Malaika Arora (born 23 October 1973) is an Indian actress, dancer, model,
Video Jockey
A video jockey (abbreviated VJ or sometimes veejay) is an announcer or host who introduces music videos and live performances on commercial music television channels such as MTV, VH1, Much (TV channel), MuchMusic and Channel V.
Origins
The term " ...
(
VJ ) and
television personality
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
who appears 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 ...
-language films.
She made her debut as a film producer in 2008 with her former husband
Arbaaz Khan
Arbaaz Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 4 August 1967) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Bollywood, Hindi cinema, in addition to Telugu cinema, Telugu, Urdu and Malayalam, Malayalam cinema.
Since his debut in 1996, he ha ...
,
founding the company
Arbaaz Khan Productions, which created the
''Dabangg'' film series. As an actress, she has starred in films like ''
Kaante'' (2002) and
''EMI'' (2008). She also performed in the songs ''
Chaiyya Chaiyya'' (1998), ''Gur Naalo Ishq Mitha'' (1998), ''Maahi Ve'' (2002), ''Kaal Dhamaal'' (2005) and ''
Munni Badnaam Hui'' (2010).
Early life and background
Malaika Arora was named after the
Swahili word ''
malaika'' meaning "angel". She was born in
Thane
Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
.
Her mother, Joyce Polycarp, is a
Malayali Christian, and her father, Anil Arora, was a
Punjabi Hindu
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...
from the Indian border town of
Fazilka who worked in the
Indian Merchant Navy. Her parents divorced when she was 11 years old, and she moved to
Chembur
Chembur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ͡ʃembuËɾ is an upmarket large suburb in central Mumbai, India. It belongs on the harbour line of suburban railways and offers the best connectivity with Mumbai Monorail, Santacruz- Chembur Link R ...
with her sister
Amrita
''Amrita'' (, IAST: ''amá¹›ta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali language, Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to i ...
and mother,
who raised them as a single mom. Her father shared a respectful relationship with the family.
She completed her secondary education at Swami Vivekanand School in Chembur. She is also an alumnus of the
Holy Cross High School Thane, where she studied until ninth grade. She pursued her college education at
Jai Hind College
Jai Hind College (Autonomous) (Marathi: जय हिंद कॉलेज) is an autonomous college in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, affiliated to the University of Mumbai. It was established in 1948.
In 2000, ''India Today'' named Jai Hind C ...
,
Churchgate
Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeËʈ is an area in the southern part of Mumbai, close to the Arabian Sea. The area is known for its unique architecture consisting of art deco style residential buildings, access to sportin ...
, but did not complete it on account of professional engagements. She lived in Borla Society, Chembur opposite Basant Talkies before starting her modelling career.
Career
Arora was selected as a
VJ for
MTV India
MTV is an Indian pay television channel specialising in music, reality and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 as the Indian version of the original American network and is owned by JioStar, under a license agreement with Par ...
when its operations began. She worked as an interviewer, hosting shows such as ''Club MTV'',
and later co-hosting the shows ''Love Line'' and ''Style Check'' with
Cyrus Broacha.
Malaika then entered the modelling world, appearing in many advertisements, as well as album songs like
Bally Sagoo
Baljit Singh "Bally" Sagoo ( Punjabi: ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੱਗੂ,) is a British-Indian record producer and DJ. Born in Delhi, India, Sagoo was raised in Birmingham, England. He entered the recording and entertainment industries ...
's "Gur Naalo Ishq Mitha" opposite
Jas Arora, and
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or special song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu c ...
s such as "
Chaiyya Chaiyya" in the 1998
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
film ''
Dil Se..''.
In 2010, she featured in the item song "
Munni Badnaam Hui" in the film ''
Dabangg'', which was produced by her former husband Arbaaz Khan. On 12 March 2011, she helped set a world record with 1235 participants performing a choreographed dance to "Munni Badnaam" which she led.
She was the Taiwan Excellence celebrity endorser in 2012. She endorsed Dabur's 30-Plus. She states that she never wanted to do acting. She performed live alongside
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam (; born 12 March 1983) is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his Belting (music), vocal belting technique.
Born in Wazirabad, Waziraba ...
,
Shaan and
Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she List of awards and nominations received by Bipasha Basu, has received a Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Award. In the 2000s and 2010s, she was ...
in a series of concerts at
LG Arena in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and
The O2 Arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...
in London.
In 2014, she confirmed that she would make a cameo appearance in the
Farah Khan
Farah Khan Kunder (; born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director, writer, film producer, actress, dancer and choreographer who works predominantly in Hindi films. Khan has choreographed more than a hundred songs in over 80 films, winning th ...
-directed
action comedy
The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
-drama film ''
Happy New Year''.
Television
Malaika appeared on the television show ''
Nach Baliye'' as one of the three judges.
The show was aired on
STAR One
Star One was an Indian pay television channel based in Mumbai and owned by Star TV, with worldwide distribution handled by Fox International Channels. Launched on 1 November 2004, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky in November 2006.
Sta ...
in mid-2005. She continued as a judge in ''
Nach Baliye 2'', which began airing in late 2006. In this show, she performed many item numbers as an example for the contestants. She appeared on the show ''
Zara Nachke Dikha'' as a judge on
STAR One
Star One was an Indian pay television channel based in Mumbai and owned by Star TV, with worldwide distribution handled by Fox International Channels. Launched on 1 November 2004, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky in November 2006.
Sta ...
. She was a judge on the show ''
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'' in 2010.
