Priya Malik is an NRI, who is known for her participation in the reality show Big Brother Australia (season 11) in September 2014 and Big Boss India (season 9) in October 2015. She is an actor, storyteller, poet, writer, and television personality.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Priya Malik was born on Monday, 9 January 1989 (age 34 years; as of 2023) in Neshvilla Road, Dehradun, India. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Priya completed her schooling at Carman School, Dehradun and Convent of Jesus & Mary High School Dehradun. She graduated with English Honors from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. In 2008, she went to Australia on a student visa to pursue higher studies, where she attended the University of South Australia. Priya holds a master’s degree in applied linguistics, a master’s degree in teaching (middle and secondary), and a master’s in education.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Figure Measurements (approx.): 36-30-35
Family
Parents & Siblings
Priya’s father’s name is Muktesh Handa, and her mother’s name is Shubhra Handa.
Priya Malik has a brother, and an elder sister, Neha Malik.
Husband & Children
On 13 April 2008, Priya Malik, at the age of 21, got married to Bhushan Malik, an Australian citizen.
The couple was in a long-term relationship before they got married.
After 10 years of marriage, they got separated in 2018 in Australia. The main reason for their separation was that Priya wanted to shift back to India, while Bhushan refused to leave Australia. On 28 October 2019, Priya got engaged to Karan Bakshi, a Delhi-based entrepreneur in Chhatarpur Gurdwara, New Delhi.
In an interview, she revealed her engagement and said,
Coming back to India, finding love again has had a profound impact on me. I was not looking to get married again. I was open to it. And that’s exactly when it happened.” [1]Hindustan Times
On 9 October 2022, she got married to Karan Bakshi at the Pahari Wala Gurudwara-GK1 in New Delhi.
Tattoos
- A phoenix tattoo on her chest.
- She has a paw and Karma tattoo inked on her right wrist.
- She has a lotus tattoo inked on her upper back.
- The tattoo with the words “Deep Rooted” on her neck.
- She has a one-word tattoo ‘freedom’ inked on her left shoulder.
- She has an ‘Om’ symbol tattoo inked on her right shoulder.
Career
Teacher
Priya Malik started her career as an appointment setter in Australia. Later, Priya became a high school teacher at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) College in Adelaide, Australia.
Film
In 2021, Priya Malik made her debut in the short film ‘Sheer Qorma’ in which she played the role of Susan.
The film is about the discrimination faced by the LGBTQ community. In 2022, she appeared in the short film Jeena Abhi Baki hai, presented and produced by Imtiaz Ali.
Reality Show
In 2014, Priya Malik participated as a contestant in season 11 of the Australian television reality show ‘Big Brother.’
She survived in the house for 79 days. In 2014, Priya came back to India and participated as a contestant in the reality show Bigg Boss Season 9 on Colors TV. She came as a wild card contestant, and she got evicted in the last week of the show.
In an interview, when asked about her eviction in the finale week, she said,
I was definitely disappointed. I guess being declared as the first finalist that kind of back-fired. I think the audience must have thought that I am already a finalist.” [2]India TV News
Theatre
In 2017, Priya Malik was seen in an all-female theatre play ‘Selfie,’ which was directed by actress Tannaz Irani.
Priya played the role of Sonya Kapoor, a popular small-screen actress. It was a two-hour-long play that was staged at the Kala Mandir Auditorium in Kolkatta.
Television
In 2017, Priya appeared in the Colors TV show ‘Savitri Devi College & Hospital’ in which she played the role of Keerti Fernandes. In 2019, Priya was seen in the StarPlus show ‘Nazar’ in which she played the role of Dukaayan. [3]The Times of India In an interview, when asked about her negative role in the show, she said,
When I was approached for the role, I was very thrilled to explore a role that is unseen and unheard of on Indian television. I play a Dayan who is very scintillating, powerful and will bring an unexpected twist on the show. Being my debut in Hindi fiction, I wanted to choose a show and a character that creates an intrigue and gets the audiences hooked onto their screens and that attracted me to the character.”
