20 minutes agoAuthor: Shaily Acharya
Kiara Advani is once again being talked about, this time for her bold look and intimate scenes in Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. Some are praising her confidence, while others are questioning her choices after marriage and motherhood. But the noise around Kiara today hides a very different story.
Some users questioned her decision to do bold scenes after marriage and motherhood, while others called out the criticism as a double standard.
There was a time when she was not getting calls from filmmakers. She had to keep asking her manager, “Any calls?” Even after M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story gave her recognition, rejection did not stop. Today, she is a leading Bollywood actress, a wife and a mother. But getting here was not an overnight success story. This is the story of the Kiara behind the glamour, the rejections and the headlines.
She was born Alia, not Kiara
Kiara was good at studies and scored 92% in her Class 10 board examinations.
Kiara Advani was born Alia Advani in Mumbai on 31 July, 1992.
Her father, Jagdeep Advani, is a businessman, while her mother, Genevieve Jaffrey, was a teacher. Kiara’s family also has connections with the Hindi film industry.
Her maternal grandfather’s family includes veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey, while legendary actor Ashok Kumar was also part of her extended family.
However, Kiara did not grow up as an actress’s daughter waiting for a film launch.
Kiara spent her childhood with Isha Ambani, they both were classmates.
She studied at The Cathedral & John Connon School and later graduated in Mass Communication from Jai Hind College.
Before becoming an actress, she taught children in pre-school
Kiara used to work in her mother’s preschool before becoming an actress.
Before entering Bollywood, she worked at her mother’s preschool, Early Birds Playschool. She has spoken about how much she enjoyed spending time with children. Years later, motherhood would become another major turning point in her life.
But even before becoming a teacher, Kiara had already faced the camera.
She appeared in an advertisement as a baby
Kiara’s connection with the camera began when she was just a baby. (Kiara is with her mother, Genevieve Jaffrey, in the pictures.)
She appeared in a baby-product advertisement with her mother when she was around eight months old. Of course, she had no idea then that she would eventually become one of Bollywood’s most recognisable faces.
As a child, she loved acting out film scenes in front of the mirror and participating in school programmes. Slowly, the dream of becoming an actress became stronger.
Salman Khan suggested the name Kiara
There is an interesting story behind Kiara’s name. Her birth name was Alia Advani. But when she was preparing to enter Bollywood, Alia Bhatt had already become a popular actress.
Kiara’s family has known Salman Khan’s family for years.
Kiara has said that Salman Khan advised her to change her name. She eventually chose the name Kiara, inspired by Priyanka Chopra’s character in Anjaana Anjaani. And that name would soon become known across the country.
Salman Khan knew her family, but the connection did not make her career easy
Kiara’s mother, Genevieve, and Salman have reportedly been childhood friends. Because of this connection, people have often assumed that Kiara had an easy entry into Bollywood.
But Kiara has repeatedly said that her connections did not get her films on a platter. She still had to audition.
Debuted with Fugly, but the film failed badly
The film also starred Mohit Marwah, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Vijay Raaz.
Kiara made her Bollywood debut in 2014 with Fugly, directed by Kabir Sadanand. But it failed at the box office. For Kiara, the real struggle started after the film’s release.
Instead of getting a series of offers, she found herself waiting for the next opportunity. She kept asking her manager: “Any calls?” After Fugly, Kiara went through a difficult period.
She would regularly ask her manager if there had been any calls from filmmakers. But there were days when there was simply nothing.
For a newcomer who had entered the industry with dreams of becoming an actress, the silence was difficult. She began questioning herself.
Had she made the wrong career choice? Would she ever get another film? But she did not give up.
Even after ‘Dhoni’, rejection did not stop
She played the role of Sakshi Dhoni opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.
After nearly two years of struggle, Kiara auditioned for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. The 2016 film became a huge success.
For the first time, Kiara was getting noticed by a much larger audience. But surprisingly, the success did not immediately end her struggle. She continued auditioning for films.
There were projects where she reached the final round, cleared screen tests, and even went through look tests. But the roles went to somebody else.
