Chitrangda Singh (born 30 August, 1976) is an Indian actress who works primarily in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
films.
She made her acting debut with the crime drama ''
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' (2005), which earned her the
Bollywood Movie Award for Best Female Debut.
Singh is known for her appearance in the crime thriller ''
Yeh Saali Zindagi'' (2011), the romantic comedies ''
Desi Boyz'' (2011) and ''
I, Me Aur Main'' (2013), the financial thriller ''
Baazaar'' (2018), the crime thriller ''
Bob Biswas'' (2021) and the mystery thriller ''
Gaslight'' (2023). She turned producer with the sports drama ''
Soorma'' (2018). Singh has since appeared in the series ''
Modern Love Mumbai'' (2022) and ''
Khakee: The Bengal Chapter'' (2025). From 2001 to 2014, Singh was married to golfer
Jyoti Randhawa with whom she has a son.
Early life and family
Singh was born on 30 August
in
Jodhpur
Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
, growing up there as well as in
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota (), previously known as ''Kotah'', is the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, third-largest city of the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about south of the state capital, Jaipur, on the banks of Chambal River. As of 20 ...
, and also
Bareilly and Sophia Girls' School, Meerut in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
, the latter city being the last where her father, Col. Niranjan Singh, an ex-
Indian Army
The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
officer with a transferable job, was posted. Her brother
Digvijay Singh Chahal is a golfer. After her schooling in
Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
at Sophia Girls' School, she completed her graduation in
Home Science
Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...
(food and nutrition) from
Lady Irwin College,
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
.
Career
Breakthrough and struggles (2005-2010)

Singh began her career as a model before making the transition to the silver screen. After completing her graduation, she began modeling. She later drew attention after performing in the music video ''Sunset Point'' by
Gulzar, followed by a music video with
Abhijeet Bhattacharya.
Singh made her film debut with
Sudhir Mishra's ''
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' in 2005.
[The Comeback Girl]
Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...
, 11 November 2008. The film received critical acclaim and was a box office average. Singh played Geeta, a college student and social worker opposite
Kay Kay Menon.
Sukanya Verma stated, "Chitrangada is definitely someone to watch out for. She is a complete natural who zaps the camera with a passionate performance." John Pancake of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' noted her for giving "her character a deep sense of dignity and decency." Her next release, ''
Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow'' was a critical and commercial failure.
Following a three year hiatus, Singh returned to films opposite
Sanjay Suri in
Onir's ''
Sorry Bhai!''.
Its release over the weekend of the
Mumbai terror attacks and was a failure at the box office. This failure led to another two years break from acting.
Commercial films and fluctuations (2011–2020)
Singh started 2011 with Sudhir Mishra's ''
Yeh Saali Zindagi'', where she played a club singer Priti opposite
Irrfan Khan. Despite positive reviews, it emerged an average grosser.
Rajeev Masand noted, "Chitrangada uses her smoldering looks to create a mysterious character whose motivations and actions are unclear." Singh then played Tanya, an economics professor opposite
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
in Rohit Dhawan's ''
Desi Boyz''.
Taran Adarsh stated, "Chitrangada looks stunning and acts well, but her character isn't convincing." The film emerged a moderate success. In 2012, she performed a dance number in
Shirish Kunder's ''
Joker''.
Singh had three releases in 2013. She first appeared as a prostitute in the short film ''Kirchiyaan''. She then played an ambitious Maya opposite
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to Arjun Rampal filmography, act in ...
in Sudhir Mishra's ''
Inkaar'', which was box office average despite positive reviews. Rachit Gupta of ''
Filmfare'' praised her performance and chemistry with Rampal. Singh later played Anushka a career women, in Kapil Sharma's ''
I, Me Aur Main'' opposite
John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...
, which was a box office failure. This was followed by a dance number in ''
Anjaan'' (2014) and ''
Gabbar Is Back'' (2015) and a special appearance in ''
Munna Michael'' (2018).
Singh turned a producer in 2018, with the biographical sports drama film ''
Soorma'', which was released under her banner C.S. Films and received positive response. She then played a mistress Suhani in
Tigmanshu Dhulia
Tigmanshu Dhulia (born 3 July 1967) is an Indian film dialogue writer, director, actor, screenwriter, producer and casting director known for his works in Hindi cinema and Television. He wrote the dialogue for the 1998 film ''Dil Se..'', the fir ...
's ''
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3'' opposite
Sanjay Dutt, which flopped at the box office. In her last film of the year, Singh played Mandira, a businessman's wife opposite
Saif Ali Khan in Gauravv K. Chawla's ''
Baazaar''. That year, she also ventured into television as a judge with ''
DID Li'l Masters 4''. With no release in 2019, she had a cameo appearance in ''
Ghoomketu'' in 2020.
Career expansion (2021-present)
In 2021, Singh played Mary, an assassin's wife opposite
Abhishek Bachchan in Diya Annapurna Ghosh's ''
Bob Biswas''. Anuj Kumar of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' published, "Chitrangada gets a solid part as the ravishing wife of Bob. Though she doesn’t always succeed in shedding the uber-chic baggage, but her Mary shines among the wimpy men around her." In 2022, Singh expanded to web with the anthology series ''
Modern Love Mumbai'', playing Latika, an aspiring novelist opposite
Arshad Warsi.
In 2023, Singh played Rukmani, a royal queen alongside
Vikrant Massey in ''
Gaslight''.
Saibal Chatterjee stated, "Chitrangada plays a woman whose allure lies in her ability to mask her desires and secrets behind a benign facade. She pulls it off for the most part." Following this, Singh appeared as Kadambari, in a cameo appearance in ''
Khel Khel Mein''.
In her first release of 2025, Singh played the leader of opposition in the series ''
Khakee: The Bengal Chapter''. Sugandha Rawal of ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' took note of her " commanding performance". While several reviewer critised her faltered character.
Personal life
After a five-year-long courtship, Singh married golfer
Jyoti Randhawa in 2001. They have a son Zorawar, born in 2008. The couple got separated in 2013 and were formally divorced in April 2015. The custody of their son was granted to Singh.
Media image
For her performance in ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', Singh was placed in ''
Rediff.com''s "Best Bollywood Debut Ever" list. In ''Rediff.com''s "Best Bollywood Actresses", she was placed 10th in 2005. In the
Times Most Desirable Women list, Singh was placed 11th in 2011 and 4th in 2012. Singh is a celebrity endorser for several brands such as
Airtel,
Parachute
A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
,
Puma,
Garnier,
Tanishq,
Titan Eye Plus, Dollar Missy and
Joyalukkas
Joy Alukkas is an Indian businessman from Kerala. He is the chairman and managing director of Joyalukkas Group. According to a 2023 Forbes report, he has a net worth of $4.4 billion.
Early life
His father, Varghese Alukkas "A. J. Varghese" ...
.
"Chitrangada bags another brand"
. Retrieved 26 March 2015
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Chitrangada
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Indian film actresses
Actresses in Hindi cinema
People from Jodhpur
Actresses from Rajasthan
Lady Irwin College alumni