Rati Agnihotri (born 10 December 1960) is an Indian actress, known for acting 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 ...

, as well as in Telugu and

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 ...

language films. Her roles in the cult-tragedy film '' Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' (1981) and the

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

'' Tawaif'' (1985) earned her two nominations for the

Filmfare Award for Best Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in ...

Early life

Agnihotri was born on 10 December 1960 in

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, in a conservative Punjabi

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family. She is a cousin of actor-director

Atul Agnihotri Atul Agnihotri (born 8 July 1964) is an Indian actor, producer and director. He started his Bollywood career as an actor, went on to direct two films, and found success as a film producer. He is best known for his debut film ''Sir (1993 film), S ...

Film career

She began modelling at the age of ten. Agnihotri's first film roles were in the Tamil language films ''

Puthiya Vaarpugal ''Puthiya Vaarpugal'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars K. Bhagyaraj and Rati Agnihotri, with G. Srinivasan, Goundamani, K. K. Soundar and Usharani in s ...

'' and '' Niram Maaratha Pookkal'' (1979). In the 1980s, she also starred in a number of Hindi films. She received a

Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...

nomination as Best Actress for the 1981 film '' Ek Duuje Ke Liye'', which was a

remake of the Telugu film ''

Maro Charitra ''Maro Charitra'' () is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language romantic tragedy film written and directed by K. Balachander. It stars Kamal Haasan and Saritha in the lead with Madhavi appearing in prominent roles. The film deals with cross-cultural ...

'' from 1979. Other Hindi films from this period included '' Farz Aur Kanoon'' (1982), ''

Coolie Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian people, Indian or Chinese descent. The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th cent ...

'' (1983), '' Tawaif'' (1985) which also led to her being nominated for the Filmfare award,

Aap Ke Saath ''Aap Ke Saath'' is a 1986 Hindi-language film produced and directed by J. Om Prakash, starring Anil Kapoor, Vinod Mehra, Smita Patil, Rati Agnihotri, Utpal Dutt, and Amrish Puri. Plot Ashok and Vimal are two grandsons of K.K. Sahib. Ashok and ...

(1986)'', and Hukumat'' (1987). After a 16-year absence, she returned to acting in 2001, in the Hindi film '' Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi'' and the

film '' Majunu''. She made her

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 ...

debut in '' Anyar'' (2003), English debut in ''An Ode to Lost Love'' (2003), and Bengali debut in ''Aaina-te'' (2008). She has also acted on the stage, in plays such as ''Please Divorce Me Darling'' (2005), and television serials, such as ''Sixer'' (2005). Agnihotri spends a lot of time in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, where she owns an Indian restaurant with her sister Anita.

Personal life

Agnihotri married businessman and architect Anil Virwani on 9 February 1985, This, coupled with her father's death, convinced her to leave

films. In 1986, the couple's son, Tanuj Virwani, was born. He is an actor working in Hindi films and television.

Awards and nominations

Nominations

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

– '' Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – '' Tawaif''

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Rati Agnihotri's Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnihotri, Rati Living people 1960 births People from Bareilly Actresses from Mumbai People of Punjabi descent Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Bengali cinema Indian television actresses Actresses in Hindi television 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses