Sanya Malhotra Age, Wiki, Boyfriend, Family, Education, Career, Net Worth

Sanya Malhotra beat close to 10,000 girls to play a wrestler in Dangal, and once the film made history, she did something unusual with her new fame. She went back to being a student, interning at Aamir Khan Productions to learn how films are actually made.

She was born on February 25, 1992 (34 years old), in Delhi, India, into a middle-class Punjabi family.

She is an Indian actress and a trained contemporary and ballet dancer who works mainly in Hindi films.

Her debut, Dangal (2016), became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, earning more than ₹2,000 crore worldwide. She later won hearts in Pagglait (2021), played a doctor in the blockbuster Jawan (2023), and delivered the most praised performance of her career in Mrs. (2024).

For Kathal (2023), she won the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film, and for Mrs., she won Best Actress at the New York Indian Film Festival.

Quick Facts of Sanya Malhotra

Full Name	Sanya Malhotra
Profession	Actress, Dancer, Choreographer
Age	34 years old
Date of Birth	February 25, 1992
Nationality	Indian
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Pisces
Birthplace	Delhi, India
Current Address	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Gender	Female

Sanya Malhotra Early Life and Education

Sanya Malhotra grew up in Delhi in a middle-class Punjabi family where nobody worked in films.

As a child, Sanya stammered. It was a hurdle she quietly worked on and eventually left behind, long before audiences ever heard her speak on screen. The little girl who once struggled with words would go on to fascinate the camera with her expressions instead.

Dance found her early. She trained in contemporary and ballet, and as a kid she was fascinated by Bollywood award shows. She also acted in theatre plays in Delhi, showing off her performing instincts whenever she got a stage.

Education

Sanya completed her schooling at Ryan International School in Mayur Vihar, Delhi. After school, she enrolled at Gargi College, University of Delhi, and graduated in 2013.

In a later interview she made a cheeky confession about her college years, saying she did not attend even a single class during her three years there. Her mind was already elsewhere, in the rehearsal hall and on the stage.

School	Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar, Delhi
Alma Mater	Gargi College, University of Delhi
Highest Qualification	Graduate

Sanya Malhotra Personal Life

Sanya Malhotra keeps her personal life firmly on the quiet side. She rarely speaks about relationships, and even when dating rumours swirled, her response was a laugh and a shrug rather than a confirmation.

Rumored Boyfriends

In late 2024 and January 2025, Sanya was linked to sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma after photos of the two at the same events went viral. Fans spotted them arriving at and leaving the same venues, though never together.

Neither Sanya nor Rishab ever confirmed the relationship. When asked about marriage plans around the release of Mrs., she simply laughed and said she was too busy with work to even take a holiday, let alone think about becoming a “Mrs.” in real life.

In April 2026, sources close to the pair said that the two had quietly parted ways after dating for over a year. They reportedly unfollowed each other on social media, with no public drama and no statements from either side.

Parents

Sanya’s father, Sunil Malhotra, works as an engineer, while her mother, Renu Malhotra, is a homemaker. She was raised in a middle-class Punjabi Khatri family in Delhi, where a career in films was never the plan.

Siblings

Sanya has one elder sister, Shagun Malhotra. The two grew up together in Delhi, and Sanya has often credited her family for backing her decision to leave for Mumbai with nothing but dance training and stubborn hope.

Relationship Status	Unmarried
Boyfriend	Yet to be updated (Ex: Rishab Rikhiram Sharma)
Parents	Father: Sunil Malhotra (Engineer) Mother: Renu Malhotra (Homemaker)
Siblings	Sister: Shagun Malhotra

Sanya Malhotra Career

Sanya Malhotra’s career is the story of a dancer who missed her first dream, stumbled into her second one, and then built one of the most interesting filmographies of her generation. She has never chased the typical star vehicle, choosing small, odd, human stories over glamour, and picking up National Award-winning films and record-breaking blockbusters along the way.

Dance Auditions and the Dangal Breakthrough (2013 to 2016)

After Dance India Dance ended her run at the top 100, Sanya stayed in Mumbai doing commercials and assisting camerapersons until casting director Mukesh Chhabra contacted her. She and fellow newcomer Fatima Sana Shaikh went through five rounds of auditions, training and workshops with director Nitesh Tiwari and Aamir Khan, coached by former wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi.

She beat around 10,000 girls to play Babita Kumari, the wrestler daughter of Mahavir Singh Phogat, played by Khan, with Sakshi Tanwar as her mother. Released in 2016, Dangal became the highest-grossing Indian film ever with over ₹2,000 crore worldwide.

Instead of signing quick films, she interned at Aamir Khan Productions, learning pre-production, post-production, background score and VFX. She also choreographed the song “Sexy Baliye” for Khan’s Secret Superstar (2017).

