Divya Khosla Kumar

Divya Khosla Kumar (née Khosla) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and director who mainly works in Hindi cinema. She has directed two films; the romantic comedy ''Yaariyan'' (2014) and the romantic drama ''Sanam Re'' (2016) and has produced Hindi films and music videos.

Khosla started her career as a model and appeared in various music videos notably "Zid Na Karo Ye Dil Ka Mamla Hai" by Roop Johri and Kunal Ganjawala and Falguni Pathak's "Aiyyo Rama"''.'' She made her acting debut with the Telugu film '' Love Today'' and her Hindi cinema debut with the film ''Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo'' (both 2004) before taking a hiatus from acting to focus on direction. On completion of a course in cinematography and editing, she directed several music videos before her directorial debut ''Yaariyan'' (2014) followed by ''Sanam Re'' (2016).

Khosla returned to acting in 2017 through the short film ''Bulbul'', and since 2021 has starred in the action thriller ''Satyameva Jayate 2'', the romantic drama ''Yaariyan 2'' (2023), and the action thriller ''Savi'' (2024).

She is married to Bhushan Kumar, the chairman and managing director of T-Series.

Career

Debut, hiatus and work as director (2003-2016)

Khosla started her career as a model and later appeared in a number of music videos. In 2003, she starred in the music video "Kabhi Yaadon Mein Aaun", sung by Abhijeet Bhattacharya. She also appeared with Salman Khan in the music video "Zid Na Karo Ye Dil Ka Mamla Hai", sung by Roop Johri and Kunal Ganjawala. Her acting debut was in the 2004 Telugu film ''Love Today'', where she starred opposite Uday Kiran. She also appeared in a music video "Aiyyo Rama" sung by Falguni Pathak. In the same year, she made her Hindi cinema debut with the film ''Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo'', in which she portrayed Shweta, the wife of Major Rajeev Singh played by Akshay Kumar. Patcy N of ''Rediff'' noted, "Divya Khosla doesn't have much to do and acts well in a few sequences."

She then took a long break from acting and focused on directing. After completing a course in cinematography and editing, Khosla directed music videos for Agam Kumar Nigam, Jermaine Jackson, Tulsi Kumar, and a few ad films. After directing 20 music videos, Khosla did her first directorial venture ''Yaariyan'' in 2014 starring Himansh Kohl and Rakul Preet Singh. The film received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success. Divya also choreographed five songs in the film, including ''Baarish'', ''Maa'', ''Love Me Thoda Aur'', ''Allah Wariya'', and ''Zor Lagake''.

Her second directorial project was the romantic drama ''Sanam Re'' in 2016 . The film starred Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam, and Urvashi Rautela. The film began production in December 2014 at Barog station in Shimla and was shot in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Shimla, Kalpa, Ladakh, Tanakpur, and various locations in Canada.

Return to acting (2017-present)

Khosla returned to acting in 2017 with the short film ''Bulbul'' also acting as the producer. In 2021, she starred opposite John Abraham in ''Satyameva Jayate 2''. This film was the sequel to John's 2018 film of the same name. The film received negative reviews; however, the ''Times of India'' noted, "Divya Khosla is pleasant and has a fairly prominent part to play in this otherwise male-dominated movie."

In 2019, Khosla appeared in the video song "Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi" by Neha Kakkar, a remix of a song with the same name from the 1999 film ''Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin''. The music video has had over 100 million views on YouTube. In 2020, Divya featured in the video song "Teri Aankhon Mein" with Pearl V. Puri, sung by Darshan Raval and Neha Kakkar.

In 2023, Khosla starred as Laadli Chibber Singh Katyal in Radhika Rao's romantic drama''Yaariyan 2''. A remake of the Malayalam film ''Bangalore Days'' (2014) and a sequel to her directorial debut ''Yaariyan'', her character Laadli was seen as a recovering thalassemia patient living with her mother in Shimla, where her mother wants her to marry into a good family, but Laadli aspires to win a beauty pageant and build a career. During the trailer launch of the film, Khosla revealed that the role is based on her, and recalled the memories of her when the director cast her after seeing her audition in Delhi when she was just 14. The film received mixed reviews. A critic from ''Bollywood Hungama'' praised Khosla's performance. Vinamra Mathur from ''Firstpost'' wrote "''Yaariyan 2'' can be best described as a silly sequel to ''Yaariyan''. This isn't just a sequel but a remake of a Malayalam film, which was released in the same year as the first ''Yaariyan'', 2014 to be precise. There's a lot happening in the first paragraph itself."

Her next film action thriller ''Savi'' (2024), directed by Abhinay Deo, focuses on the story of a woman who fights to save her family and others by standing up against the government and administration, it also starred Anil Kapoor and Harshvardhan Rane. The film was released to positive reviews from critics, and was a commercial success at the box office. Titas Chowdhury of ''News18'' wrote that "the film marks a revelation of sorts as it sees Divya hitting all the emotional notes right, a feat we haven't had the opportunity to witness in the past. She skillfully embodies a complex character, showcasing palpable depth in her portrayal of Savi's vulnerability and strength, creating a unique blend of fragility and fearlessness." Abhishek Srivastava of ''Times of India'' stated "Divya Khossla takes on the challenging role of ''Savi'', and her hard work is evident in her performance. She remains the focal point throughout the film." In May 2024, the digital rights to the film were sold to Netflix. Divya's role as ''Savi'' gained attention when the film reached Netflix's global top non-English language film chart in 14 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE, among others.

She is set to appear in the Telugu film ''Hero Heeroine,'' directed by Suresh Krissna.

Personal life

Khosla was born on 20 November 1981 in Delhi. She married Bhushan Kumar on 13 February 2005 at the Maa Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra. The couple has a son born in October 2011.

Filmography

As an actress

As director

As producer

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Divya Khosla
Indian women film producers
Living people
Actresses from Mumbai
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Hindi-language film directors
Indian women film directors
Indian film actresses
Divya Khosla Kumar
Film directors from Mumbai
21st-century Indian people
21st-century Indian women artists
Film producers from Mumbai
Businesswomen from Maharashtra
People from Delhi
Film directors from Delhi
Film producers from Delhi
Businesspeople from Mumbai
Businesspeople from Delhi
21st-century Indian actresses
Indian music video directors
T-Series (company)
21st-century Indian businesswomen
Indian female models
Female models from Delhi
Female models from Mumbai
Actresses in Telugu cinema
1981 births