From modeling to acting, Disha Patani proved herself at every stage and made a mark for herself in action and diverse roles along with glamour.
Disha Patani’s journey to Bollywood is nothing short of a film script. Originally from Bareilly, she started modelling while pursuing engineering and eventually moved to Mumbai with just ₹500. Her early days involved giving multiple auditions, including one for Heropanti, which she did not clear. However, Disha did not give up and eventually left engineering to pursue acting full-time.
‘M.S. Dhoni’ changed her career
Disha made her acting debut with the 2015 film Loafer. However, it was M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story in 2016 that brought her widespread recognition. She went on to feature in films such as Baaghi 2, Bharat, Malang and Kalki 2898 AD, establishing herself as one of the prominent actresses in the industry.
More recently, she has appeared in the multi-starrer Welcome to the Jungle and Awarapan 2.
In today’s success story, here are some more special facts related to Disha Patani’s personal life and career…
Born in Bareilly, with a police officer father and health inspector mother
Disha Patani was born on June 13, 1992, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Her family has roots in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Her father, Jagdish Singh Patani, is a police officer, while her mother works as a health inspector. Her elder sister, Khushboo Patani, served as a Major in the Indian Army and is also associated with fitness. She also has a younger brother, Suryansh Patani.
Before Disha became known for her glamorous image and Bollywood career, she grew up in a disciplined family environment.
Disha Patani in a family photo with her father, mother, sister, and brother.
Modeling opportunity came during engineering
Disha began her engineering studies at Amity University, Lucknow. While pursuing B.Tech in Noida, she started receiving modeling offers in her second year. As the opportunities increased, balancing studies and modeling became difficult. She eventually dropped out in her second year and decided to pursue modeling full-time.
Started modeling at 18, became Miss India runner-up
Disha began modeling at 18 and, according to her, earned money to manage her own expenses instead of depending on her family. At 19, she moved to Mumbai with just ₹500 and knew no one there. She lived on her own, attended auditions and worked in advertisements to support herself.
In 2013, she participated in Pond’s Femina Miss India Indore and finished as the first runner-up. While modeling, Disha realised that acting interested her more and began seeing modeling as a stepping stone towards Bollywood.
Failed ‘Heropanti’ audition
Disha’s first major film audition was for Tiger Shroff’s debut film Heropanti, but she did not clear it. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, she admitted that she had little knowledge of acting at the time and felt her audition did not go well.
Although she missed out on Heropanti, Disha continued pursuing acting, and the setback did not stop her Bollywood journey.
Disha Patani worked with South actor Varun Tej in the film ‘Loafer’.
Acting debut with Telugu film ‘Loafer’
In 2015, Disha got her first big break in the film world. She worked with Varun Tej in Puri Jagannadh’s Telugu film ‘Loafer’. She played the character of Mouni in the film. This is where her official acting career began.
‘Loafer’ could not achieve major success at the box office. But this film was important for Disha, as she got the opportunity to prove herself on the big screen for the first time.
For many artists, the failure of their first film halts their career. This was not the case for Disha. She waited for the next opportunity, and that very film became the major stepping stone of her career.
‘MS Dhoni’ changed her fortune
In 2016, Disha got the film that brought her nationwide recognition-‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’. In this Neeraj Pandey-directed film, Sushant Singh Rajput played the role of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Disha played the character of Priyanka Jha, who was a very emotional chapter in Dhoni’s life.
The film proved to be a big success at the box office, and Disha’s work was noticed. Her screen time was not much, but the story of Priyanka’s character was emotional. This was the reason why her screen presence remained memorable to the audience.
After this film, Disha was no longer seen just as a model or a new actress. She began to be recognized as an actress who has the ability to play emotional roles along with glamour.
For this film, she received the ‘Star Debut of the Year – Female’ award at IIFA. Apart from this, she received several other debut awards and nominations.
International project with Jackie Chan
After ‘MS Dhoni’, Disha’s next big milestone was outside Bollywood. In 2017, she appeared in Jackie Chan’s film ‘Kung Fu Yoga’. The film also featured Sonu Sood and other actors. This project gave Disha the opportunity to be introduced to an international audience.