Pataakha, Badhaai Ho and Photograph (2018 to 2019)

In 2018, Vishal Bhardwaj cast her in Pataakha as Genda “Chuttki” Kumari, one of two warring sisters, opposite Radhika Madan, with Sunil Grover and Vijay Raaz in key roles. Critics called her a fearless performer, and she earned a Screen Award nomination for Best Actress Critics.

That same year, she played Renee Sharma, the girlfriend of Ayushmann Khurrana‘s character in the hit family comedy Badhaai Ho, alongside Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao and Surekha Sikri.

In 2019 came Ritesh Batra’s Photograph, where she played Miloni Shah, a shy Mumbai student pretending to be the fiancée of a street photographer played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Premiering at Sundance and the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, it earned her a Filmfare Critics Award nomination, and The Hollywood Reporter named her a breakout talent of Berlin.

Streaming Star and the Pagglait Landmark (2020 to 2021)

Both her 2020 films went straight to streaming during the pandemic. In Shakuntala Devi on Amazon Prime Video, she played Anupama Banerjee, daughter of the mathematical genius played by Vidya Balan.

Then came Anurag Basu’s Netflix anthology Ludo, where she played Shruti Choksi opposite Aditya Roy Kapur, in an ensemble with Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and Fatima Sana Shaikh, bringing her a second Filmfare Critics nomination.

In 2021, she led Netflix’s black comedy Pagglait as Sandhya, a young widow who discovers her late husband’s secrets, supported by Ashutosh Rana, Sheeba Chaddha, Sayani Gupta and Raghubir Yadav.

She also starred opposite Abhimanyu Dassani as newlyweds in Meenakshi Sundareshwar.

Thrillers, a Jackfruit and a Blockbuster (2022 to 2023)

In 2022, she starred opposite Vikrant Massey in the ZEE5 thriller Love Hostel, about an honour killing, with Bobby Deol as the mercenary Dagar. She then had a small role opposite Rao in HIT: The First Case, the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit.

The year 2023 was her busiest. In Netflix’s satire Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery, she played Mahima Basor, a small-town cop hunting a stolen jackfruit, with Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz and Anant Joshi alongside. It won her the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film, and the film later won Best Hindi Feature Film at the 71st National Film Awards.

She then joined the year’s biggest film, Atlee’s Jawan, playing Dr. Eeram in the women’s squad led by Shah Rukh Khan, alongside Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone and Priyamani.

She closed the year as Silloo Manekshaw, wife of the Field Marshal in Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal with Fatima Sana Shaikh as Indira Gandhi, a film that also won a National Award.

Mrs., Struggles and a New Direction (2024 to 2025)

Her most acclaimed work came with Mrs., Aarti Kadav’s Hindi remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen. She played Richa, a trained dancer crushed by regressive traditions after marrying a doctor played by Nishant Dahiya, with Kanwaljit Singh as her father-in-law. It won her Best Actress at the New York Indian Film Festival.

She also made a special appearance in Baby John and danced in the song “Jinguchaa” in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan, besides appearing in the music videos “Aankh” with Sunidhi Chauhan and “Charmer” with Diljit Dosanjh.

Her 2025 release Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, directed by Shashank Khaitan for Dharma Productions, cast her as Ananya opposite Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, with Manisha Koirala, Rohit Saraf and Maniesh Paul in the ensemble.

Away from acting, she launched the lifestyle brand Bree Matcha in 2025 and fronts campaigns for Fastrack and Shoppers Stop.

Recent and Upcoming Work (2026 and beyond)

Her first release of 2026 was Bandar, titled Monkey in a Cage at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, directed by Anurag Kashyap. She played Suhaani Mehra, the sister of an actor accused of rape, played by Bobby Deol.

She then reunited with Rajkummar Rao for the Netflix comedy Toaster, produced by his wife Patralekhaa.

Beyond that, her only confirmed upcoming project is Sundar Poonam, a romantic thriller directed by Pulkit. She headlines it opposite Aditya Rawal, with Aditya Seal in the cast, playing one half of a newlywed couple whose honeymoon in Kashmir turns dark. The film went on the floor in mid-April 2026 and is yet to be released.

Sanya Malhotra Awards and Achievements

Sanya Malhotra’s recognition has come less from mainstream star awards and more from critics, festival juries and streaming platforms, which fits an actress who built her name on content-driven films. Her trophy shelf holds wins from China to New York, and two of her films have picked up National Film Awards in the same years she starred in them.

Her Major Wins

• Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards (2018): Won the Best New Action Performer award for Dangal (2016), shared with her co-star Fatima Sana Shaikh, at the fourth annual Jackie Chan Action Movie Week in China.
• Filmfare OTT Awards (2023): Won the Best Actor in a Web Original Film, Female, Critics Choice award for her comic turn as a small-town cop in Kathal (2023).
• Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards (2024): Won the Best Actress in a Comic Role award for Kathal (2023).
• Iconic Gold Awards (2024): Won the Best Actress Critics award for Kathal (2023).
• New York Indian Film Festival (2024): Won the Best Actress of the Year award for Mrs., months before the film even released in India.
• Bollywood Hungama Style Icons (2025): Won the Most Stylish People’s Choice Star of the Year, Female.
• Chetak Screen Awards (2026): Won the Best Actor, Female, OTT Film award for Mrs. (2024).

