Mink Brar (born 4 November 1980) is an Indian model, actress and producer. Mink is known for her work in
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 ...
films and on
Indian television
The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programmes in many Indian languages. Nearly 87% of Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 900 channels of which 184 were Pay television, ...
shows. She participated in the reality show ''
Bigg Boss
''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through JioStar Network. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made internationally availabl ...
'' in 2012.
Early life
Mink Brar was born as Mink Singh on 4 November 1980 in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
to
Punjabi parents who migrated from
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. About her name, Mink Brar says, "It's a very unique name. Mink is an animal that loves water and freedom, and is known for its precious fur." She was raised in Germany.
Brar wanted to be a magistrate as a child. She got her education from Germany and completed a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
.
Career
Veteran Hindi actor
Dev Anand
Dev Anand (; born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand; 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011) was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Indian cinema, Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most succes ...
introduced Brar to the Indian film industry when she was 13.
She made her debut in the Indian film industry with Dev Anand's Hindi film ''
Pyaar Ka Tarana'',
[ which was released in September 1993. She then appeared in several films like '']Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a c ...
'' (1996), ''Saat Rang Ke Sapne
''Saat Rang Ke Sapne'' () is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Amitabh Bachchan. It is a remake of Priyadarshan's own 1994 Malayalam film '' Thenmavin Kombath''. The film stars South Indian actor, Ar ...
'' (1998), '' Yamraaj'' (1998), '' Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain'' (1999), '' Ganga Ki Kasam'' (1999), '' Maa Kasam'' (1999), '' Jwalamukhi'' (2000), '' Ajnabee'' (2001), ''Zahreela'' (2001), ''Pitaah
''Pitaah'' () is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by Avinash Adik. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nandita Das and Om Puri in pivotal roles. The film was well received by critics and t ...
'' (2002), '' Chalo Ishq Ladaaye'' (2002), Raaz(2002),''Border Hindustan Ka
''Border Hindustan Ka'' (Border of India) is a 2003 Indian Bollywood war film directed by Yogesh Bharadwaj and produced by H.S. Taneja. It stars Faisal Khan, Rajat Bedi, Aditya Pancholi, Priya Gill
Priya Gill is an Indian former actres ...
'' (2003), and ''Oops
Oops or Oopsie is an interjection made in response to a minor mistake. It may also refer to:
Television and film
* "Oops" (Frasier episode), an episode of the TV sitcom ''Frasier''
* "Oops" (Family Ties episode), an episode of the TV sitcom '' ...
'' (2003). She also worked in some South Indian films, including a Telugu movie, '' Prematho Raa'' (2001)
Bro and Sis Productions
In 2006, Brar turned into a producer and started a production house called Bro and Sis Productions with her brother Punnu Brar. She said in an interview, "Be it films, serials or even event management, we are ready. Bro and Sis Productions will be a complete entertainment house."[ Their first major work was the movie '' Katputtli'', which was released in August 2006, in which Brar played the lead role. The film, however, failed to do any good business. The production company is presently producing an untitled project.][
]
Music videos
In February 1999, Brar made a special dance appearance for the song ''Jumbalakka'' in the Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
film En Swasa Kaatre. Brar appeared in the music video ''Lal Garara'', from the movie and album Badal
''Badal'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Raj Kanwar. The film stars Bobby Deol and Rani Mukerji in lead roles with Amrish Puri. It was a commercial success.
Plot
Badal is a young man with a tragic childhood ...
, which was released in February 2000. In August 2008, her production company released a music album, Ghonghat Mix, in which she acted in the music video, ''Mujhko Ranaji Maaf Karna''.[ This music album was ''Bro and Sis Productions'' second major work after the movie Katputtli. Brar said in an interview, "We were so exhausted after making Katputtli that we wanted to make something more enjoyable and easy to do."
]
Reality television
She participated in a dance reality TV
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...
show ''Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, '' Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the ...
'' for the TV channel Colors
Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...
