- Original name:
- Alia Advani
Kiara Advani
What is Kiara Advani’s original name?
Who advised Kiara Advani to change her screen name?
What are some notable films Kiara Advani has appeared in?
Who is Kiara Advani married to?
Kiara Advani (born July 31, 1991, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is an Indian actress, chiefly known for her work in several popular Bollywood (India’s Hindi-language film industry) films, including M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Lust Stories (2018), Kabir Singh (2019), Shershaah (2021; “King of Lions”), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022; “Labyrinth 2”), and War 2 (2025). Advani has also appeared in a few Telugu-language films, such as Bharath Ane Nenu (2018; “I, Bharat”) and Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019; “The Humble and Obedient Rama”).
Early life and family
Alia Advani was born to Jagdeep Advani, a Sindhi businessman, and Genevieve Advani (née Jaffrey), an educator, who is of Indo-European descent. Before her debut Bollywood actor Salman Khan, a family friend, advised Advani to adopt a different screen name to distinguish herself from the actress Alia Bhatt; Advani chose the name “Kiara,” inspired by the name of Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s character in the film Anjaana Anjaani (2010; “Strangers”).
Advani has two siblings, an elder sister, Ishita Advani, and a younger brother, Mishaal Advani. On her maternal side she is related to several prominent personalities. Veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey, noted for his work in British TV and film, Hindi cinema, and on stage, was Genevieve Advani’s paternal uncle. Hamid Jaffrey, Genevieve’s father, married twice (his first marriage was to Valerie Salway, Genevieve Advani’s mother); his second wife, Bharti Jaffrey (née Ganguly), was the daughter of renowned Bollywood actor Ashok Kumar, who was also the eldest brother of legendary actor and singer Kishore Kumar. Advani married Bollywood actor and costar Sidharth Malhotra in 2023. The couple became parents to a daughter in July 2025.
Advani attended the Cathedral and John Connon School and graduated with a degree in mass communications from Jai Hind College, both in Mumbai. Before entering the film industry, she worked as a teacher at a playschool founded by her mother.
Career
Kiara Advani made her Bollywood debut in the comedy drama Fugly (2014), in which she played a lively young woman, who, along with her friends, attempts to expose a corrupt police officer. The film was unsuccessful at the box office. Advani’s big break came two years later, when she appeared in the biopic M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story as Sakshi Singh Dhoni, wife of renowned Indian cricketer M.S. Dhoni.
Advani made her debut in Telugu cinema in 2018 with the hit political drama Bharath Ane Nenu (“I, Bharat”). The same year, she also appeared in Lust Stories, a Netflix anthology film comprising four women-centric short films that explore modern-day love and relationships. Advani starred in the fourth short film as a newlywed woman who discovers self-pleasure while navigating sexual dissatisfaction in her marriage. Her performance in the film was met with considerable critical acclaim. In 2019 Advani made a special appearance as the lover of a blacksmith and courtesan’s son (played by Varun Dhawan) in Kalank (“Blemish”), a romance drama set in pre-independent India. She also appeared in Kabir Singh, in which she played a gentle, mild-mannered medical student who enters into a turbulent romantic relationship with a rowdy and hot-headed senior student (played by Shahid Kapoor). The film, a remake of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017), was a commercial success, although it received widespread criticism for its perceived justification of misogyny and toxic masculinity.
Advani subsequently appeared as part of an ensemble cast in Good Newwz (2019), a hit comedy drama about two married couples and the predicament they find themselves in while trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF). In 2020 she starred in the crime thriller Guilty in the role of a strong-willed college student who is torn between denial and suspicion when her boyfriend is accused of sexual assault by a fellow student. Later that year Advani appeared in the horror comedy Laxmii, a remake of the Tamil film Kanchana (2011). She played the wife of a man (Akshay Kumar) who becomes possessed by three spirits, one of them being the ghost of a murdered transgender woman. The film garnered negative responses for its problematic, stereotypical portrayal of a transgender character.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
In 2021 Advani co-starred alongside Malhotra in Shershaah. The film premiered on the streaming platform Amazon Prime Video and quickly became the platform’s most-watched film in India after its release. Shershaah was inspired by the life of Capt. Vikram Batra (played by Malhotra), who died in combat during the Kargil War (1999) fought between India and Pakistan and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (India’s highest military honor). Advani portrayed Dimple Cheema, Batra’s fiancée. She secured her first Filmfare Award nomination, for best actress, for her performance in the film.
In 2022 she appeared in the hit horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, a standalone sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). She played a young woman who unwittingly releases a vengeful spirit in her ancestral home. Advani was also a part of an ensemble cast in the blockbuster family drama Jug Jugg Jeeyo (2022; “May You Have a Long Life”). The following year, Advani starred in the romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023; “The Tale of Satyaprem”), which became a commercial success and earned Advani her second Filmfare Award nomination for best actress.
Advani costarred alongside Hrithik Roshan and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr., in the action drama War 2, which released in August 2025. The film is set in a spy universe created by the production studio Yash Raj Films (YRF); it is the second installment of the War series and the sixth installment in the universe. In 2026 Advani costarred with Yash and Nayanthara in the thriller Toxic.
Brand endorsements
Besides her work in films, Kiara Advani has endorsed many prominent brands. These include the cosmetic manufacturer Pond’s, oral care products manufacturer Colgate, and e-commerce platform Myntra.