Overview
Sakshi Tanwar is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi television and films. She gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Parvati Agarwal in the long-running Star Plus serial Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2000–2008) and later for playing Priya Sharma in Sony Entertainment Television's Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (2011–2014). She made her film debut in Aamir Khan's Dangal (2016), in which she played Daya Shobha Kaur, the wife of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat.
Key facts
| Name | Sakshi Tanwar |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 January 1973 |
| Birthplace | Alwar, Rajasthan, India |
| Education | Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Notable television | Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain |
| Notable films | Dangal (2016), Mohalla Assi (2018) |
Background and education
Sakshi Tanwar was born on 12 January 1973 in Alwar, Rajasthan. Her father served in the Indian Army, and the family relocated frequently during her early years before settling in Delhi. She completed her schooling in Delhi and went on to study at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, where she pursued a postgraduate degree in economics.
Career
Early television work
Tanwar began her acting career in the mid-1990s with Doordarshan, where she anchored the music programme Albela Sur Mela. She subsequently appeared in serials such as Hum Pardesi Ho Gaye on Doordarshan, which helped establish her as a familiar face on Indian television.
Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii
In 2000, Tanwar was cast as Parvati Agarwal in Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms production Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, which premiered on Star Plus. The serial ran for nearly eight years until 2008 and became one of the most-watched Hindi television soaps of its era. The role brought her national prominence and several Indian Television Academy Awards and Indian Telly Awards over its run.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
From 2011 to 2014, Tanwar played the lead role of Priya in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain on Sony Entertainment Television, opposite Ram Kapoor. The show, produced by Balaji Telefilms, was noted for centring on a middle-aged married couple, a departure from the youth-oriented romantic dramas common at the time.
Films
Tanwar made her feature film debut in Nitesh Tiwari's Dangal (2016), produced by Aamir Khan Productions. She portrayed Daya Shobha Kaur, the wife of Haryanvi wrestler and coach Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan). The film became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time and earned strong commercial success in international markets, particularly China.
She subsequently appeared in Mohalla Assi (2018), directed by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi and based on Kashinath Singh's novel Kashi Ka Assi, opposite Sunny Deol.
Web series
Tanwar has worked in Indian streaming productions, including the ALTBalaji series Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat (2017–2019) opposite Ram Kapoor, and the Netflix anthology film Mai (2022), in which she played the lead role of Sheel Chaudhary, a mother seeking justice for her daughter.
Significance
Sakshi Tanwar is regarded as one of the defining faces of Hindi prime-time television in the 2000s and early 2010s. Her sustained portrayal of homemaker characters in two of Balaji Telefilms' flagship serials made her a household name across India. Her successful transition to cinema with Dangal and to streaming platforms with Mai illustrated the broader migration of established television actors into films and digital content during the late 2010s and 2020s.