Disha Patani (pronounced [ˈd̪ɪʃa paːʈəˈni]; born 13 June 1992) is an Indian actress who primarily work in Hindi films. Patani began her acting career with the Telugu film Loafer (2015), and had her first Hindi film release with the biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), for which she won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female. After appearing in the Chinese action comedy Kung Fu Yoga (2017), Patani has played the leading lady in the films Baaghi 2 (2018), Malang (2020), and Ek Villain Returns (2022). She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.

Early life

Disha Patani was born on 13 June 1992/1993, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. She is a Kumaoni, from a Rajput background. Her father, Jagadish Singh Patani is a police officer and her mother is a health inspector. Her elder sister, Khushboo Patani is a lieutenant in Indian Army. She also has a younger brother, Suryansh Patani. She studied engineering at Amity University, Lucknow. She was the first runner up of Pond's Femina Miss India Indore 2013.

Early life and family

Disha Patani was born on 13 June 1992 in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. She is from a Rajput Hindu background. Her father, Jagadish Singh Patani is a police officer and her mother is a health inspector. Her elder sister, Khushboo Patani is a lieutenant in Indian Army. She also has a younger brother, Suryansh Patani. She studied engineering at Amity University, Lucknow. She was the first runner up of Pond's Femina Miss India Indore 2013.

Career

Patani debuted with a Telugu film, ''Loafer'' alongside Varun Tej in 2015. She played the role of Mouni, a girl who runs from home to escape a forced marriage. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Kalyan under ''C.K. Entertainment'', the film was made on a budget of 200 million and performed poorly at the box office with a lifetime collection of 106 million. In the following year, Disha appeared in a music video, ''Befikra'' along with Tiger Shroff which was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under T-Series and composed by Meet Bros. Written and directed by Meet Bros, the singer, Aditi Singh Sharma lent her voice. She played the role of Priyanka Jha, the girlfriend of MS Dhoni's character who dies in a car accident. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Fox Star Studios, the film was released on 30 September 2016 and was a massive hit with an estimated collections of . Taran Adarsh from ''Bollywood Hungama'' and Shubhra Gupta from ''The Indian Express'' both opined that Patani "sparkle" in her debut film. At the 18th IIFA Awards, she won the Star Debut of the Year Female. In addition, she also starred in Jackie Chan's ''Kung Fu Yoga'', along with Sonu Sood.Patani then acted in ''Baaghi 2'' along with Tiger Shroff, a sequel to the 2016 film ''Baaghi'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor and the second instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Ahmed Khan, ''Baaghi 2'' was released on 30 March 2018 to mixed reviews from critics with praise for its action sequences. Saibal Chatterjee from ''NDTV'' wrote, "Patani is a pretty sight all right but is only required to sleepwalk through her role". The film grossed approximately worldwideto become one of the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018. worldwideto become one of the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018. 325.58 crore in its lifetime theatrical run, becoming a commercial success. Patani started 2020 with the action thriller release ''Malang'' opposite Aditya Roy Kapur also starring Anil Kapoor and Kunal Khemu. The film was praised from critics for its music, action sequences, direction and cast performances, Writing for ''Bollywood Hungama'' opined, "Patani probably gets the most screen time ever she looks gorgeous and delivers a "heartwarming performance". ''Malang'' has earned worldwide thus becoming a commercial success. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticised the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, Patani played a retail salesgirl in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, Patani played a retail salesgirl in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office. Sukanya Vema of ''Rediff'' wrote "''Ek Villain Returns'' falls back on the popularity of the Galliyan track to boost its appeal".Patani played a terrorist disguised as an air hostess in her first release of 2024, the Sidharth Malhotra starrer ''Yodha''. Pratikshya Mishra of ''The Quint'' termed Patani a "potential action star", while praising her fight sequence, but added that her dialogues fail to make an impact. Patani has signed her Tamil debut film ''Kanguva'' alongside Suriya. Patani has signed her Tamil debut film ''Kanguva'' alongside Suriya. She will be seen in the Nag Ashwin directorial ''Project K'', to be released in 2024 starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachhan and Deepika Padukone.

