Manjari Fadnis is an Indian actress, model, and singer. She is known for her work in Hindi films. She has also appeared in a few Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi films.
Wiki/Biography
Manjari Fadnis was born on Tuesday, 10 July 1984 (age 38 years; as of 2022) in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Bharat Kumar Fadnis, served in the Indian Army due to which she grew up in different parts of India including Shimla, Jammu, Delhi, Mumbai, and her hometown Pune.
Manjari Fadnis with her father (Bharat Kumar Fadnis) in her Childhood picture picture
She studied at St. Anne High School, Fort, Mumbai, India. Later, she studied Sociology at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). [1]Hindustan Times As none of her family members was from the entertainment industry, they initially hesitated to allow her to enter Bollywood. According to Manjari Fadnis, after entering the world of entertainment, she faced many difficulties, and she lost many projects after she rejected the offers of many renowned producers who asked her to “compromise.” According to Manjari Fadnis, she had to start her acting career with low-budget films, which didn’t do well at the box office; however, she didn’t give up, and she finally got a proposal for a big-budget South Indian film.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 55 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Figure Measurements (approx.): 34-26-36
Family
Parents & Siblings
Manjari Fadnis with her father, Bharat Kumar Fadnis, and mother, Ruchi Fadnis.
Relationships/Affairs
In 2019, in an interview, Manjari Fadnis hinted about her relationship status and said that she was looking for a suitable match for herself. She said,
I’m still looking for love. I’m dating someone but as of now I don’t want to say anything more.” [2]DNA India
Career
Film
In 2004, she made her debut with the Bollywood film ‘Rok Sako To Rok Lo’ as Suhana. She made her Bengali film debut with the film ‘Faltu’ (2006) in which she played the role of Tuktuki; the film won a National Award. Later, she appeared in the Bollywood film ‘Mumbai Salsa’ (2007) in which she played the role of Maya Chandhok. In 2008, she made her Telugu debut with the film ‘Siddu From Sikakulam’ in which she appeared as Sailaja Reddy. In 2009, she made her Tamil film debut with the film Muthirai as Aarthi. She made her Kannada debut with the film ‘Munjane’ (2012) as Pavithra. In 2014, she made her Malayalam debut with the film ‘Mr. Fraud” in which she played the role of Priya. The 2008 Bollywood film ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na’ is considered her breakthrough film in which she played the role of Meghna Pariyar. In 2015, she appeared in the Bollywood film ‘Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon.’
Manjari Fadnis on the poster of ‘Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon’ (2015)
Being a part of movies in different languages, Manjari Fadnis, in an interview, admitted that language had never been a barrier to her career, and she would love to be a part of movies in other languages as well. She said,
If I get a good script and role, I would love to do a Marathi film as well. If I can do Bengali, Tamil and Telugu gilms, why not Marathi. Language has never been a problem with me. Bengali is easier to understand. But, Telugu and Tamil are difficult.” [3]Hindustan Times
Theatre
In 2017, Manjari Fadnis appeared in a theatrical production, ‘Double Deal Reloaded,’ in which she played the role of Rhea; it was a APG World’s Production directed by Mahesh Dattani. [4]Mumbai Theatre Guide
The poster of Manjari Fadnis’ debut theatrical production
According to Manjari, her favourite character is ‘Chandramukhi’ that she played in her second play, ‘Devdas,’ in 2018; it was a 150 minutes-long play, adapted from Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Bengali romance novel, and the play was directed by Saif Hyder Hasan. In an interview, she talked about the role of theatres in brushing up her acting skills. She said,
As an artist, I was feeling suffocated. Somewhere, I was being offered similar roles in films and stereotyped. I know for a fact that I have way more potential than what has been explored. Theatre has helped me tap this potential. I am glad I made the choice.”
Manjari Fadnis as Chandramukhi in theatrical rendition of ‘Devdas’ (2018)
OTT
After working on different platforms, Manjari Fadnis took a step further in her acting career and tried her luck on OTT (over-the-top) platform with her web series ‘Fuh Se Fantasy: The Blindfold’ (2019) as Neha followed by the web series ‘Masoom’ (2022), which was ranked in top 10 most viewed shows in 2022 across all OTT platforms. In the same year, she appeared in another web series ‘Miya Biwi Aur Murder’ (2022) as Mrs Priya Roy.
Manjari Fadnis in web series ‘Miya Biwi Aur Murder’ (2022)
Television
Manjari Fadnis appeared first time on small screen as a contestant in an Indian singing reality show ‘Popstars India Season 2’ in 2003; however, she couldn’t win the show. [5]Free Press Journal In 2019, she made a guest appearance in the Indian reality show ‘Kitchen Champion.’
Co-producer
In 2021, she co-produced ‘Yeh Dooriyan,‘ a television series, which was earlier planned to be released as a movie, but it was later decided to be released as a television series on YouTube.
Poster of Manjari Fadnis’ first series as a co-producer with co-actor Paresh Pahuja
Awards
She won Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance in ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na’ in 2008.
Facts/Trivia
- She encountered a bomb scare incident in Bandra in 2018. While getting back to her car from some work, which was parked under a tree, she observed a huge crowd gathered and some policemen around her car. She was aghast when she was told that there was some packet lying below the tree, which was suspected to be a bomb. [6]Times Of India
- In 2012, she recorded a song for Pakistani singer Fahkr-e-Alam. In an interview, she talked about this and said,
I have sung song for an album called Beats Beyond Borders‘. It has been composed by Fakhr-e-Alam, who is a big name in Pakistan.” [7]NDTV
- In an interview, Manjari revealed that she wanted to learn and master the Marathi language; Manjari is also fluent in the French language. [8]Free Press Journal
- She is an animal lover, and she has three pets, Simba, Pari and Mia. [9]Bollywood Hungama
Manjari Fadnis with her pet ‘Pari’
- In her leisure time, Manjari enjoys painting, and she often shares her artistic works on social media. [10]Instagram
Art reproduction of an Italian sclupture and artist Michelangelo’s painting by Manjari Fadnis
- Manjari Fadnis has learned Indian classical music from Sucheta Bhattacharjee.
- In 2016, Manjari actively participated in Punjab Kesari’s’ Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, which was organised to address the importance of saving the girl child.
- She is an ardent follower of lord Ganesha, and she often shares pictures of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration on social media.
Manjari Fadnis with eco-friendly idol of Ganesha
- In 2019, Manjari Fadnis starred in a short film, which was a project in association with the United Nations based on climate crises. This project was the compilation of 11 short films directed by 11 directors from 11 countries. In an interview, she talked about this short film and said,
Our short film is called Megha’s divorce and I’m playing Megha in it. Our story is related to the dangerous levels of toxins in the air in Delhi.” [12]India Forums
Manjari Fadnis with the team of ‘Megha’s Divorce’
- In an interview, she talked about the variety of roles that she desired to play on screen. She said,
I was facing a certain kind of typecasting by most of the casting directors. I was always offered sweet, girl-next-door characters, girlfriend of a rich boy etc. I am always told that I give a vibe on-screen with my smile, good looks, and so on. But my point was, if it is about my look, a makeup artist can change it. I am an actress so I need the chance to prove my skill. I always wanted to act as some character that is intense or quite opposite of who I am in real life. I was feeling so suffocated for the longest time.” [13]Outlook
References
