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Anusha Dandekar (born 9 January 1982) is an Indian-Australian VJ, actress, and singer based in India. She is best known as a television host on MTV India and for her appearances in Bollywood films. Dandekar has also worked as a judge on reality television and has been active in music, fashion, and advocacy.
Early life
Anusha Dandekar was born on 9 January 1982 in Khartoum, Sudan, to a Marathi family from Pune, India.[1][2][3]
She was raised in Kingsgrove, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, along with her sisters Shibani and Apeksha Dandekar. In the early 2000s, she moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.[4]
Career
In 2002, at the age of 19, Dandekar moved to Mumbai, Maharashtra to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She was cast as an anchor in MTV's House of Style. She later hosted MTV Dance Crew, MTV Teen Diva, MTV News and MTV Love School[5] for the network.
In 2008, she won Best VJ at the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Awards.[6] As of 2014, Dandekar is a judge on India's Next Top Model alongside model-actress Lisa Haydon.[7][8]
In 2003, Dandekar made her acting debut in Bollywood with Mumbai Matinee and went on to do Viruddh in 2005,[9] alongside Bollywood veterans Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sharmila Tagore and John Abraham.[10] Her performance in the film won her the Best Debut Award at the Maharashtra Times Awards in 2006.[11] She then went on to star in the musical Miss Bollywood. Later in 2006, she starred in Anthony Kaun Hai? alongside Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Dutt.[12] In 2012, she made her Marathi film debut with her role in Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha.[13]
In 2012, Dandekar made her music debut with single Better Than Your Ex. The song, in the English language, was released in June.[14][15]
A fashion icon, Dandekar has also graced the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle and Seventeen. She has also endorsed the brands Reebok, Toni & Guy, Crocs and Lee Jeans.[16]
In 2017 she became a mentor on a show India's Next Top Model, which is aired on MTV India.
Discography
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | UK | |||
| 2012 | Better Than Your Ex | — | — | — | Single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Mumbai Matinee | Anusha, the temptress | |
| 2005 | Viruddh | Jenny | |
| 2006 | Anthony Kaun Hai? | Rosa | |
| 2008 | Hello | Shefali | |
| 2010 | City of Gold | Manasi | |
| Lalbaug Parel | Manasi | ||
| 2011 | Delhi Belly | VJ Sophaya | |
| 2012 | Jai Jai Maharashtra Maaza | Ashwini Stevenson | |
| 2018 | Bhavesh Joshi Superhero | Dancer in the song "Chavanprash" | |
| 2023 | Baap Manus | Krisha | |
| 2024 | Juna Furniture | Avni Pathak |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | MTV Dance Crew | Host | |
| 2009 | MTV Teen Diva | ||
| 2010 | MTV Rock On | ||
| 2015-2018 | India's Next Top Model | ||
| 2016-2019 | MTV Love School | ||
| 2019-2021 | Supermodel of the Year |
Special appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MTV Troll Police | Guest | |
| Ace of Space 1 |
Awards and nominations
Template:Awards table !Template:Abbr |- |2004 | Mumbai Matinee | Stardust Award for Most Exciting New Face | Template:Nom | style="text-align:center;"| |- |2006 | Viruddh | Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female | Template:Nom | style="text-align:center;"| |- |2006 | Viruddh | Maharashtra Times Sanmaan Best Debut Award | Template:Won | style="text-align:center;"| |- |2007 | Herself | Filmfare Award for Best Face | Template:Nom | style="text-align:center;"| |- |2009 | Herself | Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Award for Best VJ | Template:Won | style="text-align:center;"|[6] |- |2010 | Herself | Femina's List of 50 Most Beautiful Women in India Award | Template:Won | style="text-align:center;"| |}
References
- ↑ Long distance love. The Telegraph(22 January 2016). Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ↑ Not an item. India Today(16 June 2003). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ↑ People like anything about celebrities. The Times of India(9 August 2006). Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ↑ I've never faced racism. The Times of India(1 July 2009). Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ↑ Anusha Dandekar not keen to work on small screen. The Times of India(15 December 2016).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cosmopolitan awards 2008(25 November 2008).
- ↑ We need to bring back concept of supermodels: Anusha Dandekar(3 July 2016).
- ↑ Anusha Dandekar, Lisa Haydon launch 'India's Next Top Model'. Sify(1998–2014). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ↑ Anusha Dandekar birthday: MTV Love School 2 hosts Karan Kundra & Anusha Dandekar are truly in love!(9 January 2017).
- ↑ Can you recognise this young girl? She has grown up to be one of India's most popular VJ. The Times of India.
- ↑ Here are the talkies!. The Hindu(14 September 2005). Retrieved 13 February 2008.
- ↑ Anthony Kaun Hai(1 October 2007).
- ↑ How Anusha overcame her nauvari woes. Pune Times(6 June 2012).
- ↑ Anusha's Better Than Your EX!(7 June 2012).
- ↑ MARATHI MULGI GETS HER DUE. The Times of India(29 April 2012).
- ↑ OC INTERVIEW: OPEN CHEST INTERVIEW WITH MTV VEEJAY, ANUSHA DANDEKAR. openchest.com. Retrieved 20 June 2017.