Early work and recognition (2015–2018)

Patani debuted with a Telugu film, ''Loafer'' alongside Varun Tej in 2015. She played the role of Mouni, a girl who runs from home to escape a forced marriage. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Kalyan under ''C.K. Entertainment'', the film was made on a budget of 200 million and performed poorly at the box office with a lifetime collection of 106 million. In the following year, Disha appeared in a music video, ''Befikra'' along with Tiger Shroff which was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under T-Series and composed by Meet Bros. Written and directed by Meet Bros, the singer, Aditi Singh Sharma lent her voice. She played the role of Priyanka Jha, the girlfriend of MS Dhoni's character who dies in a car accident. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Fox Star Studios, the film was released on 30 September 2016 and was a massive hit with an estimated collections of . Taran Adarsh from ''Bollywood Hungama'' and Shubhra Gupta from ''The Indian Express'' both opined that Patani "sparkle" in her debut film. At the 18th IIFA Awards, she won the Star Debut of the Year Female. In addition, she also starred in Jackie Chan's ''Kung Fu Yoga'', along with Sonu Sood.Patani then acted in ''Baaghi 2'' along with Tiger Shroff, a sequel to the 2016 film ''Baaghi'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor and the second instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Ahmed Khan, ''Baaghi 2'' was released on 30 March 2018 to mixed reviews from critics with praise for its action sequences. Saibal Chatterjee from ''NDTV'' wrote, "Patani is a pretty sight all right but is only required to sleepwalk through her role". The film grossed approximately worldwideto become one of the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018. worldwideto become one of the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018.

Early work (2015–2018)

Patani debuted with a Telugu film, ''Loafer'' alongside Varun Tej in 2015. She played the role of Mouni, a girl who runs from home to escape a forced marriage. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Kalyan under ''C.K. Entertainment'', the film was made on a budget of 200 million and performed poorly at the box office with a lifetime collection of 106 million. In the following year, Disha appeared in a music video, Befikra along with Tiger Shroff which was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under T-Series and composed by Meet Bros. Written and directed by Meet Bros, the singer, Aditi Singh Sharma lent her voice. She played the role of Priyanka Jha, the girlfriend of MS Dhoni's character who dies in a car accident. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Fox Star Studios, the film was released on 30 September 2016 and was a massive hit with an estimated collections of . In addition, she also starred in Jackie Chan's ''Kung Fu Yoga'', along with Sonu Sood.Patani then acted in ''Baaghi 2'' along with Tiger Shroff, a sequel to the 2016 film ''Baaghi'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor and the second instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Ahmed Khan, ''Baaghi 2'' was released on 30 March 2018 worldwide and grossed approximately worldwide.

Debut and early career (2015–2019)

Patani debuted with a Telugu film, Loafer alongside Varun Tej in 2015. She played the role of Mouni, a girl who runs from home to escape a forced marriage. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Kalyan under C.K. Entertainment, the film was made on a budget of ₹200 million and performed poorly at the box office with a lifetime collection of ₹106 million. In the following year, Disha appeared in a music video, Befikra along with Tiger Shroff which was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under T-Series and composed by Meet Bros. Written and directed by Meet Bros, the singer, Aditi Singh Sharma lent her voice.

Patani found her commercial break with Neeraj Pandey's M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, a biographical sports film based on the life story of MS Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team along with Sushant Singh Rajput and Kiara Advani. She played the role of Priyanka Jha, the girlfriend of MS Dhoni's character who dies in a car accident. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Fox Star Studios, the film was released on 30 September 2016 and was a massive hit with an estimated collections of ₹216 crore (US$28 million). In her review, Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India reviewed, "the performance of Disha in the film deserves a special mention as her performance tugs at your heartstrings." In addition, she also starred in Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga, along with Sonu Sood.Patani then acted in Baaghi 2 along with Tiger Shroff, a sequel to the 2016 hit Baaghi starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Ahmed Khan, the film was released on 30 March 2018 worldwide and grossed approximately ₹253 crore (US$33 million) worldwide.

In June 2019, she appeared in the film Bharat starring Salman Khan as one of his leading ladies.

