Even the nerdiest cannot escape the lure of showbiz.
Kriti Sanon was studying to become an engineer until modelling and movies beckoned.
Sans a famous surname or connections in the film industry, she slowly and steadily found her way to Bollywood's popularity charts and proved herself to be more than just a chiseled face.
Today, she's a proud National Award recipient and rocking the box office, along with fellow ladies Tabu and Kareena Kapoor Khan, for their flight attendant shenanigans in Crew.
Sukanya Verma looks at how the 33 year old has fared in her decade-long career.
Crew (2024)
Holding one's own against seasoned silver screen divas like Tabu and Kareena is no cake walk but even the worst critics of Crew will admit to Kriti's glam power and prowess in the heist comedy centred around three airline employees up to no good.
Review: Kriti oozes confidence in her cute minis and bralettes.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024)
Playing a perfect piece of machinery designed to please anybody and everybody, Kriti is quite the knockout evoking believable 'love at first sight' responses out of Shahid Kapoor on screen.
But it's her erratic ways and extreme behaviour when the technology goes haywire that highlights her abilities the best.
Review: Kriti finds a sweet spot between zany role play and sophisticated software to give SIFRA its moments.
Ganapath
Dystopian drivel bogged down by cliched writing and tedious execution of underdog versus tyrant finds its sole silver lining in Kriti's badass biker grit.
Review: Kriti's dynamic introduction scene shows her coming to Tiger's rescue and flexing her action heroine chops with elan.
Adipurush (2023)
Unanimously panned for its cringe-worthy distortion of the epic and embarrassing visual effects, Kriti may take solace in the fact her presence is the least criticised attribute of 2023's biggest disaster.
Review: Kriti does her best under the circumstances.
Shehzada (2023)
A wishy-washy remake of the Telugu hit Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. Shehzada stars Kartik Aaryan as a poor little rich boy charming his way into his super wealthy family's hearts.
What's even more depressing is how Kriti's role is not just limited to fashionable arm candy but altogether abandoned in the second half.
Review: Truth be told, her Instagram could have done this role.
Bhediya (2022)
Bhediya's horror and surprising humanity make for a disarming watch whilst blending themes of werewolf transformations and 'save the forest' sentiments in one entertaining breath.
If only Kriti's ditzy doc was as keenly fleshed out as Varun Dhawan's human on the brink of self-realisation.
Review: Kriti Sanon's Princess Mononoke-haired veterinarian evokes Hayao Miyazaki's mystical animation exploring environmentalism but excessive ambiguity robs her of leaving any real impact.
Bachchhan Pandey (2022)
The Jigarthanda remake nobody asked for and fewer remember.
A black comedy that doesn't quite know it's one as it agonisingly oscillates between an overzealous Akshay Kumar's brutal gangster and miscast Kriti's fledgling film-maker.
Review: Kriti performs her duties with sincerity.
Hum Do Hamare Do (2021)
Despite all the fine talent in its arsenal, the flimsy rom-com about a girl wanting to marry a guy only if he has a family straight out of Sooraj R Barjatya's movies resulting him in appointing a pretend one never quite takes off. Kriti is all charm but that's that.
Review: Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Ratna Pathak, Manu Chadha and Prachee Shah Paandya are likeable figures and able actors. They have the ability to hold a viewer even with bare minimum effort.
Mimi (2020)
Winning her accolades galore and a prized National Award win shared with Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi, Kriti's portrayal of a single mother realising her maternal instincts are stronger than her starry-eyed ambitions proved to be a turning point in the actor's career.
Review: Mimi scores in Kriti Sanon. The actress wholeheartedly transforms into a picture of ambition and attachment. Finding joy in the unexplainable with her heart proudly over her head, Kriti makes you smile and cry through her unexpected journey.
Panipat (2019)
Ashutosh Gowariker's historical recreation of the Third Battle of Panipat isn't lacking in pomp and show but too hasty and one-sided in realising the intricacies of war and power play.
More than Arjun Kapoor's central warrior though, it is Kriti's savvy and spunk as his significant other that catches our eye.
Review: As the spectator and narrator of Panipat's brutal history, Kriti is more than an emotional anchor in its predominantly masculine world. She even gets to show her skill with the sword.
Housefull 4 (2019)
In the fourth film of the Housefull franchise known for crowding the scenes with big stars and beloved comedians, Kriti sportingly contributes to the batty reincarnation theme next to regulars Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh and looks absolutely divine too.
Review: Kriti has a good amount of screen time, compared to the other two ladies, and she acts pretty well.
Arjun Patiala (2019)
A goofy comedy that's middling at best when elevated by the antics of Diljit Dosanjh's daredevil cop and Kriti's crime reporter.
Typical masala resting on its charming leads to do the trick, you know the ilk?
Review: Kriti in a sari looks as ravishing as Sushmita Sen in Main Hoon Na. And she's just as good an actor.
Luka Chuppi (2018)
A small-town couple in a live-in relationship pretend to be married for their conservative family's sake, ensuing in all kinds of misadventures.
For all its open-minded crusading, Luka Chuppi is as formulaic as it gets. Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon are raring to go but constrained by the clunky writing.
Review: Kriti has ample charm and style. But her dependence on five standard expressions cannot ramp a wonky character.
Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)
Kriti's breakout performance as the feisty Bareilly girl Bitti obsessing over an author whose book mirrors her own personality made everyone sit up and take notice of her acting potential.
And that's no small feat when your co-stars are Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao in peak form.
Review: Sanon, with her face forever eyeing a discovery and rejoicing when she gets to one, gives a knockout performance.
Raabta (2017)
Raabta's breezy European romance descends into medieval time reincarnation on such a bizarre note, there's no redeeming it despite the fancy scale and starry dazzle on display.
Nothing delicious about Kriti's chocolatier in one half and warrior princess in second either.
Review: 'Sanon has a statuesque, spirited presence.'
Dilwale (2015)
When unbeatable Rohit Shetty cast the unbeatable jodi of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in his nonsensical drama of twists and turns with Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon playing its youthful second fiddle, box office dhamaka was thought to be a foregone conclusion.
Only Dilwale proved to be a classic dud.
Review: Kriti is so inconsequential in Dilwale, our review doesn't even mention her presence.
Dohchay (2015)
A predominantly Naga Chaitanya vehicle starring Kriti Sanon, in her sophomore Telugu project, as his college-going love interest.
Following Dohchay's failure to work at the box office, Kriti focused single-mindedly on her Bollywood resume.
Heropanti (2014)
Tiger Shroff and Kriti began their innings in Hindi films with a run-of-the-mill remake of the Telugu romance, Paragu, capturing their strengths and weaknesses in all its raw glory.
While Heropanti is exactly the kind of space Tiger meant to make his mark in, it would take a Bareilly Ki Barfi for Kriti to find her groove.
Review: Kriti is pretty and says her lines exactly like Twinkle Khanna but even her earring collection shows more range than her limited number of expressions.
1: Nenokkadine (2014)
A globetrotting crime thriller fuelled by Mahesh Babu's trauma issues and newcomer Kriti's television journalist didn't create the expected ripples.
What her Telugu movie debut certainly does is give Kriti a wide enough platform to announce her 'watch out for me' energy to all and sundry.
Review: Kriti Sanon made a pretty picture.