Her Key Nominations

• Screen Awards (2019): Nominated for Best Actress, Critics, for her fearless turn in Pataakha (2018).
• Filmfare Awards (2020): Nominated for Best Actress, Critics, for Photograph (2019).
• Filmfare Awards (2021): Nominated again for Best Actress, Critics, for Ludo (2020).
• Filmfare OTT Awards (2021): Nominated for Best Actress in a Web Original Film for Pagglait (2021).
• International Indian Film Academy Awards (2022): Nominated for Best Actress for Pagglait (2021).
• Filmfare OTT Awards (2022): Nominated for Best Actress in a Web Original Film for both Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021) and Love Hostel (2022).
• Filmfare OTT Awards (2023): Alongside her Critics win, nominated for Best Actress in a Web Original Film for Kathal (2023).

Other Recognitions

• Berlin Film Festival breakout talent (2019): The Hollywood Reporter featured her in its list of five breakout talents to watch from the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, after the premiere of Photograph.
• Rediff.com ranking (2021): Ranked third on Rediff’s list of the ten best actresses of 2021, a year powered by Pagglait and Meenakshi Sundareshwar.
• National Award-winning films (2024): Two of her 2023 films won National Film Awards. Kathal won Best Hindi Feature Film and Sam Bahadur won Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values at the 71st National Film Awards.
• Brand ambassadorships: She has fronted campaigns for Fastrack and Shoppers Stop, and in 2025 she co-launched the premium lifestyle brand Bree Matcha.

Sanya Malhotra Controversies

For an actress who has spent a decade in the public eye, Sanya Malhotra has kept an unusually clean slate. She has no public spats, no legal troubles, and no social media feuds to her name. The one controversy attached to her career belongs to a film rather than to her personally.

• The Tamil stereotyping backlash (2021): Her Netflix film Meenakshi Sundareshwar, where she and Abhimanyu Dassani played a Tamil newlywed couple, drew strong criticism from Tamil audiences even before release. The trailer was called out for stereotyping Tamil culture, with viewers pointing to lazy references around Rajinikanth, dosa and engineering, and Tamil characters speaking fluent Hindi.

Sanya Malhotra Net Worth

Sanya Malhotra has never made her finances public, so there is no official figure for her wealth. Media estimates place her net worth somewhere between ₹40 to ₹60 crore, roughly $5 to $7.5 million.

What is confirmed is the shape of her income. She reportedly charged ₹1 crore for playing Silloo Manekshaw in Sam Bahadur (2023), a salary that made headlines. Her earnings also flow from brand endorsements such as Fastrack and Shoppers Stop, music video appearances, and her 2025 business venture, the premium lifestyle brand Bree Matcha.

Her biggest documented asset is real estate. In November 2021, she gifted herself a sea-view apartment in the Bayview building on Juhu-Versova Link Road in Mumbai, reported to be worth ₹14.3 crore, a milestone she celebrated openly on completing a decade since Dangal.

Net Worth (Approx.)	₹40 to ₹60 crore(approx. $5 to $7.5 Million)
Salary (Approx.)	₹1 crore per film (reported for Sam Bahadur)

Sanya Malhotra Height, Weight and Physical Stats

Height	In centimetres: 157 cm In meters: 1.57 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 2 inches
Weight	In kg: 50 kg In lbs: 110 lbs
Body Measurements	32-26-32 inches
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Black

Sanya Malhotra Social Media

Instagram	@sanyamalhotra_
X	@sanyamalhotra07
Facebook	@sanyamalhotra07
YouTube	@sanyamalhotra6382

Interesting Facts about Sanya Malhotra

• The tattoo chant: She has “Chidanand Roopah: Shivoham”, a Sanskrit chant meaning “I am Shiva, the embodiment of pure consciousness”, tattooed on her right upper arm, along with another tattoo on her left arm.
• A birthday wish from Harry Potter himself: For her 28th birthday in 2020, she received a birthday wish from actor Daniel Radcliffe, and her response to it carried a Harry Potter connection, delighting fans of both stars.
• Rajma Chawal loyalty: Her comfort food is simple Delhi fare. She counts rajma chawal as her favourite dish and loves her coffee and beetroot juice.
• Unexpected music taste: The girl from a Delhi Punjabi household lists Lana Del Rey and Coldplay among her favourite artists, and counts Vishal Bhardwaj and Imtiaz Ali among her favourite directors.
• Animal person: She is an avid cat and dog lover and often shares moments with animals on her social media.
• She drinks, she does yoga: She does not smoke, but she does drink alcohol occasionally, and she keeps fit through yoga and dance rather than gym routines.
• The seats she skipped: She famously admitted she did not attend a single class in her three years at Gargi College, preferring rehearsals over lectures, yet still graduated on time.

FAQs