2019–present

worldwide thus becoming a commercial success. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticised the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, she starred in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticised the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, she starred in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office. Sukanya Vema of ''Rediff'' wrote "''Ek Villain Returns'' falls back on the popularity of the Galliyan track to boost its appeal".Patani finished shooting for Karan Johar's ''Yodha'' opposite Sidharth Malhotra. In mid 2022, she has signed her Tamil debut film ''Kanguva'' alongside Suriya. She will be seen in the Nag Ashwin directorial ''Project K'', to be released in 2024 starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachhan and Deepika Padukone .

Malang and Career fluctuations (2019–present)

325.58 crore in its lifetime theatrical run, becoming a commercial success. Patani started 2020 with the action thriller release ''Malang'' opposite Aditya Roy Kapur also starring Anil Kapoor and Kunal Khemu. The film was praised from critics for its music, action sequences, direction and cast performances, Writing for ''Bollywood Hungama'' opined, "Patani probably gets the most screen time ever she looks gorgeous and delivers a "heartwarming performance". ''Malang'' has earned worldwide thus becoming a commercial success. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third instalment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticised the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, Patani played a retail salesgirl in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.In 2022, Patani played a retail salesgirl in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office. Sukanya Vema of ''Rediff'' wrote "''Ek Villain Returns'' falls back on the popularity of the Galliyan track to boost its appeal".Patani played a terrorist disguised as an air hostess in her first release of 2024, the Sidharth Malhotra starrer ''Yodha''. Pratikshya Mishra of ''The Quint'' termed Patani a "potential action star", while praising her fight sequence, but added that her dialogues fail to make an impact. Patani has signed her Tamil debut film ''Kanguva'' alongside Suriya. Patani has signed her Tamil debut film ''Kanguva'' alongside Suriya. She will be seen in the Nag Ashwin directorial ''Project K'', to be released in 2024 starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachhan and Deepika Padukone.

Rise to prominence (2019–present)

worldwide thus becoming a commercial success. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third installment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.

Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film ''Baaghi 3'' starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, the third installment of the ''Baaghi'' franchise.

Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film ''Radhe'', in which she reunited with Salman Khan this time as his leading ladies. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticized the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.

In 2022, she starred in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film was released coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, as premium video on demand on Zee Plex through ZEE5, Though ''Radhe'' received highly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, who criticized the story, screenplay, direction and VFX. It became a huge OTT success. With 4.2 Million views, it became the most watched OTT film on the day of release.

In 2022, she starred in Mohit Suri's psychological thriller ''Ek Villain Returns'' alongside John Abraham, Tara Sutaria and Arjun Kapoor. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office. Sukanya Vema of ''Rediff'' wrote "''Ek Villain Returns'' falls back on the popularity of the Galliyan track to boost its appeal".

Patani finished shooting for Karan Johar's ''Yodha'' opposite Sidharth Malhotra. In mid 2022, she has signed her Tamil debut film ''Suriya 42'' alongside Suriya.

Success and further career (2020–present)

She started 2020 with February release Malang opposite Aditya Roy Kapur. This film was one of the films where she had a major role and it was a commercially successful film. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film Baaghi 3 starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, a sequel to Baaghi 2. Patani next appeared in Prabhu Deva's action film Radhe, in which she reunited with Salman Khan.

Other work and public image

She is one of the most followed celebrities on social media with over 57.5 million Instagram followers. In 2019, Patani appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list, ranking 43rd with an estimated annual income of .Patani has frequently featured in Times' 50 Most Desirable Woman list. She ranked 19th in 2017 and 9th in 2018. Patani was named the Times' Most Desirable Woman in 2019 and ranked 3rd in 2020. Patani is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products including Joy personal care, Bata footwears and Fossil watches. Patani has performed at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Indian Premier League, in Indore. In March 2023, Patani performed in various cities in the United States for "The Entertainers" tour, alongside Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Nora Fatehi, Sonam Bajwa, Aparshakti Khurana, Stebin Ben and Zahrah S Khan.

Controversy

In 2020, Patani was among several Bollywood actors who were criticised for posting Instagram messages showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, despite their previous work advertising skin-lightening products which perpetuate colourism.