Mrunal Thakur

Mrunal Thakur (born 1 August 1992) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi and Telugu films. She started on Hindi television, then moved into films. Her Hindi films include Super 30 and Batla House, and her Telugu films include Sita Ramam and Hi Nanna. Her awards include a Filmfare Award South, several SIIMA Awards and an ITA Award.

Early life and background

Thakur was born into a Marathi-speaking family in Dhule, Maharashtra. She went to St. Joseph's Convent School in Jalgaon and Vasant Vihar High School near Mumbai. She then enrolled at KC College but left without graduating because she was already busy with television work.

Career

Television (2012–2016)

While still in college, Thakur got the lead role of Gauri Bhosle in the Star Plus series Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan, which ran from 2012 to 2013. In 2014 she joined Zee TV's Kumkum Bhagya as Bulbul Arora Khanna, a young woman who helps her mother and sister run a marriage hall. The role won her the ITA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and she stayed on the show until January 2016. She also took part in Box Cricket League and the dance reality show Nach Baliye 7.

Into films (2014–2021)

Thakur's first films were in Marathi: Hello Nandan and Vitti Dandu (both 2014). Her first Hindi project was the international drama Love Sonia, filmed from 2016 and released in 2018. She played the title role, a village girl caught up in human trafficking. Her mainstream Bollywood debut was Vikas Bahl's Super 30 (2019), in which she played Supriya opposite Hrithik Roshan. Later that year she played Nandita Kumar, the wife of John Abraham's character, in Batla House. Both films were commercially successful. In 2020 she appeared in Karan Johar's segment of the Netflix anthology Ghost Stories. In 2021 she starred in the sports drama Toofaan with Farhan Akhtar and the thriller Dhamaka with Kartik Aaryan, both released on streaming platforms.

Telugu success and recent work (2022–present)

She played opposite Shahid Kapoor in the sports drama Jersey (2022). That year she also made her Telugu debut in Hanu Raghavapudi's period romance Sita Ramam, opposite Dulquer Salmaan. Her role as Sita Mahalakshmi won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. In 2023 she had four Hindi releases, Gumraah, Lust Stories 2, Aankh Micholi and the war film Pippa. She also starred in the Telugu romance Hi Nanna opposite Nani, which won her a SIIMA critics' award for Best Actress.

In 2024 she starred in The Family Star opposite Vijay Deverakonda and made a cameo in Kalki 2898 AD. In 2025 she played Rabia, a Pakistani dancer, in Son of Sardaar 2 with Ajay Devgn.

Selected filmography

• 2012 — Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan (TV) — Gauri Bhosle
• 2014 — Kumkum Bhagya (TV) — Bulbul Arora Khanna
• 2018 — Love Sonia — Sonia
• 2019 — Super 30 — Supriya
• 2019 — Batla House — Nandita Kumar
• 2022 — Jersey — Lead
• 2022 — Sita Ramam — Sita Mahalakshmi (Telugu)
• 2023 — Hi Nanna — Yashna (Telugu)
• 2025 — Son of Sardaar 2 — Rabia
• 2026 — Do Deewane Seher Mein — Lead
• 2026 — Dacoit: A Love Story — Lead

Awards and honours

• Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu — Sita Ramam
• SIIMA Award for Best Actress (Critics) – Telugu — Hi Nanna
• ITA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role — Kumkum Bhagya
• Eastern Eye Top 30 Under 30 Global Asian Stars (2021), where she was ranked eighth

Recent and upcoming work

So far in 2026, Thakur has starred opposite Siddhant Chaturvedi in the romantic drama Do Deewane Seher Mein and co-starred with Adivi Sesh in the Hindi-Telugu bilingual Dacoit: A Love Story. Critics praised her performance in Dacoit. Her other 2026 film is Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, with Varun Dhawan and Pooja Hegde. Pooja Meri Jaan, a Maddock Films production with Huma Qureshi that she finished filming in 2022, has not yet been released.