Urvashi Rautela is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Hindi films. She gained prominence after winning the title of Miss Diva- Miss Universe India 2015, and represented India at Miss Universe 2015. She began her modelling career at the age of 15 and also previously won the title of Miss Teen India 2009.

Rautela made her acting debut in 2013 with Singh Saab the Great (2013) and has since appeared in some notable films like Sanam Re (2016), Great Grand Masti (2016), Hate Story 4 (2018) and Pagalpanti (2019).

She made her debut in the Kannada film industry with Mr. Airavata in 2014. Her foray into Tamil cinema came in 2022 with The Legend.

Early life and education

Rautela was born on 25 February 1994, in Haridwar to Meera Rautela and Manwar Singh Rautela, in a Garhwali Rajput family. Her hometown is Kotdwar.

She completed her education at St. Joseph Convent School in Kotdwar and is an alumna of Gargi College, University of Delhi.

Pageantry career

Various pageants and fame (2009–2015)

Rautela's journey in the fashion industry began at the age of 15 when she got her first major break at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. She also won the title of Miss Teen India 2009. She also won the title of Miss Teen India in 2009. As a teenage model, she walked the ramp as a showstopper for Lakme Fashion Week, Amazon Fashion Week, Bombay Fashion Week, and Dubai Fashion Week.

In 2011, Rautela won Indian Princess 2011 and Miss Asian Supermodel 2011. She also won the title of Miss Tourism Queen of the Year 2011 which took place in China, making her the first Indian woman to win this pageant. She was also offered Ishaqzaade but turned it down as she wanted to prioritize her focus on the Miss Universe pageant.

In 2012, Rautela won the coveted crown of I AM She – Miss Universe India along with the special award for Miss Photogenic. However, she had to relinquish her crown as she was underage at that time. In 2015, she once again participated in Indian pageantry and won the title. She represented India in Miss Universe 2015, although she did not place.

Acting career

Debut and early career (2013–2017)

Rautela made her Hindi film debut with the film Singh Saab The Great where she starred as the female lead opposite Sunny Deol. Following the release of the film, Urvashi appeared in Yo Yo Honey Singh's international video album Love Dose, which was released in October 2014.

Soon after, she ventured into the Kannada cinema and made her debut with the film Mr. Airavata. Although the film received negative reviews from critics, Urvashi's dance sequence was praised. Sunayana Suresh, writing for the The Times of India noted, "Urvashi is expressive and leaves her mark in the few scenes and songs she appears in, especially with her dancing."

Later, she appeared in two other Hindi films, Sanam Re and Great Grand Masti, both of which had average box office collections. She also featured in two music videos in 2016. Laal Dupatta with Mika Singh and Anupama Raag, and Gal Bann Gayi along with Vidyut Jammwal.

In 2017, Rautela starred in a special dance sequence Haseeno Ka Deewana in the film Kaabil. Her performance received compliments from Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan. Apart from that, she made a special appearance in a Bangladeshi film Porobashinee.

Various roles and further career (2018–present)

In 2018, she appeared in the revenge drama Hate Story 4. Rachit Gupta of the Times of India commented on her performance, stating, "Urvashi Rautela has the main role and her character has plenty to offer. She starts off as a girl dancing in a strip club, but as the story unfolds, her character gets plenty of twists, turns and reveals. There's a lot on her table and the pretty actress handles the myriad emotions and shades with ease."

In February 2019, Rautela appeared in Anees Bazmee's comedy film Pagalpanti which received unfavorable reviews and was a box-office flop.

In 2020, she starred in Virgin Bhanupriya a comedy-drama directed by Ajay Lohan and produced by Shreyans Mahendra Dhariwal. The film was released on ZEE5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rautela made her Tamil debut with the film The Legend, alongside Saravanan Arul. In 2023, she also featured in an item number in the Telugu film Waltair Veerayya, starring popular actors Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja. In the same year, she made another special appearance in a song for the Telugu film Agent.

Upcoming films

Rautela completed shooting for the film Dil Hai Gray, which is a remake of the Tamil film Thiruttu Payale 2. She is also set to make her lead debut in Telugu films with the film Black Rose.

Rautela is set to make her Hollywood debut with a Netflix film tentatively titled Renata Fonte alongside Michele Morrone. The film will be directed by Barbara Bialowas and produced by Netflix and Tomasz Mandes. She has announced another Telugu film alongside Ram Pothineni under the direction of Boyapati Srinu through Instagram and Twitter.

In the media

Urvashi also launched her own app to provide fans with information about herself. In addition, she was honored with the title of Youngest Most Beautiful Woman in the Universe 2018 by the government and tourism of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and she received the Uttarakhand Maharatna Award from the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

On 24 October 2020, Urvashi became the first Indian woman to walk the runway for the Emirati label Amato at the official calendar of the Arab Fashion Week, an event endorsed by the Dubai-based Arab Fashion Council. She was also awarded the title of Global Icon in Morocco.

Filmography

Films

Music videos

Television

Awards