A special aspect of Kiara’s career was that she did not limit herself to only glamorous roles.
Today, Kiara Advani is among Bollywood’s most successful actresses, with major films, big production houses and a huge fan following to her name. But her journey to the top was far from easy, despite her having a special connection with Salman Khan in the industry.
Her debut film failed, and she struggled to find work for months. Even after the success of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, she continued to audition and faced several rejections. Her breakthrough came with Kabir Singh, which was so impactful that many people still mistakenly consider it her debut film. Before making a mark in cinema, Kiara also struggled to gain recognition in the fashion industry.
In today’s success story, know some special things related to Kiara Advani’s personal life and career.
Dad Was a Businessman, Mom a Teacher; But She Dreamed of Becoming an Actress
Born in Mumbai on July 31, 1992, Kiara Advani’s real name is Alia Advani. Her father, Jagdeep Advani, is a businessman, while her mother, Genevieve Jaffrey, is a teacher. Genevieve is the daughter of actor Saeed Jaffrey’s brother, Hameed Jaffrey, and his first wife, Valerie. Hameed Jaffrey later married Bharti Ganguly, the daughter of veteran actor Ashok Kumar.
Although Kiara’s family was not directly involved in the film industry, she was familiar with Bollywood from an early age. Kiara has recalled that as a child, she would recreate film scenes in front of the mirror and take part in school cultural programmes. It was during those years that she began dreaming of becoming an actress. She studied at The Cathedral & John Connon School and later graduated in Mass Communication from Jai Hind College. She scored 92% in her Class 10 board examinations.
Before entering films, She taught children
Before entering the film industry, Kiara taught young children at her mother’s preschool. In an interview with Film Companion, she said she enjoyed spending time with children. After doing this for some time, she began auditioning for films.
The story behind changing her name from Alia to Kiara
Kiara’s real name was Alia. However, when she was preparing to enter Bollywood, Alia Bhatt was already an established actress. Salman Khan therefore advised her to change her name. Kiara later revealed on Comedy Nights with Kapil that she chose the name “Kiara” after being inspired by Priyanka Chopra’s character in Anjaana Anjaani.
Special connection with Salman Khan didn’t work
It is often believed that Kiara got an easy entry into Bollywood because of her connection with Salman Khan’s family. However, she has said that this was not the case. The two families have known each other for years, a connection that both Salman and Kiara have acknowledged. In an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Kiara said she never got a film simply because of her connections and had to audition for every role.
In fact, Kiara’s mother, Genevieve Jaffrey, and Salman Khan have been childhood friends. Their families have shared a close relationship for years. Kiara’s aunt, Shaheen Jaffrey, was also once reportedly close to Salman Khan and was rumoured to have been his girlfriend. This is how Salman has known Kiara since childhood.
Her first film released, but her dream seemed to fall apart
Kiara made her Bollywood debut in 2014 with Kabir Sadanand’s Fugly, which also starred Mohit Marwah, Vijay Raaz and Jimmy Sheirgill. There were high expectations from the film before its release, but it turned out to be a major box-office failure.
The biggest impact of Fugly‘s failure was on Kiara’s career. While many newcomers begin receiving more offers after their debut, Kiara’s phone stopped ringing.
No Work for Months, She Began Doubting Herself
After Fugly flopped, Kiara entered one of the most difficult phases of her career. She revealed in an interview with Film Companion that she went for months without getting another film. She would ask her manager every day whether there had been any calls. She kept hoping that a director or producer might reach out, but the answer was often “no.”
Gradually, she began doubting herself. Had she chosen the wrong career? Would her first film also be her last? Would anyone give her another chance? These questions constantly troubled her. Yet, she continued auditioning.
One audition changed her life
After struggling for nearly two years, Kiara got an opportunity to audition for Neeraj Pandey’s M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. She was considered for the role of Sakshi Dhoni and had to go through several rounds of auditions and look tests.
Even until the final stage, Kiara was unsure whether she would get the role. When she was finally selected, she felt that her life was about to change.
M.S. Dhoni was a blockbuster, but her struggle didn’t end
Released on September 30, 2016, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story became one of the biggest hits of the year. Sushant Singh Rajput played Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while Kiara played his wife, Sakshi Dhoni.
After the film’s success, many assumed that Kiara’s struggle was finally over. But that was not the case.
Kiara revealed that even after the film became a hit, she continued to audition for roles and was often rejected despite clearing screen tests. She said, “People only see your released films, but no one sees how many auditions and rejections are behind them.”