On one hand, she was trying to establish herself in Bollywood, and on the other, she was gaining experience with international projects. However, Disha was yet to achieve true commercial stardom.
‘Baaghi 2’ made her a commercial star
In 2018, Disha’s film ‘Baaghi 2’ was released. In this, she was seen alongside Tiger Shroff. The two had previously worked together in the music video ‘Befikra’. ‘Baaghi 2’ was her first film with Tiger Shroff, in which the pair appeared on the big screen.
The film performed tremendously at the box office and grossed over Rs 258 crore worldwide. It was among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2018.
‘Baaghi 2’ was significant for Disha because it rapidly increased her popularity. Her glamorous look, fitness, and on-screen chemistry with Tiger remained a topic of discussion. However, critics also questioned the limitations of her character. This has been the interesting truth of Disha’s career-her popularity kept growing, but as an actress, she remained in search of strong roles.
In the film ‘Bharat’, Disha Patani grabbed the audience’s attention by appearing in the ‘Slow Motion’ song alongside Salman Khan.
Worked with Salman Khan in ‘Bharat’, then ‘Radhe’
In 2019, Disha Patani appeared with Salman Khan in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat, playing Radha and featuring in the song Slow Motion. She later reunited with Salman in Radhe. However, the film received a mixed response and its release was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tried a different role in ‘Malang’
In Malang (2020), Disha played Sara Nambiar alongside Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu. The film gave her more screen space and allowed her to explore a different role beyond her usual glamorous image. Disha has said that she does not choose films simply to become number one, but wants to enjoy the journey and trust her instincts.
Says every film makes her feel like a new actor
Disha has said that she feels like a new artist with every film because she keeps learning on the job. She has no formal acting training and considers auditions and working on films her real learning experience. Her journey from modeling and advertisements to Bollywood became her practical training.
Fitness and action became part of her identity
Fitness, dance and action have become important parts of Disha’s public image. She regularly shares her interest in workouts, gymnastics and fitness on social media. She has also expressed a desire to do more action films and hopes to see audiences become more accepting of women performing action on screen.
In the film ‘Ek Villain Returns’, apart from her glamorous style, Disha Patani showed new shades of her character in a thriller story.
The decline from ‘Radhe’ to ‘Ek Villain Returns’
After ‘Malang’, Disha’s career saw ups and downs. ‘Radhe’ was released in 2021, and in 2022, she appeared in ‘Ek Villain Returns’. Both films did not achieve the expected success. In ‘Ek Villain Returns’, she played a character linked to a thriller story, but the film could not perform as expected at the box office.
Following this, ‘Yodha’ was released in 2024. In the film, Disha played an action-oriented role and her fight sequences were praised, although the film was not successful at the box office. However, in the same year, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ changed the picture. Disha’s role in the film was small, but it was a massive commercial success.
‘Kanguva’ and stepping into a new industry
In 2024, Disha stepped into Tamil cinema. She appeared in the Suriya-starrer ‘Kanguva’ and played the character of Angelina. Although the film received mixed reviews and questions were also raised about the screen space of her character.
This phase shows that Disha’s career has not always followed a straight line. Sometimes she had big hits, sometimes films failed, sometimes her roles were praised, and at other times she faced criticism for limited screen time.
The journey continues in 2026
She had no film releases in 2025, but in 2026, several projects were added to Disha’s filmography. She appeared as Julie in ‘O’Romeo’. Apart from this, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Awarapan 2’ also became part of her career.
In ‘Awarapan 2’, she played the lead role alongside Emraan Hashmi. This is a sequel to the 2007 hit ‘Awarapan’. Even after more than a decade in her career, Disha continues to be a part of diverse projects.
‘Awarapan 2’ was released in theaters on August 14, 2026.
Considers herself an ‘introvert’ despite the stardom
Disha’s social media image is extremely glamorous, but in a conversation with ‘Filmibeat’, she described her real life as quite different. She said that she is an introvert, feels uncomfortable at social events, and prefers staying at home.
Recalling her childhood days, she shared that she had short hair in school, lived like a tomboy, and was teased by being called ‘Jadoo’. But at that time, she was so busy in her own little world that she did not take these things very seriously.
Perhaps this is the reason why Disha, who appears confident in front of the camera, sees herself differently in her personal life.