Malaika is on the judges panel in the show ''
India's Got Talent
India's Got Talent is a televised Indian Hindi, Hindi language talent show series and is part of the ''Got Talent franchise''. The program is produced and distributed by Fremantle (company), Fremantle and Syco Entertainment. The show aired on C ...
''. She was the judge and host of the ''
MTV Supermodel of the Year'' in 2019, and a judge of ''
India's Best Dancer'' in 2020.
Personal life
Arora was married to Bollywood actor-director-producer
Arbaaz Khan
Arbaaz Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 4 August 1967) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Bollywood, Hindi cinema, in addition to Telugu cinema, Telugu, Urdu and Malayalam, Malayalam cinema.
Since his debut in 1996, he ha ...
in 1998, after she met him during a coffee ad shoot. From her marriage with Khan until they got divorced, she was known as Malaika Arora Khan.
On 28 March 2016, they announced their separation, citing compatibility issues. The couple officially divorced on 11 May 2017. Together they have a son, Arhaan Khan, born on 9 November 2002. After the divorce Arora maintained primary custody of their son, while Khan received visitation rights, as per the settlement reached in the Bandra Family Court. Bollywood actor
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 ...
and actor-director-producer
Sohail Khan
Sohail Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 20 December 1969) is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. He has an elder sister, Alvira Khan Agnihotri. He produ ...
are her former brothers-in-law. Her former father-in-law was scriptwriter
Salim Khan.
Arora entered into a relationship with actor
Arjun Kapoor
Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producers Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with the drama '' Ishaqzaade ...
in 2016. Arora and Kapoor broke up in 2024.
She became a
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
in 2020.
In April 2022, she had an accident on the
Mumbai–Pune Expressway when three cars collided with each other as she was returning home from an event. She was taken to the
Apollo Hospital in
Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai (; also known as New Bombay, its official name until 1995) is a large city next to Mumbai, located in the Konkan division of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is situated in Thane distr ...
where she received stitches.
Her stepfather Anil Mehta died by suicide in 2024.
Filmography
As actress and dancer
* 1997: Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha
*1998: ''
Dil Se'' - special appearance in song "
Chaiyya Chaiyya"
* 1999: ''Pyar Ke Geet'' - special appearance in song "Dholna"
* 2000: ''
Bichhoo'' - special appearance in song "Ekwari Tak Le"
*2001: ''
Indian'' - special appearance in song "Yeh Pyar"
* 2002: ''
Maa Tujhhe Salaam -'' special appearance in song "Sone Ke Jaisi Hai Meri Jawaani"
* 2002: ''
Kaante'' as Lisa
*2005: ''
Kaal'' - special appearance in song "Kaal Dhamaal"
* 2007: ''
Heyy Babyy
''Heyy Babyy'' is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language comedy film produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sajid Khan. It stars Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan, Juanna Sanghvi and Boman Irani.
The core storyline of ...
'' - special appearance in song "Heyy Babyy"
* 2007: ''
Athidhi'' - special appearance in song "Rathraina" (
Telugu film
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. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telug ...
)
* 2007: ''
Om Shanti Om
''Om Shanti Om'' (transl. literally to ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Hindi-language romantic fantasy film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies E ...
'' - special appearance in song "Deewangi Deewangi"
* 2007: ''
Welcome
A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person.
Overview
In ...
'' - special appearance in song "Hoth Rasiley"
* 2008: ''
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
'' as Nancy
* 2009: ''Helloo India''
* 2010: ''
Prem Kaa Game'' - special appearance in song "I Wanna Fall in Love"
* 2010: ''
Housefull'' as Pooja
* 2010: ''
Dabangg'' - special appearance in song "
Munni Badnaam Hui"
* 2012: ''
Gabbar Singh'' - special appearance in song "Kevvu Keka" (Telugu film)
* 2012: ''
Housefull 2'' - special appearance in song "Anarkali Disco Chali"
* 2012: ''
Dabangg 2
''Dabangg 2'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed and produced by Arbaaz Khan under Arbaaz Khan Productions. It is a sequel to '' Dabangg'' (2010), and the second installment of the ''Dabangg'' series. Salman Khan ...
'' - special appearance in song "Pandey Ji Seeti"
*2014:
''Happy New Year'' - cameo appearance as herself
* 2015: ''
Dolly Ki Doli'' - special appearance in song "Fashion Khatam Mujh Par"
* 2018: ''
Pataakha'' - special appearance in song "Hello Hello"
* 2022: ''
An Action Hero'' - special appearance in song "Aap Jaisa Koi"
* 2023: ''
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan'' - herself (cameo)
* 2024: ''
Yek Number'' - special appearance in song "Majha Yek Number"
As producer
* 2010: ''
Dabangg'' –
Filmfare Award for Best Film,
* 2012: ''
Dabangg 2
''Dabangg 2'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed and produced by Arbaaz Khan under Arbaaz Khan Productions. It is a sequel to '' Dabangg'' (2010), and the second installment of the ''Dabangg'' series. Salman Khan ...
''
* 2015: ''
Dolly Ki Doli''
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arora, Malaika
Living people
1973 births
Khan Arora Malaika
Khan Arora Malaika
Indian video jockeys
Malayali people
People of Punjabi descent
Indian women television presenters
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Artists from Mumbai
Indian female dancers
Hindi film producers
Indian women film producers
Dancers from Maharashtra
20th-century Indian actresses
20th-century Indian dancers
21st-century Indian actresses
21st-century Indian dancers
People from Thane
Film producers from Mumbai
Women artists from Maharashtra
Businesswomen from Maharashtra
Producers who won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award
Family of Salim Khan