Sana Khan (born 21 August 1988) is an Indian Businesswoman and a former

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

. She predominantly worked in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

, and

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

language films. Khan began her career in modeling and went on to appear in

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, feature films, and

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

s. She has acted in 14 films across 5 languages and has appeared in over 50 ad films. She was a contestant on the reality show '' Bigg Boss 6'' in 2012 and became a finalist.

Early life

Sana Khan was born and raised in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

(

Dharavi Dharavi is a locality in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, considered to be one of the world's largest slums. Dharavi has an area of just over and a population of about 1,000,000. With a population density of over , Dharavi is one of the most dens ...

). Her father is a

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...

Muslim from

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, and her mother, Saeeda, is from Mumbai.

Career

Films

Sana Khan made her acting debut in the 2005 low-budget adult

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

''Yehi Hai High Society''. She subsequently started appearing in television commercials and other ads. Khan's debut

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

Silambattam Silambam is an Indian martial arts, Indian martial art originating in South India in the Indian subcontinent. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silambam. ...

'', produced by Lakshmi Movie Makers, was released in December 2008.

Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar, nicknamed as Simbu or his initials S. T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker and musician in Tamil cinema. He began his acting career by playing roles as a child artist in films directed by his father T. Rajendar, b ...

, the film's lead actor, who had previously signed and then dropped her for a role in his film ''Kettavan'', called her again for the female lead role in ''Silambattam'' after seeing her ad with

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

. She said in an interview with ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', "Silambarasan came to Mumbai looking for a fresh face for his film ''Silambattam''. There he saw me and selected me. I knew I had to work hard to make it big in the Tamil film industry". Khan regards the film as her first break. She received praise for her portrayal of Janu, a talkative,

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...

ish

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

village girl, and won the 2009

ITFA Best New Actress Award The ITFA Best New Actress Award is given by the state government as part of its annual International Tamil Film Awards for Tamil language, Tamil films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. See also * Ta ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. In March 2010, her next Tamil film, ''

Thambikku Indha Ooru ''Thambikku Indha Ooru'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by Badri. It stars Bharath, Sana Khan, Prabhu, Vivek, Madalsa Sharma, and Ranjith. The music was composed by Dharan Kumar with cinematography by Saalai Sahadeva ...

'', was released. Later that year, Khan ventured into the

Telugu film industry Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

, appearing in

Nandamuri Kalyan Ram Nandamuri Kalyan Ram (born 5 July 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Telugu cinema. He is the son of actor-politician Nandamuri Harikrishna. Ram is best known for his roles in action films such as ''Athanokkade'', ''Hare Ram ...

's ''

Kalyanram Kathi ''Kalyan Ram Kathi'', also known as ''Kathi'' (), is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Mallikarjun. It stars Kalyan Ram in the lead role, alongside Sana Khan, Shaam, Saranya Mohan and Kota Srinivasa Rao. The story ...

'', released in November 2010. Khan's next release was the February 2011 bilingual thriller ''

Gaganam ''Payanam'' () is a 2011 Indian action thriller film written and directed by Radha Mohan. It is simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled ''Gaganam'' (). The plot of the film is based on a flight hijacking incident. ...

'' / '' Payanam'' – shot in Telugu and Tamil, respectively – which was based on an aircraft hijack theme. In May 2011, Khan stepped into

Kannada films Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

with Golden Movies' '' Kool...Sakkath Hot Maga''. In September 2011, her next Tamil film, ''

Aayiram Vilakku ''Aayiram Vilakku'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by S. P. Hosimin, in his second venture, starring Sathyaraj and Shanthnoo, whilst Sana Khan, Kamal Kamaraju, Ganja Karuppu, and Suman play pivotal roles. The ...

'', was released, in which she played a

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

girl. In the March 2012 Telugu film ''

Mr. Nookayya ''Mr. Nookayya'' (originally titled ''Mr. Nokia'' and later released as ''Mr. Nookayya Re-loaded'') is a 2012 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Ani Kanneganti, produced by D. S. Rao under Shri Shai ...

'', Khan played a waitress in a pub, adding glamour to the film. Khan made her

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...

debut with

Climax (2013 film) ''Climax'' is 2013 Indian Malayalam biographical film directed by Anil Kumar and featuring Sana Khan in the lead role. ''Climax'' depicts the life of the actress Silk Smitha.The Dirty Picture ''The Dirty Picture'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language biographical musical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, an Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The filmmakers have clarified that the story is not officially or literall ...

'', playing the South Indian actress

Silk Smitha Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996), better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, was an Indian actress and dancer who worked predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Smitha was part of seve ...

