contestants. After that, she got many offers and became one of the most sought-after models in India within an year.
Her appearance in Cadbury’s Perk Karwa Chaut ad and the Bru Coffee advertisement helped her receive offers from film directors in Bollywood. As she wanted to complete her education, she refused them. After earning a degree in psychology, she began her profession as an actress, working in films.

Actress

She made her acting debut with Ab Ke Baras (2002), but gained recognition only after the success of her 2003 film, Ishq Vishk, in which her portrayal as Payal earned her the girl-next door image. Success followed for her in 2004 with films like Masti and Main Hoon Na.
Her career took a setback when her following releases, Deewaar (2004), Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi (2005), Shikhar (2005), and Pyare Mohan (2006) did poorly at the box office. Things turned around when she starred in Sooraj R. Barjatya's blockbuster Vivah (2006) opposite Shahid Kapoor. The film was a universal success[3] and her performance was well appreciated by critics,[4] earning her a Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award.
Rao recently made her debut in Tollywood, with the Telugu hit Athidhi opposite Mahesh Babu. Amrita had no releases in Bollywood in 2007. Amrita's first release of 2008 was My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves , which failed at the box office. Her performance got poor reviews.[5]

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards
Nominated
2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award - Ishq Vishk
2005: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award - Main Hoon Na

Star Screen Awards
Nominated
2003: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female - Ab Ke Baras
2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female - Ishq Vishk
2007: Star Screen Award Best Actress - Vivah[6]
2007: Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Shahid Kapoor - Vivah[7]

Zee Cine Awards
Nominated
2004: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut - Ishq Vishk

International Indian Film Academy Awards
Winner
2004: IIFA Awards, Best Female Debut - Ishq Vishk

Stardust Awards
Winner
2004: Stardust Awards, Superstar of Tomorrow - Female; Ishq Vishk

Other Awards
2004: Sansui Awards, Best Debut - Female - Ishq Vishk
2007: GR8 Women Awards, Young Achiever
2007: Anandalok Puroshkar Awards, Most Promising New Talent - Vivah
2007: Sports World Awards, Jodi of the Year along with Shahid Kapoor - Vivah
2007: Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award - Vivah[8]