Pragya Jaiswal

Pragya Jaiswal
Jaiswal in 2023
Born	(1991-01-12) 12 January 1991 (age 33) Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Alma mater	Symbiosis Law School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2014–present

Pragya Jaiswal (born 12 January 1991) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu films. She has won a Filmfare Awards South and a South Indian International Movie Award.^[1]

Jaiswal made her acting debut in 2014 with the Tamil-language film Virattu. She had her breakthrough with the Telugu period drama Kanche (2015), for which she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South.^[2][3] Jaiswal made her Hindi film debut with Titoo MBA. She went on to appear in films such as Nakshatram (2017), Achari America Yatra (2018) and Akhanda (2021), which is her highest-grossing release.

Early life

Jaiswal was born on 12 January 1991^[4][5] in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Pragya Jaiswal completed her education from Symbiosis Law School at Pune.^[6][7] During her initial days at Symbiosis University, she participated in various beauty pageants and became a model. In 2014, she received the Symbiosis Sanskritik Puraskar for her achievement in the field of art and culture.^[8]

Career

Jaiswal made her acting debut with the Tamil film Virattu, in 2014.^[9] In the same year, she made her Hindi film debut with Titoo MBA opposite Nishant Dahiya.^[10]

In 2015, Jaiswal ventured into Telugu films with Mirchi Lanti Kurradu opposite Abijeet.^{[citation needed]} Her career marked a turning point with Kanche, where she played a princess opposite Varun Tej. The film emerged a commercial success.^[11][12][13] Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle noted, "Pragya looks beautiful and perfectly fits her role of a princess."^[14]

Following Kanche's success, she had four releases in 2017. She first appeared in Om Namo Venkatesaya, a box office failure.^[15] Her next film, Gunturodu opposite Manchu Manoj also failed at the box office.^[16] Jaiswal next played an IPS officer in Nakshatram.^[17] Sridhar Adivi of The Times of India stated that her role is packed with both "glamour and substance".^[18] She had an extended cameo in Jaya Janaki Nayaka, her final film of the year.^{[citation needed]} In 2018, she appeared in Achari America Yatra opposite Vishnu Manchu, which was an average grosser.^[19]

Post a three year hiatus, Jaiswal played an IAS officer in Akhanda opposite Nandamuri Balakrishna.^[20] The film was a commercial success and became the third highest grossing Telugu film of 2021.^[21] Firstpost noted, "Saranya is relatively well-written and Pragya carries her well."^[22] In 2022, she played a NIA officer in the box office failure, Son of India.^[23]

Jaiswal returned to Hindi films with the 2024 ensemble comedy Khel Khel Mein, playing a boutique owner opposite Aditya Seal.^[24] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu stated, "A confident Pragya turns up in a Hindi film for a change and plays the role of an entitled brat without caricaturising it."^[25]

Filmography

Films

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role(s)	Language	Notes	Ref.
2014	Virattu	Mavi	Tamil	I	[26]
	Titoo MBA	Gulshan	Hindi		[27]
2015	Mirchi Lanti Kurradu	Vasundara	Telugu		[28]
	Kanche	Sita Devi			[29]
2017	Om Namo Venkatesaya	Bhavani			[30]
	Gunturodu	Amrutha			[31]
	Nakshatram	Kiran Reddy IPS			[32][33]
	Jaya Janaki Nayaka	Falguni		Extended cameo	[34]
2018	Achari America Yatra	Renuka			[35]
2021	Akhanda	Saranya Bachupally IAS			[36]
2022	Son of India	Iravathi		Cameo	[37]
2024	Khel Khel Mein	Naina Tanwar	Hindi		[38]
2025	NBK109 †	TBA	Telugu	Completed	[39]
TBA	Akhanda 2: Thandavam †	Saranya Bachupally IAS	Telugu	Filming	[40]

Music video

Year	Title	Singer(s)	Language	Ref.
2022	"Main Chala"	Guru Randhawa, Iulia Vantur	Hindi	[41]

Awards and nominations

Year	Film	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2016	Kanche	63rd Filmfare Awards South	Best Female Debut – South	Won	[42]
		5th South Indian International Movie Awards	Best Female Debut - Telugu	Won	[43]
		CineMAA Awards	Best Female Debut	Won	[44]
		Zee Telugu Apsara Awards	Best Find of the Year	Won	^[citation needed]
		TV9 National Film Awards	Best Debut Actress	Won	^[citation needed]
2021	Akhanda	10th South Indian International Movie Awards	Best Actress – Telugu	Nominated	[45]