Host
In 2016, she appeared as a host in the show ‘Gangster ki Girlfriend’ on ABP News in which she revealed the love affairs of gangsters with Bollywood actresses.
In 2019, Priya Malik hosted the show ‘Uncensored News With Priya Malik’ on TV9 Bharatvarsh in which she delivered and discussed various political and social issues in a poetic format.
Poet
While Priya was in Australia, she went to a district slam poetry competition. and she gave her first spoken word poetry performance. In September 2013, Priya participated in the Australian Poetry Slam at South Australia State. Priya has been featured on India’s various spoken word poetry platforms on YouTube like Kommune India, UnErase Poetry, Spill Poetry, and Tape A Tale. Some of her famous works include “Mujhe Pyaar Nahin, Ishq Chahiye,” “Right To Pleasure,” “Broken But Beautiful,” and “2019 Mein 1999.”
Commercials
Priya Malik has appeared in a few advertisements for popular brands like Olx and Imperial Blue.
Web-Series
In 2022, Priya Malik appeared in Netflix’s web series ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ in which she played the role of Shefali.
Controversy
Priya Malik accused Rishabh Sinha of sexual molestation
Priya Malik accused her fellow contestant Rishabh Sinha of sexually molesting her on the reality show Big Boss season 9. It happened during a task where Rishabh licked Priya’s fingers to stop her from performing the task. Priya lost control and blamed him for sexually abusing her onscreen. [4]India.com
Awards
- 2022: Outstanding Contribution to Indian Literature Award at the Iconic Achievers Awards
- 2023: Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role Award at the Yellowstone Int Film Festival for her performance in the short film Sheer Qorma (2021)
Facts/Trivia
- Priya was popularly known as ‘Posh Spice’ of Big Brother season 11 for her violent behaviour in the house.
- Initially, Priya worked as a comedian in Australia, where she performed with a few comedy clubs like Adelaide Comedy, Cranker Comedy, Comedy at Gov, SA Comedy, and A Mic in Hand Comedy.
- Priya took active participation in elocution competitions and debate competitions in school.
- In May 2022, Priya Malik was featured in the World Business Review Corporation UK Ltd’s 45 under 45 India list in which her work as a poet was appreciated.
- In 2014, Priya participated in the 11th season of Big Brother Australia through a new method in which people nominated their friends for the show without their knowledge. According to Priya, she never came to know who had nominated her for the show.
- Priya has a pet cat, Gundi Kaur.
- Priya had raised her voice for social awareness initiatives like ‘Free the Nipple’ and the removal of the tax on sanitary napkins.
- In an interview, Priya talked about how she developed an interest in poetry and said,
I have always been a performer…I used to recite poetry standing on top of coffee and dining tables, and my teachers picked up on that. The first time I was behind the microphone, I was nine years old. I then started writing my own poems, and I eventually realised that I could recite them too. I never looked at it as a profession, and I think that’s why it became exactly that.”
- In July 2018, Priya Malik appeared at a TEDx event at Symbiosis International University, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Tedx-ing. Video out soon. pic.twitter.com/PxWFKZvIbS
— Priya Malik (@PriyaSometimes) January 27, 2018
- In an interview, Priya stated that a few of her favourite poets are Gulzar and Amrita Pritam.
- In 2019, Priya slammed cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul for their controversial comments on women in the chat show Koffee with Karan season 6 with her poem titled “Dear Mister Player.” [5]Unerased Poetry-Youtube
- Priya conducted an online workshop on poetry titled ‘Priya Ki Pathshaala’ in May 2020.
- Priya Malik is often spotted drinking alcoholic beverages on various occasions.
- Before moving to Australia, Priya worked as a call centre agent, quality analyst, tutor, and trainer in India.
- Priya Malik, along with fellow contestants, was given a task in the Big Boss house to remain inside a parked car for as long as possible. In order to win the task, Priya urinated inside the car in the presence of other contestants.
- In 2023, Priya appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
References