Kriti Sanon, who studied engineering, began her journey with modelling before entering films. She made her Bollywood debut with Heropanti in 2014 and proved herself with both commercial hits and strong
performances. Her role in Mimi (2021) won her the National Award for Best Actress, which she shared with Alia Bhatt.
At CNN-News18’s SheShakti 2025, Kriti opened up on being an outsider in Bollywood and how her journey required patience, hard work, and belief in herself. The actor said, “You need to really be passionate about it and there is no shortcut. Nothing comes easy, there are no free lunches. You have to work hard towards it, and what is also very, very important is not to give up, because there will be times, especially when you don’t come from a film background, when no one’s giving you anything on a platter. There will be so many people telling you why it’s too big a dream, why it can’t happen, why contact is needed, why connections are needed, or what is wrong with you — you’re too short, you’re too tall, you’re too thin, you’re not in the right shape, whatever. I feel people are going to tell you what’s wrong with you; no one’s really going to tell you that you can do it other than you.”
Kriti also spoke about the struggles of being an outsider in Bollywood and said it’s important to stay strong through the journey. “I feel you really need to be very driven, passionate, and patient, because it will come when the time is right, but you have to keep working on yourself. I think that’s the most important thing. The years that you get before you crack that film — don’t feel like, oh my God, it’s taking so long. Just have a different approach: maybe it’s taking so long because you need that time to work on yourself, to get better. So it’ll happen when the time is right, I promise you that, but you have to be at it.”
Kriti Sanon was last seen in the Netflix thriller Do Patti (2024), where she delivered a dual performance and also debuted as a producer. Earlier in the year, she appeared in Crew with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Tabu, and in the romantic drama Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role as a surrogate mother in Mimi (2021), a performance that cemented her place as one of the leading talents of her generation. Next, Kriti will star opposite Dhanush in Anand L. Rai’s Tere Ishk Mein (releasing November 28, 2025) and will headline Homi Adajania’s Cocktail 2, which begins filming this August and is slated for release in late 2026.