. Khan was also signed to her sixth Tamil film,

Thalaivan ''Thalaivan'' is a 2014 Tamil film directed by Ramesh Selvan and produced by Chithirai Selvan. The film features Bas, the younger brother of politician T. T. V. Dhinakaran and Nikesha Patel in the lead roles, while the ensemble cast features San ...

, produced by Blue Ocean Pictures. Khan plays a daughter of main antagonist

Danny Denzongpa Tshering Phintso "Danny" Denzongpa (born 25 February 1948) is an Indian actor, singer and film director who primarily works in Hindi films. He has acted in over 190 films since 1971. In 2003, Denzongpa was awarded the Padma Shree, India's fourt ...

in the Bollywood film ''Jai Ho'', released on 24 January 2014. She did the film ''

Wajah Tum Ho ''Wajah Tum Ho'' () is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language erotic-crime mystery thriller film directed by Vishal Pandya. It features Sharman Joshi, Gurmeet Choudhary and Sana Khan, in lead roles. The film revolves around a live murder committed on ...

'' opposite

Sharman Joshi Sharman Joshi (born 28 April 1979) is an Indian actor and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi movies, known for his roles in films like ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006), '' Golmaal'' (2006), '' Dhol'' (2007) and ''3 Idiots'' (2009). ...

and

Gurmeet Choudhary Gurmeet Choudhary (born 22 February 1984) is an Indian actor and martial artist. He is known for his portrayal of Rama in '' Ramayan'', Maan Singh Khurana in '' Geet – Hui Sabse Parayi'' and Yash Suraj Pratap Sindhina in '' Punar Vivaah - Zi ...

. The film was a

flop In computing, floating point operations per second (FLOPS, flops or flop/s) is a measure of computer performance, useful in fields of scientific computations that require floating-point calculations. For such cases, it is a more accurate meas ...

Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014. About Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its owne ...

. Her bold scenes with Gurmeet and

Rajneesh Duggal Rajneesh Duggal is an Indian film and television actor. He also works as a model. He won the title of Grasim Mr. India 2003 and represented India at the Mr. International 2003 pageant held in London, where he was declared as the 1st runner- ...

in the film were much discussed after the trailer was released on YouTube. Khan did a special appearance in '' Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'' in which she was seen portraying

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

's girlfriend. Her upcoming film is '' Tom, Dick and Harry 2'' in which shares the screen with

Aftab Shivdasani Aftab Shivdasani (born 25 June 1978) is an Indian actor, producer and model known for his works in Bollywood and also working for Tamil and Kannada film industry. Shivdasani was selected as the Farex baby at the age of 14 months and eventually ...

and

TV commercials

Khan has acted in over 50 ad films, including a cosmetic commercial directed by

Shirish Kunder Shirish Kunder (born 24 May 1973) is an Indian filmmaker. After working as an editor on 21 films starting with ''Champion'' (2000), Kunder made his screenwriting and directorial debut with ''Jaan-E-Mann'' (2006). He is married to choreograph ...

in July 2007. She has also done ads for the deodorant brand Secret Temptation, Yatra.com, and the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

video game console. In March 2007, Khan's TV commercial for the men's underwear brand Amul Macho showed her provocatively scrubbing and washing some underwear, simulating an orgasm. It created great controversy and was banned by the Indian government on the grounds of sexual profanity. Khan remarked, "Forget about the ban and people taking out ''morchas'' (protests) against me and burning my posters in Bombay. At the end of it people from the creative field have loved it." The company rehired Khan, shot a sequel to the commercial with a different theme, and released it in February 2008.

Bigg Boss

In October 2012, Khan was a celebrity contestant in the sixth season of the Indian version of the

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show '' Big Brother'', ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...

''. Before entering the show, she said, "I am going to flaunt my age and the fact that I am the youngest. I am going into the house without any preparation. I want to be spontaneous and show the world the real me." She gained a lot of popularity from the show and managed to stay in the show till the end, though she finished in third place. She told

PTI PTI may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pardon the Interruption'', an American television sports show * PTI, a musical group on the WTII Records label Organizations * Pacific Torah Institute, a yeshiva high school in Vancouver, British Columb ...

, "I am happy to have reached top three. I did not expect this."

Personal life

In February 2019, Khan confirmed her relationship with

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Melvin Louis. They are separated as of February 2020. On 8 October 2020, Khan posted a message on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

saying that she was quitting the entertainment industry and would "serve humanity and follow the order of her Creator." On 21 November 2020, Khan married Islamic scholar Mufti Anas Sayed in

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

Filmography

Films

Television

Web series

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Sana 1988 births Indian television actresses Indian film actresses Female models from Mumbai Living people Malayali people Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses from Mumbai Actresses in Hindi television Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series) contestants Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi participants