. The show went on air in December 2008. In March 2009, she appeared in Sarkaar Ki Duniya
''Sarkaar Ki Duniya'' is a reality television show that aired on Real TV from 2 March 2009 to 3 July 2009, modelled on Survivor. It took place on Mango Island in Karwar, Karnataka, and was hosted by film actor Ashutosh Rana.
18 contestants wer ...
, an adventure reality show on Real, from where she was eliminated in the 17th week in June 2009.
In February 2011, she appeared in sports entertainment reality game TV show, '' Zor Ka Jhatka - Total Wipeout'', on Imagine TV
Imagine TV was a Hindi general entertainment channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, and based in New Delhi.
The channel was known for shows such as ''Ramayan (2008 TV series), Ramayan (2008), Chandragupta Maurya (2011 TV series), Chand ...
which was hosted by Shahrukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has appeared in more th ...
. The show was based on the American reality show '' Wipeout''. She told IANS
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. In December 2023, Adani Group, Adani group, known for its clos ...
, "I lost six kilos while I was shooting for Zor Ka Jhatka. I got hurt, but I tried my level best to be in the competition". She next participated in a celebrity reality TV show ''Bigg Boss'' Season 6, entering the show in October 2012 as a wild card contestant. She said in an interview with PTI, "I am not here for getting a new platform because Bigg Boss is a show which can make somebody popular or destroy their image. I would not like to come out as an aggressive or a crazy person." She was voted out from the Bigg Boss house in December 2012. Talking about her experience in the show, after her exit, she said in an interview with The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
, "It was a life time experience, it's a mixture of all good and bad and everything that even don't exits I would say."
Controversies
*In July 2011, a few media reports suggested that Brar has acted in a porn film titled ''Desert Queen''. The posters of the film, featuring Brar, were put up at various locations in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Brar denied having acted in any such project. She said in an interview with The Times of India, "I was shocked. I cried a lot. Though the poster has my photo, I am not in the film. I just want to ask all those who have done this, do they have a proof that it's me?"
*In August 2011, a video surfaced where Mink was seen kissing a South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n woman in a swimming pool. The video went viral in India. Reacting to the video, Brar admitted that she is a lesbian, however, she later withdrew her statement saying she was hungover when she said that and remarked, "I am not a lesbian. I was so drunk in the party that I could have smooched anybody in front of me. It was like a moment that just came and I acted on it."[
*Media reports indicated in January 2013, while distributing blankets to homeless people with her brother in Versova, Mumbai, Brar spotted a veteran photographer Jagdish Mali, who is also the father of Indian actress, Antara Mali, in a semi-nude dishevelled & disoriented state. Brar said, "I looked out of the window and immediately recognized him. I stopped the car and walked up to him with my brother who got him a pair of shorts & a T-shirt." About his condition, Brar elaborated, "He was covered with faeces and looked as though he had not eaten in a while. He seemed very disturbed and completely disconnected." It was reported that Brar made sure he reached home safely and contacted ]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 ...
for assistance. However, Jagdish's family and friends said that his condition was absolutely fine, though he was diabetic, and Brar was manipulating this issue to the press to get publicity, and that they could take legal action against Brar for spreading wrong information.
Personal life
Brar was raised in a conservative and protective environment, with her family trying to inculcate in her traditional Indian values instead of western ones. Her immediate family consists of her mother and brother named Punnu Brar, who is three years younger to her.[
]
Filmography
Television
See also
*List of Indian film actresses
This is an alphabetical list of notable Cinema of India, Indian film actresses.
Given below is a list that includes actresses from different time periods—from early pioneers of silent cinema and the golden age of Indian films to contempor ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brar, Mink
Living people
Actresses from Frankfurt
German people of Punjabi descent
German people of Indian descent
German female models
German film actresses
German television actresses
German women film producers
German television producers
German women television producers
German expatriates in India
Actresses of Indian descent
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Actresses in Hindi television
21st-century German actresses
Models from Frankfurt
1980 births