Mannara Chopra | |
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Mannara Chopra
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Born |
Barbie Handa 29 March 1991 Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, India |
Occupation | Actress, model |
Years active | 2014–present |
Relatives | See Chopra family |
Family | Priyanka Chopra |
Mannara Chopra is an Indian film actress and model who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films. She is the cousin of Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra,Parineeti Chopra, and Meera Chopra. She made her Bollywood debut with the film Zid (2014).
Mannara Chopra was born in Ambala Cantonment, Haryana. When she was born, a male cousin suggested the name "Barbie" (after the doll) only as a nickname, but her mother liked the name so much that she kept it as her real name. Later she was given the name Mannara (which is Greek for "something that shines") by her friends and family. Mannara's mother is a jewellery designer and her father is a lawyer. She has a younger sister, Mithali, who has studied commerce. Mannara was educated at Summer Fields School, New Delhi, and pursued a BBA degree.
After completing her education, Mannara moved to Mumbai, where she started her career in modelling and moved into advertising. She made thirteen commercials, three of them alongside her cousin Priyanka Chopra, including one for Dabur Amla Hair Oil, which she said won her "instant recognition" and landed her an offer in Telugu films. She had also appeared in Amit Trivedi's song '"Bas bajna chahiye", the theme song for Gaana.com. Before making her film debut, she also worked as a fashion designer and as an assistant choreographer, being trained in dance forms like hip hop and belly dancing.
By 2013, Mannara ventured into acting, signing up for films in Telugu, Hindi and Kannada. Her first release was the Telugu film Prema Geema Jantha Nai (2014), then credited under her birth name, which featured her as a "very talkative college going girl". The same year, Mannara made her Bollywood debut with Anubhav Sinha's Zid, co-starring Karanvir Sharma and Shraddha Das. Her portrayal of an obsessive lover was met with mixed reviews. Mohar Basu called her "radiant" though noted that, she needed "a good deal more of experience". However, the film was a commercially profitable venture.