Sargun Mehta

Biography

Sargun Mehta (born 6 September 1988) is an Indian actress, model, and producer who predominantly works in Hindi television and Punjabi films. One of the highest paid Punjabi actress, Mehta is the recipient of five PTC Punjabi Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards Punjabi. Mehta began acting in theatre productions in her college, and later ventured into television roles, having made her screen debut in 2009 with 12/24 Karol Bagh. Her notable roles include Phulwa (2011–2012), Kya Huaa Tera Vaada (2012–2013) and Balika Vadhu (2013–2014). Mehta made her film debut with the 2015 Punjabi film Angrej; and earned her the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Actress. Her performance in Love Punjab (2016) and Lahoriye (2017) won her two Filmfare Awards Punjabi for Best Actress. Mehta has since earned praises for playing a modern woman in Qismat (2018) and Qismat 2 (2021), a beautician in Surkhi Bindi (2019) and a police officer in Cuttputlli (2022), which marked her debut in Hindi films.

== Early life and education == Mehta was born on 6 September 1988 in Chandigarh, India, She has a younger brother. As a child, along with her brother, Mehta auditioned for the dance reality show Boogie Woogie; they were both rejected. Mehta did her schooling at the Sacred Heart Convent school and Carmel Convent School in Chandigarh. She did her graduation in Bachelor of commerce from the Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. She then began studying for a Master's degree in Business Management, but left to pursue her acting career. Thereafter, she was cast in the television programme 12/24 Karol Bagh. After the programme ended, she shifted to Mumbai. Mehta's fame increased when she played in the 2011 television series Phulwa and the 2012 Kya Huaa Tera Vaada. She established herself as a leading actress, when she appeared the Colors TV drama series Balika Vadhu in 2013.

== Personal life ==

Mehta began dating her 12/24 Karol Bagh co-star Ravi Dubey in 2009, and married him in December 2013. On 5 February 2013, in an interview with IndiaTimes, Mehta said that she and Dubey "always shared a good bond and understanding. But after doing Nach Baliye together we understand each other professionally more." After marrying, she changed her name to Sargun Mehta Dubey.

== Career ==

=== Acting debut, early work and recognition (2009–2011) === Mehta began her career with theatre shows. During her three years in college in Delhi, she performed in several theatrical productions. Later, she was selected for the supporting role in Zee TV's 2009 television programme 12/24 Karol Bagh. In it, she appeared opposite Ravi Dubey in the role of Neetu Sethi, an effervescent young woman. The show tells the story of four children, Simi, Anuj, Neetu and Mili, of the Sethi family, which lives in the middle-class locality of Karol Bagh in Delhi. Neetu is the third sibling out of the four, who is married to the mentally challenged Omi (played by Ravi Dubey). In an interview with The Hindu, Mehta said that she gained the role by accident: "My friends and I from the theatre club were asked by one of our professors to audition for the role and I landed Neetu's part". Following the programme's end, Mehta portrayed the lead in another Zee TV production, Apno Ke Liye Geeta Ka Dharmayudh. In the show, which first aired in December 2010, she played the role of Geeta, who stands up for truth and saves her family from being ruined because of the misuse of section 498A which aims to protect women from domestic violence and abuse. In May 2011, the show went off-air after it failed to gain popularity. In January 2011, Mehta featured as the lead protagonist opposite Ajay Chaudhary in Siddharth Tewary's drama series Phulwa on Colors TV, in which she played the title role. The story is loosely based on the life of Phoolan Devi, the dacoit-turned politician. Referencing her work in the series, she said, "when I did Phulwa it became the significant turning point of my career, which gave me recognition and creative satisfaction as well". The following year, she appeared in an episode of Sony television's crime series Crime Patrol, as Aarti Shekhar.

=== Balika Vadhu and further success in television (2012–2015) === In 2012, Mehta was chosen to play the pivotal role of Sonia in Fireworks Productions' suspense/thriller series Hum Ne Li Hai... Shapath, opposite Rahil Azam. The story revolved around a murder that took place at a rave party. Mehta then guest-starred as Anika, opposite Karan Patel in Shontara Productions' Teri Meri Love Stories Star Plus network anthology series in August 2012. At the end of October 2012, Mehta was approached for the role of Aradhya in Shashi Mittal's show Dil Ki Nazar Se Khoobsurat, but was removed from the show due to conceptual changes. Ekta Kapoor's soap opera Kya Huaa Tera Vaada was Mehta's next show. In it, she played an independent girl character after a ten-year leap in the show's storyline. Co-starring alongside Mohit Malhotra, Mona Singh, Mouli Ganguly, and Neelam Sivia, she was cast as grown-up Bulbul, a journalist. She began shooting on 5 December and was telecast in mid-December 2012. She said: "My character has different shades. I haven't done this kind of role before. The show went off the air near the end of May 2013. After acting in 12/24 Karol Bagh (2009), Phulwa (2011) and Kya Huaa Tera Vaada (2012), she portrayed a docile character role of Ganga in Colors drama series Balika Vadhu. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Mehta said that she was surprised to be offered the role, as it was not her usual character. In mid-November 2014, she quit the show due to creative dissatisfaction.

In September 2014, Mehta participated in the reality show, Bigg Boss 8 as a contestant, but she got eliminated in the first episode itself. After a long break from fiction shows, Mehta made a comeback with the Zee TV's mini series Rishton Ka Mela, she began shoot for the show on 16 April 2015, In it, she played the central character Deepika, who is a young beautiful girl of today's modern era. The show had featured ten episodes, in which she starred alongside an ensemble cast of Eijaz Khan, Usha Nadkarni, Ratan Rajput, Anupam Shyam, Karan Mehra, Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan Tejwani, Sayantani Ghosh and Karan Grover. The show followed the journey of Deepika, a runaway bride, escaping from her cruel police inspector fiancé (played by Eijaz Khan). Deepika runs into a fair where she meets women that each have a story to tell. The show went off-air on 8 May 2015. Sargun Mehta Stars in Music Video For 'Titliaan' With Harrdy Sandhu.