Disha Patani is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films. She began her acting career with the Telugu film Loafer (2015) opposite Varun Tej, and later made her Hindi debut in the sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). She starred in the Chinese action comedy Kung Fu Yoga (2017), which ranks among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time. She went on to play the romantic interest of the lead male character in the commercially successful Hindi action films Baaghi 2 (2018) and Bharat (2019).
Early life
Patani is a Kumaoni from Uttarakhand and Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, is her hometown. She has studied engineering. Her birthdate has been reported inconsistently in the media, both as 13 June 1992 and 27 July 1995, and early in her career she went by the surname Patni. She comes from the Rajput community. Her father, Jagadish Singh Patani is a police officer and her mother is a health inspector. Her elder sister, Khushboo Patani is a lieutenant in Indian Armed Forces as of 2019. She also has a younger brother, Suryansh Patani.
Career
Patani debuted with a Telugu film, Loafer alongside Varun Tej in 2015. She played the role of Mouni, a girl who runs from home to escape a forced marriage. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Kalyan under C.K. Entertainment, the film was made on a budget of ₹200 million and performed poorly at the box office with a lifetime collection of ₹106 million. In the following year, Disha appeared in a music video, Befikra along with Tiger Shroff which was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under T-Series and composed by Meet Bros. Written and directed by Meet Bros, the singer, Aditi Singh Sharma lent her voice.
Disha Patani at the M.A.C Cosmetics event, 2019.
Patani found her commercial break with Neeraj Pandey’s M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, a biographical sports film based on the life story of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team along with Sushant Singh Rajput and Kiara Advani. She played the role of Priyanka Jha, the girlfriend of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s character who dies in a car accident. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Fox Star Studios, the film was released on 30 September 2016 and was a massive hit with the collections of ₹216 crores. In her review, Renuka Vyavahare of Times of India reviewed, “the performance of Disha in the film deserves a special mention as her performance tugs at your heartstrings.” In addition, she also starred in Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Yoga, along with Sonu Sood.
Patani then acted in Baaghi 2 along with Tiger Shroff, a sequel to 2016 hit Baaghi starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Ahmed Khan, the film was released on 30 March 2018 worldwide and grossed approximately ₹243 crore.
In June 2019, she appeared in the film Bharat starring Salman Khan as one of his leading ladies. She started 2020 with February release Malang opposite Aditya Roy Kapur. In March 2020, she appeared in a song in the film Baaghi 3 starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, a sequel to Baaghi 2.
In 2020, Patani was among several Bollywood actors who were criticised for posting Instagram messages showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, despite their previous work advertising skin-lightening products which perpetuate colorism.
Patani has finished filming Prabhu Deva’s action film Radhe, in which she is reuniting with Salman Khan. She is also the female lead in Ekta Kapoor’s production KTina.
Filmography
 |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
- All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Loafer | Mouni | Telugu film |
| 2016 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | Priyanka Jha | |
| 2017 | Kung Fu Yoga | Asmita | Chinese film |
| 2018 | Welcome to New York | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| Baaghi 2 | Neha | ||
| 2019 | Bharat | Radha | |
| 2020 | Malang | Sara Nambiar | |
| Baaghi 3 | Herself | Special appearance in song “Do You Love Me” | |
| 2021 | KTina |
TBA | Filming |
| Radhe |
TBA | Completed |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Singer | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | “Befikra” | Meet Bros, Aditi Singh Sharma | Meet Bros |
| 2019 | “Har Ghoont Mein Swag” | Badshah | Badshah |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | BIG Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Actor (Film) Debut – Female | Won | |
| Most Entertaining Actor in a Drama Film – Female | Nominated | ||||
| Star Screen Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |||
| Stardust Awards | Best Acting Debut (Female) | Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |