On Anushka Sharma’s birthday, we look back at her career from her debut days with Shah Rukh Khan, to becoming one of the leading Bollywood stars of today.

Anushka Sharma celebrates her 34th birthday today. (Photo: Anushka Sharma/Instagram)

Anushka Sharma’s success story is one for the books. She was the ‘outsider’ who made it big, with much struggle. After a modelling career, she slowly established herself as one of the leading actors of today. Her debut was with Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, where she played the role of a bubbly Punjabi girl — a character that stuck with her for a while. It was a dream launch, though she was told at the time that she ‘wasn’t the best looking girl’.

In Koffee with Karan, Anushka Sharma, who had faced innumerable rejections in her modelling career, recounted, “I was on the fourth floor, in Aditya Chopra’s office. He just said, ‘Listen, I have a lot of belief in your talent. I think you are a very talented actress but I don’t think you are very good-looking. You’re not the most good-looking girl, so you have to make sure that you work really hard. You’re on for Taani (her character in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi),’” she said. Luck was in her favour, and she got a three-film deal with Aditya Chopra. Apparently, he noticed that she wasn’t ‘desperate’ to be cast in a film — a rare quality.

However, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi did not make her an overnight star, and it was only after Band Baaja Baraat, with Ranveer Singh, who was also making his debut with the film, did her craft shine through. Since then, Anushka has played a variety of roles, leaving the ‘bubbliness’ of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Band Baaja Baraat behind. NH 10 was a grim reminder of honour killing, and Anushka played the role of a battered, furious woman with heart-breaking perfection. In probably one of the best scenes of her career, a bloodied Anushka walks down a dusty, destroyed path, ready to murder the man who had killed her husband.

NH-10 was a pivotal step in her career for another reason, as she ventured into production with the film, becoming one of the youngest female actors to do so. She was just getting started, and produced Phillauri and Pari next, under her banner, Clean Slate Filmz. Pari was another unique choice in Anushka’s career, production and acting wise, which dealt with the horrors of a satanic cult in Bangladesh. Anushka played the role of a demon in the supernatural film who falls in love with a human, played by Parambrata Chatterjee. Within the same year of 2018, she was seen in the wholesome film Sui Dhaaga with Varun Dhawan, where they played a small-town couple who started their clothing business.

Anushka has starred in several box-office hits till date, including Sultan and PK, refusing to be outshone by wildly popular co-stars like Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. In 2016, she starred in Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which dealt with the concept of unrequited love. While the film received mixed reviews, Anushka received much appreciation for her nuanced performance. The actor might not have signed a film for four years after the Zero debacle in 2018, but she kept busy with her production ventures and clothing line. Her production venture, Bulbbul, another horrifying reminder of domestic violence, received much praise for its cast and brutal, yet effective storyline.

Anushka Sharma has always found a way to remain in the spotlight, despite staying out of it — be it her clothing line, her family photos, and now, her upcoming film, Chakda Xpress, where she takes on the role of a cricketer, inspired by the journey of Jhulan Goswami. The Netflix film is said to release in the latter half of 202