Flora Kaur Saini (born 29 September 1978), also known by her screen name Asha Saini, is an Indian film actress and model.[1] She predominantly works in Tollywood, and also appeared in a number of Kannada, Tamil and Hindi films. Since her debut in Prema Kosam (1999), she has acted in over 50 films and co-starred with noted actors including Rajinikanth, V. Ravichandran, Sudeep, Shivarajkumar, Vijaykanth, Prabhu, Karthik, Jagapati Babu and Rajasekhar.[2]
Early life
Born in Chandigarh to an army officer, Flora began her schooling in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir and continued her education in the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi. Her family then moved to Kolkata, where she started pursuing a modeling career. She participated in the Miss Kolkata beauty pageant.[3]
Career
Flora made her acting debut in the 1999 Telugu film Prema Kosam.[4] The producer of the film rechristened her as Asha Saini; some years later she would adopt a new screen name, Mayuri, as per the advice of an astrologer, before eventually reverting to her original name.[5]
The actress subsequently played supporting roles in more than a dozen Telugu-language films in the next three years. She appeared in the film Narasimha Naidu (2002), which went on to become highly successful. [6] It was for some time the most notable film in her filmography, and it led to her being referred to as "Lux Papa" thereafter.[7] In 2002, Flora made her first Hindi-language film, starring in the T. P. Aggarwal-produced Bharat Bhagya Vidhata.[8] Her second Hindi film, Love in Nepal (2004), also produced by Agarwal, saw her paired with popular playback singer Sonu Nigam.[3]
Flora has appeared in several Kannada-language films, too, including Giri, starring Srinagar Kitty, and Nammannna, starring Sudeep.[9]
In March 2008, she was arrested in Chennai for supposedly having forged visa documents,[7] and was subsequently banned from the Tamil film industry.[10] She claimed innocence,[11] and the ban was lifted a couple of weeks later.[12]
Three films in which Flora Saini stars – the Telugu-language Broker, and two Kannada-language films, Vismaya Pramaya and Vah Re Vah – were released on December 31, 2010, a rare occurrence that secured her an entry in the Limca Book of Records for the most film releases on one day.[13] In 2010, Flora Saini was honoured with the Uttarakhand Ratna Award.[14] She has also received The Great Daughter of Soil Award in Mauritius for her anti-poverty work there.[4]
She is last seen in a web-series called Gandi Baat season 2 with Anveshi Jain,[15] where she played a lead role. Recently, Saini was seen in many web series and notably worked in Mayanagari-City of Dreams of Hotstar.
In 2015, Flora Saini played the role of Muskan in MSG: The Messenger starring Gurmeet Ram Rahim. She played the role of a daughter with Jayshree Soni as Kasam and Olexandra Semen as Alice.
In October 2019 Flora Saini made her debut in Bengali web series through Dupur Thakurpo hoichoi web series. It was the 3rd season of the series and she played the iconinc role of Phulwa boudi.[16][17]
She also was chosen as a face of short video app "Firework" , while being managed by "Celeb Connex"[1].
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Prema Kosam | Aishwarya | Telugu | |
| 2000 | Antha Mana Manchike | Nisha | ||
| 2000 | Sabse Bada Beiman | Hindi | ||
| 2000 | Yeh Hai Green Signal | |||
| 2000 | Manasunna Maraju | Telugu | ||
| 2000 | Chala Bagundi | Ganga | ||
| 2001 | Cheppalani Vundi | |||
| 2001 | Sardukupodaam Randi | Nisha | ||
| 2001 | Timepass | |||
| 2001 | Akka Bavekkada | Shilpa | ||
| 2001 | Navvuthu Bathakalira | |||
| 2001 | Narasimha Naidu | Sandhya | ||
| 2001 | Prematho Raa | Anitha | ||
| 2001 | Rowdysheeter | |||
| 2001 | Subhakaryam | |||
| 2001 | Nuvvu Naaku Nachav | Asha | ||
| 2002 | O Chinnadana | Asha | ||
| 2002 | Adrustam | Smita / Pinky | ||
| 2002 | Kodanda Rama | Sangeetha | Kannada | |
| 2002 | Sontham | Asha | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
| 2002 | Bharat Bhagya Vidhata | Shabnam | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Ottesi Cheputhunna | Telugu | ||
| 2004 | Love in Nepal | Maxi | Hindi | |
| 2004 | 143 | Telugu | ||
| 2004 | Swamy | Special appearance | ||
| 2004 | Gajendra | Kausalya | Tamil | |
| 2005 | Giri | Kannada | ||
| 2005 | Mr. Errababu | Telugu | Special appearance | |
| 2005 | Nammanna | Kannada | ||
| 2005 | Sorry Enaku Kalyanamayidichu | Manju | Tamil | |
| 2006 | Kusthi | Abhi | ||
| 2008 | Michael Madana Kamaraju | Mandira | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Swagatham | Deepthi | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Kuselan | Tamil | Special appearance | |
| 2008 | Dheemaku | Indira Devi | Kannada | |
| 2008 | Chedugudu | Telugu | ||
| 2008 | Dindigul Sarathy | Tamil | Special appearance | |
| 2009 | Aa Intlo | Pallavi | Telugu | |
| 2009 | Junction | Special appearance | ||
| 2010 | Comedy Express | |||
| 2010 | Naane Ennul Illai | Tamil | ||
| 2010 | Kanagavel Kakka | Special appearance | ||
| 2010 | Broker | Ganapathi's wife | Telugu | |
| 2010 | Vismaya Pramaya | Meera | Kannada | |
| 2010 | Vah Re Vah | |||
| 2011 | Chattam | Telugu | Special appearance | |
| 2011 | Money Money, More Money | |||
| 2012 | Dabangg 2 | Hindi | Cameo appearance as reporter | |
| 2013 | CID Eesha | Kannada | ||
| 2013 | Aakasamlo Sagam | Vasu | Telugu | |
| 2013 | Sahasra | Special appearance | ||
| 2014 | Paisa Yaar N Panga | Meera | Punjabi | |
| 2014 | Ya Rab | Hindi | ||
| 2014 | Lakshmi | Swarna | ||
| 2015 | MSG:The Messenger | Muskan | ||
| 2015 | Dhanak | Gypsy Woman | ||
| 2015 | Guddu Ki Gun | Nurse | ||
| 2016 | Do Lafzon Ki Kahani | |||
| 2017 | Begum Jaan | Maina | ||
| 2018 | Stree | Stree | ||
| 2019 | Fraud Saiyaan | Shraddha | ||
| 2020 | Bahut Hua Samman | Sapna Rani | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Darbaan | Anukul's wife | ||
| 2021 | 12 o'clock | Hindi / Telugu | Earlier titled as Geher | |
| 2021 | Chaddi | Mrs.Chaddha | Hindi |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Apna News Aayega | Hindi | ||
| 2020 | Mere Sai – Shraddha Aur Saburi | Suvarna Bai, a female singer and dancer | Hindi | A mythological tv serial , show premiered in Sony Entertainment Television.[18] |
Web series
All web series are in Hindi Language, otherwise noted the language.