As Kiara later explained, audiences see the films that are released but rarely see the auditions and rejections that happen behind them.
She was even told she wasn’t a star by fashion designers.
Kiara has recalled that some designers refused to lend her clothes because she was not yet a star. She had to depend on smaller designers for some appearances.
Today, Kiara is known for her fashion choices. She regularly works with major designers and luxury brands. But things were completely different when she was a newcomer.
‘Lust Stories’ changed the way people looked at her
Kiara’s next major turning point came in 2018 with Netflix’s Lust Stories. Her segment, directed by Karan Johar, was very different from the roles she had played earlier.
The performance attracted attention and showed another side of Kiara. For the first time, people began discussing her not just as a glamorous actress but as a performer. But the biggest change was still waiting.
Then came ‘Kabir Singh’ and gave huge fame to Kiara
She played Preeti, a quiet and sensitive character, opposite Shahid Kapoor.
In 2019, Kiara appeared opposite Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh. The film became a massive box-office success.
And Kiara’s life changed almost overnight. Interestingly, the popularity of Kabir Singh was so huge that many people started assuming it was Kiara’s debut film.
But by then, she had already spent five years struggling in Bollywood.
Kiara followed Kabir Singh with several successful and widely discussed films.
Criticised for her bikini look in ‘War 2’; Ram Gopal Varma’s vulgar comment faced backlash
Kiara Advani’s bikini look in War 2 sparked mixed reactions on social media. While many fans praised her glamorous appearance and confidence, some users criticised the actress for wearing a bikini, questioning the choice of outfit.
The look also became a talking point after filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma shared Kiara’s picture and made controversial remarks about it. His comments drew backlash online, with several people calling them inappropriate and disrespectful.
Her performance as Dimple Cheema in Shershaah received particular appreciation.
It was also during the making of Shershaah that her relationship with Sidharth Malhotra became a major talking point.
Sidharth proposed with a ‘Shershaah’ dialogue
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra, who married in 2023, once shared details of their romantic proposal on Koffee With Karan 8. Sidharth proposed to Kiara during their first family holiday in Rome. Kiara had a feeling the proposal might happen and had even asked him to seek her parents’ permission first.
Sidharth planned a candlelight dinner, followed by a romantic walk, violin music, and a surprise proposal on one knee. His nephew secretly recorded the moment. But when Kiara became speechless, Sidharth broke the silence by reciting his Shershaah dialogue, “Dilli ka seedha saada launda hoon,” making her burst into laughter.
Kiara and Sidharth tied the knot on February 7, 2023, at Suryagarh Palace in Jaisalmer.
The two eventually got married. Their wedding pictures became a social-media sensation. But marriage did not mean Kiara stepped away from her career. She continued working in major projects.
And Sidharth has continued to support her through the ups and downs of being a public figure.
Motherhood changed Kiara’s priorities
In 2025, Kiara and Sidharth welcomed their daughter.
In a recent conversation, Kiara spoke openly about how motherhood changed her. She said she became a completely different person after becoming a mother. Earlier, she had been very focused on everyone else. But after her daughter was born, she realised that she also needed to build a relationship with herself.
For Kiara, motherhood has not ended her career. Instead, it has given her a new perspective on it.
‘Toxic’ is her next big test
The film stars Yash and features a large ensemble cast.
Now Kiara is preparing for another major chapter with Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.
Its trailer has already generated huge curiosity. Some viewers are impressed by the film’s scale and Kiara’s transformation, while others have questioned its bold content.
The debate has only increased attention around the film. And Kiara appears determined not to let the noise define her.
Through all of this, her husband Sidharth Malhotra has stood by her like a strong pillar. Kiara has spoken about how Sidharth advised her not to let social-media negativity affect her.
Today, the questions around her may have changed, but one thing has remained the same: she keeps moving forward. The girl who once waited for a filmmaker’s call is now choosing which stories she wants to tell. And perhaps that is the most interesting part of Kiara Advani’s journey. The spotlight may change, the roles may change, and life may change, but she has not stopped choosing herself.
