Namrata Shirodkar

Namrata Shirodkar (Marathi: नम्रता शिरोडकर, born 22 January 1972 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian actress and model.

Early life and family

Born on 22 January 1972 in a moderate Marathi-speaking family, Namrata Shirodkar is an Aquarian. She used to live in Khar, an elite suburb in Mumbai. Her sister is the actress Shilpa Shirodkar. She is the granddaughter of famous Marathi actress Meenakshi Shirodkar, who starred in Brahmachari (1930s), and was the first actress to wear a swimsuit and gambol in a pool, albeit to depict Lord Krishna bathing in the Yamuna river with his gopis.

Modelling career

Namrata worked as a model, and was crowned Miss India in 1993. She went on to represent India in the Miss Universe pageant and came in sixth place. She was featured on VH1's The Greatest: 40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes Ever for her answer at the 1993 Miss Universe contest to a question asked by Michael Dorn: "I would not want to live forever because I don't believe that one can live forever. And so, I don't think I would want to live forever!" The same year, she also represented India in the Miss Asia Pacific contest and was chosen first runner-up.

Acting career

She made her debut with a small role in super hit film Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai (1998), along with Salman Khan and Twinkle Khanna. She then went on to star in the hit Vaastav. Her performance was appreciated and she became a known name in Bollywood.

She has played mainly supporting roles in films. Films like Pukar, Hera Pheri and Astitva went on to do well. She was nominated for the IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance in Pukar. Since then her films have not done well at the box office.

In 2004 she went back into the spotlight when she played the role of Jaya Bakshi in Bride and Prejudice. She played Aishwarya Rai's elder sister in the film. The film was a hit overseas particularly in the UK but failed to do well in India. She has since left the industry after her marriage.

Personal life

She began dating Tollywood actor, Mahesh Babu in 2000 after the filming of Vamsee. They married on 10 February 2005. Shirodkar now lives in Hyderabad with her husband.Their first child, a boy named Gautam Krishna Gattamaneni was born on 31 August 2006.