Nargis Fakhri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nargis Fakhri
Fakhri at an event in 2013
Born	Nargis Fakhri (1979-10-20) October 20, 1979 (age 45) Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present

Nargis Fakhri is an American actress who mostly works in Hindi films made in India. She started her career as a model in America. Nargis became well-known in India after starring in the 2011 romantic drama film Rockstar.

She later played a war reporter in the thriller Madras Cafe (2013). Nargis also appeared in successful comedies like Main Tera Hero (2014), Spy (2015), and Housefull 3 (2016). She was also in the true-story drama Azhar (2016). The movie Spy was a Hollywood film.

Early Life and Modeling Career

Nargis Fakhri was born on October 20, 1979, in Queens, New York City. Her father, Mohammed Fakhri, was Pakistani, and her mother, Marie Fakhri, was Czech. Her parents divorced when she was six years old. Nargis has one younger sister named Aliya.

Because she has both Pakistani and Czech heritage, and is an American citizen, Nargis calls herself a "global citizen." She grew up in Mohegan Lake, New York.

Nargis began modeling when she was 16. Later, she was a contestant on the TV show America's Next Top Model in 2004. She appeared in the second and third seasons of the show. Even though she did well in the first few challenges, she didn't make it to the final top twelve contestants.

After the show, she continued modeling professionally in America. She worked with different agencies and often appeared in fashion shows. Nargis became more famous when she was featured in a popular Indian calendar, the 2009 Kingfisher Calendar.

Her appearance in the calendar caught the eye of Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali. He chose her for a role in his Hindi romantic drama Rockstar. Nargis later said she wanted to work in India to connect with her heritage. She felt that India and Pakistan share similar cultures.

Acting Journey

First Films and Big Success (2011–2015)

Fakhri promoting Rockstar in 2011

Nargis Fakhri made her acting debut in 2011 with Imtiaz Ali's musical romantic drama Rockstar. In the film, she played the main female role of Heer Kaul. The movie tells the story of a musician who becomes famous after his lover passes away.

Rockstar was one of the first Indian films to show a Kashmiri Pandit wedding. Nargis played a free-spirited rich girl from a Kashmiri Pandit background. Because her Hindi wasn't very strong, another voice artist, Mona Ghosh Shetty, spoke her lines in the film.

Critics had mixed feelings about her performance, but many praised her looks. The film was very successful, earning a lot of money. Nargis was nominated for several awards for Best Female Debut, including a Filmfare nomination.

Her next movie was Madras Cafe (2013), a political thriller with John Abraham. This drama was set during a historical time when India was involved in the Sri Lankan civil war. Nargis played a British war correspondent in Sri Lanka. This time, she spoke her own lines.

Critics really liked Madras Cafe and praised the actors' performances. Later that year, she had a special dance appearance in the action comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero.

In 2014, Nargis worked with Varun Dhawan in the romantic comedy Main Tera Hero. She played Ayesha, the daughter of a powerful person, who falls in love with a wild young man. The film was a financial success. Some critics said she fit well in the comedy.

She then appeared in a popular song called "Yaar Naa Miley" with Salman Khan for the action thriller Kick. The song was very popular with audiences. Later that year, she starred in Spy, her first Hollywood movie.

In Spy, Nargis played Lia, a secret agent, which was her first villain role. She acted alongside stars like Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham. The film and her performance received good reviews. Spy was a huge success, earning over $235 million worldwide.

Recent Roles (2016–Present)

Nargis started 2016 with a special dance appearance in the Tamil film Saagasam. She then appeared in the biographical sports drama Azhar. She played Sangeeta Bijlani, an actress and the second wife of cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. The film was about his life, including a big discussion about sports integrity. Critics had different opinions about her performance. The film did moderately well at the box office.

She then had a supporting role in Housefull 3, a comedy film. She played a rich girl who falls for a con-man. Reviews for the film and her acting were mostly negative. However, the film was a major commercial success, earning a lot of money worldwide. Nargis also had a small role in the adventure comedy Dishoom.

Nargis's last role in 2016 was as Christina in the musical Banjo. She played an American citizen looking for a musician who could play the banjo. The film received mixed reviews and didn't do very well at the box office.

In October 2017, Nargis was chosen as a counselor for One Young World. She spoke at their summit in Bogota alongside important figures like Kofi Annan. Nargis then starred in her second Hollywood film, the romantic comedy 5 Weddings (2018). In 2019, she appeared in the horror thriller Amavas.

Personal Life

Nargis Fakhri dated actor Uday Chopra starting in 2013. Their relationship received a lot of attention in India. They broke up in late 2017. In 2018, Nargis confirmed her relationship with filmmaker Matt Alonzo on Instagram, but they later broke up in 2019.

Nargis has stated that "Marriage is something that does not define me."

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2011	Rockstar	Heer Kaul
2013	Madras Cafe	Jaya Sahni
	Phata Poster Nikhla Hero	–	Special appearance in song "Dhating Naach"
2014	Main Tera Hero	Ayesha Shingal
	Kick	Angel	Special appearance in song "Yaar Na Miley"
2015	Spy	Lia	Hollywood film
2016	Saagasam	–	Tamil film; special appearance in song "Desi Girl"
	Azhar	Sangeeta Bijlani
	Housefull 3	Saraswati "Sarah" Patel
	Dishoom	Samaira Dalal	Cameo appearance
	Banjo	Christina "Chris"
2018	5 Weddings	Shania Dhaliwal	English-language film
2019	Amavas	Ahaana
2020	Torbaaz	Ayesha
2023	Shiv Shastri Balboa	Siya
2025	Hari Hara Veera Mallu	Roshanara	Telugu film; filming
	Housefull 5	TBA	Filming

Web Series

Music Videos

Discography

Awards and Nominations

See Also

• List of Hindi film actresses