Mannara Chopra (born Barbie Handa; 29 March 1991) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in
Telugu,
Hindi, and
Kannada films.[2]
The paternal cousin of actresses
Priyanka Chopra and
Parineeti Chopra,[3][4] Chopra made her film debut with the romance Prema Geema Jantha Nai and
Bollywood debut with the thriller Zid, both in 2014. Chopra went onto appear in films such as Thikka (2016), Rogue (2017) and Sita (2019). In 2023, Chopra earned wider recognition with the reality show Bigg Boss 17, where she emerged as the 2nd runner-up.[5][6]
Early life and family
Chopra was born on 29 March 1991, in
Ambala Cantonment,
Haryana.[7] Her mother, Kamini Chopra Handa is a jewellery designer and her father Raman Rai Handa, is an advocate at
Delhi High Court. She has a younger sister, Mitali Handa, who has studied commerce and is a fashion stylist.[7][8] Chopra completed her schooling from
Summer Fields School,
New Delhi and pursued a
BBA degree and is a fashion designer.
After completing her education in Delhi, Chopra moved to Mumbai, where she started her career in modelling and moved into advertising.[9] She acted in 40 commercials,
Suzuki with
Salman Khan,
Dulux paints with
Farhan Akhtar, Parle Marie with
Imtiaz Ali,
Myntra, three of them alongside her cousin Priyanka Chopra,[10] including one for
Dabur Amla, which she said won her "instant recognition" and landed her an offer in Telugu films.[11] Chopra is the original face of
Ganna commercial, and appeared in
Amit Trivedi's song '"Bas Bajna Chahiye", the theme song for Gaana.[12] Before making her film debut, she also worked as a fashion designer and as an assistant choreographer, being trained in dance forms like hip hop and belly dancing.[13]
By 2014, Mannara ventured into acting, signing up for films in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Kannada. Chopra made her acting debut with the
Telugu film Prema Geema Jantha Nai (2014), then credited under her birth name, which featured her as a "very talkative college going girl" opposite
Sreerama Chandra.[11] The same year, Chopra made her
Hindi debut with
Anubhav Sinha's Zid, co-starring
Karanvir Sharma. Her portrayal of an obsessive lover was met with mixed reviews.[15] Mohar Basu of Koimoi called her "radiant" though noted that, she needed "a good deal more of experience".[16] The film was a commercially profitable venture.[17]
Chopra made her comeback to Telugu films and had two releases in 2016. She first appeared opposite
Sunil in Jakkanna, which was a hit at the box office. A reviewer for 123 Telugu stated that Chopra had nothing much to do in the film but despite that, she makes a decent debut and does her role "sincerely".[20] In the same year, she also played the lead opposite
Sai Dharam Tej in Thikka.[21] The film was a commercial failure but won her the Special Jury Award at the
15th Santosham Film Awards.[22]
Chopra made her
Kannada film debut in 2017, with the bilingual Rogue, opposite Ishaan.[23][24] She received another Special Jury Award at
16th Santosham Film Awards for the film. Chopra played Anjali, a woman threatened by a goon. Mukta Badipatla of Times of India stated that she "fits in her role perfectly".[25] Post a year break, Chopra played Rupa, a personal assistant in Sita in 2019.[26][27] Hemanth Kumar of Firstpost said that Chopra gets a "poorly written" part.[28]
In 2021, Chopra played Niharika, a singer in the Hindi short film Haale Dil on Broken Notes, opposite Gautam Vig. In 2022, she played Gayi, one of the five friends in Hi Five - Fun and Gun. A reviewer of Times of India found her to be "fantastic" in the film.[29]
Bigg Boss 17 and beyond (2023-present)
From 2023 to 2024, Chopra appeared on the reality show Bigg Boss 17, marking her Hindi television debut.[30][31] She became one of the highest-paid contestant of the season.[32][33] Chopra emerged as the 2nd runner-up.[34]
In 2023, Chopra also made her web debut with
ALT Balaji's Bhootmate, in which she played a ghost Pari.[35] Chopra will next appear in the Telugu film Thiragabadara Saami, opposite
Raj Tarun and in the Punjabi film Ohi Chann Ohi Raatan.[36]
Other work and media image
Chopra was placed in the "35 most influential young Indians" list by
GQ, in 2024.[37]
In addition to her acting career, Chopra has appeared in various music videos such as Na Hona Tumse Door with
Gajendra Verma, Ham Reh Gaye Akele with
Pranav Vatsa and Sukoon with
Ashmit Patel. Chopra also appeared as a showstopper for Ashima S at the 2017
India Runway Week.[38] In 2023, Chopra made her singing debut with Zara Zara Behekta Hai.[39] In 2024, Chopra appeared in the music video Saanware opposite Abhishek Kumar, her first project post Bigg Boss.[40]
^"ROGUE MOVIE REVIEW". The Times of India. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
^Adivi, Sashidhar (3 November 2018).
"Mannara is all praise for Teja". Deccan Chronicle.
Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.