She Auditioned for Many Films, But Did Not Get Every Role
During this phase, Kiara auditioned for several major production houses. Many times, she reached the final round, underwent look tests and even participated in costume trials, only to see the role go to another actress.
Every rejection made her wonder where she had fallen short. However, she had made up her mind that she would not allow rejection to define her career.
Big Fashion Designers Once Told Her, “You Are Not a Star Yet”
Today, Kiara is a prominent face for major fashion brands, but things were very different when she was starting out. In Lilly Singh’s podcast, she revealed that several well-known designers refused to lend her outfits because she was not yet a big star. As a result, she often had to wear clothes from smaller designers at events.
She admitted that the experience hurt, but she refused to let it become a weakness. According to her, “If your work is good, one day those same people will want to work with you.”
Today, Kiara works with some of the country’s biggest fashion designers and luxury brands.
Kiara Advani never responded to social media trolling.
Received criticism and questions were raised about her acting
After her initial films, some critics believed that Kiara had a good screen presence, but her acting needed improvement. She was also trolled many times on social media. Instead of running away from criticism, she reviewed her work after every film and made improvements. She attended acting workshops and worked specifically on dialogue delivery and emotional scenes. This hard work was clearly visible in her later films.
‘Lust Stories’ changed people’s perception
In 2018, Netflix’s anthology film ‘Lust Stories’ was released. Kiara’s role in the story directed by Karan Johar was small but challenging. As soon as the film was released, her acting was widely discussed. For the first time, critics considered her not just a beautiful face, but also a good actress. According to many film critics, this film changed the industry’s perception of Kiara.
Then came ‘Kabir Singh’ and life changed overnight
Released in 2019 with Shahid Kapoor, ‘Kabir Singh’ became the biggest turning point in Kiara’s career. The film grossed over 370 crore rupees at the box office and was among the biggest Hindi films of the year. Preeti’s calm and sensitive character gave her household recognition. After this, she was flooded with films and producers-directors themselves started offering her roles.
One hit film after another made her the Box Office Queen
After ‘Kabir Singh’, Kiara never looked back. She proved her acting prowess by playing different types of characters in ‘Good Newwz’, ‘Shershaah’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ and ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’. Especially her portrayal of Dimple Cheema in ‘Shershaah’ was highly praised by both audiences and critics. It was from here that she established herself not just as a star, but as a powerful actress.
Kiara is married to actor Sidharth Malhotra.
Even after marriage, her career did not stop, but became stronger
On February 7, 2023, Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra got married at Suryagarh Palace in Jaisalmer. Their wedding pictures went viral on social media and it was one of the most talked-about celebrity weddings of the year. Even after their marriage, they continued to work in big banner films. Her performance in ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ was highly praised. Many critics considered it one of the most mature performances of her career.
‘Toxic’ will be released in cinemas worldwide on August 26, 2026.
Preparing for the biggest comeback after becoming a mother
In 2025, Kiara and Sidharth welcomed their first child. After this, Kiara took a break from work for some time. Now she is ready to return to the big screen. Her much-anticipated upcoming film is ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’, in which she will be seen alongside superstar Yash. Trade analysts believe that this could be one of the biggest pan-India releases of her career.
Trolled for ‘Tabaahi’ song from ‘Toxic’
However, Kiara is being trolled on social media for the intimate scenes between Yash and Kiara Advani in the film’s song ‘Tabaahi’. Many users questioned her doing bold scenes after marriage and becoming a mother. While many called it a double standard against female artists, as Yash is also married and a father of two children.
Kiara said – People will connect with work done honestly
Amidst the trolling, Kiara Advani did not directly react to the controversy, but defended the film and her character. She said, “I think people connect with work done honestly. My character in ‘Toxic’ has been one of the most creative and satisfying experiences of my career. When the audience watches the entire film, they will better understand the context of this character and story.”
In support of Kiara, her co-star Huma Qureshi also came forward. Calling the trolling ‘sick’ and ‘disgusting’, she said it is wrong to target an actress just because she is playing a part of her profession. Huma said that artists should be judged based on their work, not their personal lives. British actor Benedict Garrett, who is working in the film, also defended Kiara. He said that actors are just playing their characters and it is not fair to judge them based on their personal lives.
Even before this, the film’s teaser and promotional content had also faced criticism on social media. Some people had raised questions about the portrayal of female characters, while the makers say that the full context of the film will only be understood after its release.
