Meenakshi Chaudhary

Meenakshi Chaudhary (born 5 March 1997) is an Indian actress and beauty pageant titleholder who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She represented the state of Haryana at the Femina Miss India 2018 pageant, where she was crowned as Femina Miss India Grand International 2018. Chaudhary represented India at Miss Grand International 2018 and was crowned as the first runner up.

Chaudhary made her film debut with the Hindi film '' Upstarts'' (2019) before making her lead debut with the Telugu film '' Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu'' (2021). She has since featured in box-office hits like '' HIT: The Second Case'' (2022), ''The Greatest of All Time'' (2024), ''Lucky Baskhar'' (2024) and ''Sankranthiki Vasthunam'' (2025).

Early life and education

Meenakshi Chaudhary was born on 5 March 1997 into a Punjabi Hindu family in Panchkula, Haryana, India. Her late father B.R Chaudhary was a colonel in the Indian Army. She completed her schooling from the St. Soldier International Convent School in Chandigarh. She is also a state level swimmer and badminton player. Chaudhary completed her bachelor's degree in dental surgery from the National Dental College and Hospital in Dera Bassi, Punjab.

Pageantry

Miss IMA 2017

In 2017, Chaudhary was adjudged as Miss IMA during the Indian Military Academy Autumn Ball Night, which is held towards the end of each term, to mark the culmination of the training schedule of military cadets.

Femina Miss India

Chaudhary auditioned for the Fashion Big Bazaar sponsored Campus Princess 2018 where she was crowned as one of the winners from Patiala auditions. She then auditioned for the title Femina Miss Haryana 2018, which she eventually won. She represented the state of Haryana in the annual Femina Miss India competition.

She was crowned 1st runner up at the Femina Miss India 2018 that took place in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium, Mumbai, on 19 June 2018. She also won the sub-title 'Miss Photogenic' at the competition.

Miss Grand International

Later, it was revealed by the Miss India Organization that Chaudhary had been considered as Miss Grand India, and would represent India at Miss Grand International 2018 pageant. She was officially crowned as Miss Grand India 2018 by the then reigning Miss Grand International 2017, María José Lora of Peru.

Chaudhary represented India at Miss Grand International 2018 pageant in Yangon, Myanmar, where she made it to the top 5 of the Miss Popular sub-contest. At the end of the event, she won the first runner-up title to the eventual winner, Clara Sosa of Paraguay. She is the first Indian woman to reach the said placement at the pageant.

In May 2019, Chaudhary was voted to the 2nd place in the list of "Times 50 Most Desirable Women of India 2018", in an internet survey conducted by ''The Times of India''. At the Femina Miss India 2019 sub-contest crowning ceremony, she was felicitated by the Miss India Organisation for her accomplishments at Miss Grand International.

Acting career

After a brief role in '' Upstarts'' (2019), Chaudhary starred in the web series, '' Out of Love'', is an official adaptation of BBC drama series ''Doctor Foster''. She played the role of a 22-year-old who faces adversity, stress and the repercussions for having a relationship with a married person.

In 2020, she was cast as a lead opposite Sushanth in the Telugu movie '' Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu''. Apart from pursuing her dental degree and modelling assignments, Chaudhary had enrolled in workshops. A month after the workshop, she was called by Sushanth to discuss a film script, which she accepted. She was later signed up for Ramesh Varma Penmetsa's film titled '' Khiladi''.

She has also acted as one of the female leads in the mystery-thriller film in Telugu language, titled '' HIT: The Second Case''. In 2023, She made her Tamil debut with the psychological thriller film ''Kolai.''

In 2024, she played the lead roles in the films '' Guntur Kaaram, Singapore Saloon, The Greatest of All Time, Lucky Baskhar, Matka and Mechanic Rocky.'' In 2026, she will appear in a comedy entertainer film ''Anaganaga Oka Raju'' featuring Naveen Polishetty.

Filmography

Films

Television

Music videos

References

External links

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Femina Miss India winners
Indian beauty pageant winners
Living people
Miss Grand India
Female models from Haryana
Actresses from Haryana
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Actresses in Hindi television
Miss Grand International contestants
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Panchkula
Miss Grand International 2018 delegates
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema