Isha Talwar (born 22 December 1987) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
and
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. Talwar started her career as a model, and made her film debut with the Malayalam film ''
Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
'' (2012), winning
SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Malayalam. She is known for her role in ''
Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde
''Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by debutant Vijay Kumar Konda and written by Harsha Vardhan. Produced by N. Nikitha Reddy under the banner of Shresht Movies, The ...
'' (2013), ''
Bangalore Days'' (2014), ''
Maine Pyar Kiya
''Maine Pyar Kiya'' (), also known by the initialism ''MPK'', is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Sooraj Barjatya in his directorial debut. Produced by Tarachand Barjatya, the film was co-written by S. M. Ahale ...
'' (2014) and ''
Article 15'' (2019). Talwar is also known for her portrayal in the series ''
Mirzapur
Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the tradition of kajari and birha music. Straddled by the Kaimur extension of Vindhya mountains, it served as the headquarters of t ...
'' (2020-present), ''
Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo'' (2023) and ''
Indian Police Force'' (2024).
Early life and background
Isha Talwar was born on 22 December 1985
to film director Vinod Talwar and Suman.
She was born and brought up in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, and is a graduate in
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
from
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic Church, Catholic, institution of higher education run by the
Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on 2 January 1869. The college is ...
.
Talwar joined choreographer
Terence Lewis's dance school in 2004, where she learned various dance forms like ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and salsa and went on to become a tutor in the dance studio.
She stated that her choreographer, Terence Lewis, was "one person who changed me completely."
Career
Talwar worked as a model and appeared in more than 40 commercials for brands like
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldw ...
, Vivel Fairness Cream,
Kaya Skin Clinic,
Dulux Paints, and Dhatri Fairness Cream,
besides a music video with
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
for the ''
Just Dance'' competition.
She says she spent two years preparing for her film debut.
Although she had worked as a child actress in the 2000 Bollywood film ''
Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai'', her full-length film debut was with the Malayalam film ''
Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
'',
for which she took a four-month voice training class, went through a course to learn the language,
and learned to play the guitar.
The film which saw her play Aisha, a Muslim girl who falls in love with a Hindu boy,
[ became a blockbuster and was listed by Rediff.com in their "Top five Malayalam films of 2012" list. Critics noted that she "looked beautiful", but had "nothing much to do" in the film.] In a later interview, she stated that the role of Aisha had given her "a lot of recognition" and that she was "really happy with" her girl next-door image from the film. Her second film '' I Love Me'' by B. Unnikrishnan had her playing the female lead alongside Asif Ali and Unni Mukundan
Unnikrishnan Mukundan (born 22 September 1987), popularly known as Unni Mukundan, is an India, Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema.
Unni made his acting debut with the Tamil film ''Seedan'' (2011). Afte ...
. She said that her character in the film Samantha had "shades of grey".
In 2013, she had two releases – her Telugu debut, ''Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde
''Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by debutant Vijay Kumar Konda and written by Harsha Vardhan. Produced by N. Nikitha Reddy under the banner of Shresht Movies, The ...
'', which opened to a positive response, and her Tamil debut, '' Thillu Mullu'', a remake of the same-titled 1981 Tamil comedy film which was also a commercial success. In 2014, she was seen in the Malayalam films, '' Balyakalasakhi'', ''Utsaha Committee'', ''God's Own Country'', and Anjali Menon's '' Bangalore Days''. She has shot for an "extended cameo role" in Siddique's ''Bhaskar the Rascal
''Bhaskar The Rascal'' is a 2015 Malayalam action comedy film written and directed by Siddique. It stars Mammootty and Nayanthara with a supporting cast of J. D. Chakravarthy, Sanoop Santhosh, Anikha Surendran, Janardhanan, Kalabhavan Shajo ...
''. She has also been shooting for the Tamil remake of ''Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
'', reprising her own role. She made her Bollywood debut in the Hindi movie Tubelight alongside Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...
. She also appeared alongside Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. The titular head of the Pataudi family since 2011, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore a ...
in Kaalakaandi. In 2020, she appeared in the Amazon Prime web series ''Mirzapur''. In 2023, she worked on Hotstar web series ''Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo''.
Media image
Talwar was named the Kochi Times Most Desirable Women of 2014. She was placed 2nd in 2013 and 6th in 2015.
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards
* 2013: Amrita TV
Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam-language free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal an ...
Film Award for Best Pair – ''Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
''
* 2013: Asiavision Award for New Sensation in Acting – ''Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
''
* 2013: Indian Movie Award in Qatar For Best Debutant Actress – ''Thattathin Marayathu
''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sre ...
''
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talwar, Isha
1987 births
Indian television actresses
Indian film actresses
Indian voice actresses
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Living people
Actresses from Mumbai
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni
Actresses in Malayalam television
Actresses in Hindi television
21st-century Indian actresses
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Hindi cinema