| Year | Series | Role | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Maid in India | Maid | Webtalkies | [19] |
| 2018 | Gandi Baat | Sajelli | ALTBalaji | S02E01[20][21][22][23] |
| X.X.X | Rukmani Lalwani | ALTBalaji | S01E01[24][25] | |
| 2018- 2019 | Inside Edge | Ayesha Dewan | Amazon Prime | Season 1 Recurring ; Season 2 Main[26] |
| 2019 | Wanna Have A Good Time | Ullu | ||
| Bombers | Minister's Wife | ZEE5 | [27][28][29] | |
| Dupur Thakurpo | Phulwa Boudi | hoichoi | Bengali webseries[30] | |
| Mayanagari: City of Dreams | Mystery Woman | Hotstar | [31][32] | |
| 2020 | Aarya | Radhika "Rads" | Hotstar | |
| 2020 | Paurashpur | Nayantara | ZEE5, ALTBalaji | |
| 2020 | Darbaan | ZEE5 |
References
- ↑ #MeToo Movement: Flora Saini appreciates the way men are supporting the movement.
- ↑ Flora Saini: Another southern hottie ready to storm Bollywood(2011-12-19). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Love in Delhi, the Fllora way. The Hindu(2003-08-28). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rising like a phoenix. Deccanherald.com(2010-04-22). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Arts / Cinema : Itsy-Bitsy: Name game(2012-02-18). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Welcome to. Sify. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Asha Saini arrested in Chennai. Sify. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ rediff.com, Movies: Puru, Chandrachur: Face off!. Rediff(2001-04-30). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Karnataka / Bangalore News : Flora Shiny had acted in Kannada movies. The Hindu(2008-03-15). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Aasha Saini aka Mayuri arrested en route to the US. IndiaGlitz(2008-03-12). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Asha Saini claims innocence. Sify(2008-03-28). Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ↑ Actress relieved from ban. IndiaGlitz(2008-07-24). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Flora Saini bags a place in Limca Book of Records. 123telugu.com(1998-01-01). Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ↑ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ Anveshi Jain Plays a role with Flora Saini in Gandi Baat Season 2, Videos Available on App. Retrieved 15 Nov 2019.
- ↑ https://boxofficeindia.co.in/flora-saini-debut-bengali-entertainment-industry-dupur-thakurpo
- ↑ https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/celebs/2019/oct/31/actor-flora-saini-relates-to-the-character-of-phulwa-boudi-in-the-webseries-dupur-thakurpo-19396.html
- ↑ Flora Saini: Things you may not know about her. Bollywood-Junction(2020-06-27). Retrieved 2020-06-27.
- ↑ Flora Saini: Look at me beyond just a bold actress. mid-day(2019-05-02). Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ I never felt objectified on Gandii Baat 2 set: Flora Saini. The Indian Express(2019-01-17). Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ Gandi Baat actress Flora Saini: Look at me beyond just a bold actress. India Today. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ 5 Indian Bold and Sexy Actresses in Web Series. whyit.in(2019-10-03). Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ↑ Gandii Baat Season 3 : release date, download and watch online. whyit.in(2019-07-26). Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ↑ Rithvik Dhanjani on Asha Negi's reaction to XXX Uncensored: She is completely fine with it. The Indian Express(2018-09-21). Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ ALTBalaji's X.X.X: Rithvik Dhanjani and Kyra Dutt's midnight tidbits are NSFW!. DNA India(2018-09-25). Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ Inside Edge Season 2 (2019) | Amazon Prime Video. whyit.in(2019-11-18). Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ↑ Flora Saini to essay the role of a minister's wife in ZEE 5's football based show Bombers. Peepingmoon.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ On set interview with flora saini for her upcoming web series 'Bombers' with ZEE5" – News Stock Live. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ Bombers Web Series (TV Series) Review | Zee5. whyit.in(2019-06-29). Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ↑ Flora Saini made her debut in Bengali web series(30 July 2019).
- ↑ Nagesh Kukunoor to direct web series 'Mayanagari #CityOfDreams'. Scroll.in(11 May 2018). Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ↑ Hotstar ties up with Applause Entertainment for first set of originals. live Mint(4 March 2019). Retrieved 30 April 2019.