References

1. "Pragya Jaiswal interview". FHM India. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
2. Kavirayani, Suresh (12 September 2015). "I was scared to slap Varun: Pragya Jaiswal". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
3. "Sai Pallavi, Pragya Jaiswal share Best Debut Actress award at 63rd Britannia Filmfare Awards South 2016". The Times of India. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
4. "అందాలు ఆరబోసిన అఖండ భామ ప్రగ్యా.. లేటెస్ట్ పిక్స్ వైరల్." telugu.news18.com (in Telugu). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
5. "Pragya Jaiswal Biography". ragalahari.com.
6. Anjali Shetty (22 January 2014). "'I am pleasantly surprised' - City-Pune". DNA. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
7. Amit Kumar (22 January 2014). "Pragya Jaiswal Biography". infoknocks.com. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
8. "Alumini Newsletter-2014" (PDF). symlaw.ac.in. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
9. "An Unexciting Chase". Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
10. "Titoo MBA". The Times of India. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
11. "'Kanche' transported me to a different era, says Telugu actress Pragya Jaiswal". The Indian Express. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
12. Devalla, Rani (27 October 2015). "'Kanche' team savouring the success". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
13. "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade | Film Companion". www.filmcompanion.in. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
14. Kavirayani, Suresh (24 October 2015). "Movie review 'Kanche': Love reigns in war zone". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
15. "'Om Namo Venkatesaya' Review". The New Indian Express. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
16. "Gunturodu movie review: Something goes wrong". Retrieved 21 July 2023.
17. "Ram Charan Teja launches first look of Sundeep's Nakshatram". The Indian Express. 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
18. "Nakshatram Movie Review". The Times of India.
19. Y Sunita Chowdhary (27 April 2018). "Achari America Yatra: Amateurish effort at comedy". The Hindu.
20. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (22 November 2021). "Pragya Jaiswal: I took up 'Akhanda' with the trust I have in director Boyapati Srinu". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
21. Singh, Jatinder (1 February 2022). "Akhanda final box office update; Balakrishna - Boyapati film is True Blue BLOCKBUSTER". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
22. "Akhanda movie review: For better or worse, this is everything you expect from a Nandamuri Balakrishna-Boyapati Srinu film". Firstpost. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
23. "3 Reasons Why Mohan Babu-starrer Son of India Tanked at Box Office". CNN-News18. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
24. "Pragya Jaiswal on working in Akshay Kumar's 'Khel Khel Mein': It's a beautiful coincidence". Hindustan Times. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
25. "'Khel Khel Mein' movie review: Akshay Kumar finds his groove with this nuptial nonsense". The Hindu. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
26. "Virattu Movie Review {1.5/5}: Critic Review of Virattu by Times of India". The Times of India.
27. "Nishant Dahiya and Pragya Jaiswal - faces of Titoo MBA". The Times of India.
28. "Mirchi Lanti Kurradu Movie Review {2/5}: Critic Review of Mirchi Lanti Kurradu by Times of India". The Times of India.
29. "Pragya Jaiswal's "pinch me" moment". The Times of India.
30. "Pragya Jaiswal in Nagarjuna's Namo Venkatesa". Deccan Chronicle. 23 April 2016.
31. "Gunturodu Movie Review {2.5/5}: The movie is made for the mass audience and heads up to those who can't stand explicit dialogues". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
32. "Pragya Jaiswal to don the khaki". Deccan Chronicle. 18 August 2016.
33. "Kanche girl Pragya Jaiswal all set don Khaki". TheNewsMinute. 17 August 2016.
34. "Pragya Jaiswal is going places!". Deccan Chronicle. 9 December 2016.
35. "It's a mass film: Pragya Jaiswal". Deccan Chronicle. 25 April 2018.
36. "Pragya Jaiswal Replaces Sayyeshaa As The Leading Lady Of This Balakrishna Starrer". TheTeluguFilmnagar. 12 January 2021.
37. "Mohan Babu's Son of India starts rolling". CinemaEexpress. 23 October 2020.
38. "Pragya Jaiswal joins Akshay Kumar starrer Khel Khel Mein". Bollywood Hungama. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
39. "Nandamuri Balakrishna & Pragya Jaiswal all set to star together in NBK 109". Filmfare. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
40. "'Akhanda 2 - Thaandavam': Nandamuri Balakrishna's next with Boyapati Sreenu launched". The Hindu. 16 October 2024. ISSN 0971-751X.
41. "Salman Khan and Pragya Jaiswal song 'Main Chala' out now". The Quint. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
42. "Sai Pallavi, Pragya Jaiswal share Best Debut Actress award at 63rd Britannia Filmfare Awards South 2016". The Times of India. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
43. "SIIMA 2016 winners". Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
44. "CineMAA Awards 2016 Winners List". RITZ Magazine. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
45. "Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise Leads SIIMA Nominations; Check Full List Here". News18. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

External links

• Pragya Jaiswal at IMDb
• Pragya Jaiswal on Instagram