Urmila Matondkar

At the 41st Filmfare Awards, Rangeela was nominated for 12 awards including a first Best Actress nomination for Matondkar.

The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India.

In the same year, she also starred alongside Mohanlal in the Malayalam action Thacholi Varghese Chekavar.

She played Maya, the only witness in a homicide who is kept under house arrest by her parents.

Urmila Matondkar (born 4 February 1974) is an Indian actress and politician.

Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfare Award and the Nandi Award.

Having established a distinctive on-screen persona, she is known for her acting skills, style statements and dancing skills.

Matondkar was born on 4 February 1974

to Shrikant and Sunita Matondkar in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in a Hindu Maharashtrian family.

She studied at DG Ruparel College, Mumbai.

After making her debut as a child in the 1977 film Karm, Matondkar gained recognition with Masoom (1983), following which she appeared in few other films.

Matondkar made her film debut as a child artiste in B.R. Chopra's Karm (1977).

Subsequently, she featured in Shreeram Lagoo's Marathi film Zaakol (1980), Shyam Benegal's crime Kalyug (1980), Shekhar Kapur's drama Masoom (1983), Praveen Bhatt's Bhavna (1984), K. Viswanath's Sur Sangam (1985), Rahul Rawail's Dacait (1987) and Kalpataru's Bade Ghar Ki Beti (1989) as a child star.

Her first lead role came with the Malayalam film Chanakyan (1989), and her subsequent lead role in Hindi cinema with Narsimha (1991), both of which were commercial successes.

She made her debut in 1989, with T. K. Rajeev Kumar's Malayalam blockbuster Chanakyan, opposite Kamal Haasan.

Her Bollywood debut came with N. Chandra's 1991 action drama Narsimha.

Upon release, the film emerged a commercial success.

Matondkar played the role of Meenu S. Singh, the rebellious daughter of Baapji (played by Om Puri), a goon lord and capitalist of the city.

She also played the leading lady in Telugu and Tamil films such as Antham (1992), Gaayam (1993), Indian (1996) and Anaganaga Oka Roju (1997).

She next starred in Rajiv Mehra's ghost comedy Chamatkar, alongside Shah Rukh Khan (1992).

Her first Telugu film came with the action-crime Antham, and its Hindi bilingual Drohi opposite Nagarjuna.

She played Bhavna, an ornithologist who is in love with Nagarjuna's character.

Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics.

The film marked first of her many collaborations with director Ram Gopal Verma.

In 1993, Matondkar appeared in Shreemaan Aashique opposite Rishi Kapoor and Bedardi opposite Ajay Devgn— both these films failed critically and commercially.

Varma's Telugu political thriller Gaayam (1993) was her next release.

The film garnered positive reviews, with six state Nandi Awards, and emerged a Super Hit at the box office.

Matondkar's performance earned her a Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She gained wider public recognition with the 1994 hit romantic drama Aa Gale Lag Ja, starring alongside Jugal Hansraj.

After a brief setback, Matondkar emerged as a star with Ram Gopal Verma's romantic drama Rangeela (1995).

In 1995, Matondkar established herself as a leading actress of contemporary Hindi cinema by featuring in Varma's musical romance Rangeela, one of the top-grossing productions of the year.

Co-starring Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff, the film emerged as a blockbuster with a gross of ₹334 million.

Matondkar played Mili Joshi, an effervescent fun-loving friend of a street-toughened orphan, with ambitions of becoming an actress.

Matondkar had further success in the drama Judaai (1997), the crime film Satya (1998), the romantic comedy Khoobsurat (1999), and the thriller Jungle (2000).

Matondkar garnered critical recognition for portraying a range of intense characters in several psychological thrillers and horror films, including a serial killer in Kaun (1999), an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), a possessed woman in Bhoot (2003) and a violent avenger in Ek Hasina Thi (2004).

During these years, she collaborated with independent filmmakers in art-house cinema, including the dramas Tehzeeb (2003), Pinjar (2003), Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005), Bas Ek Pal (2006).

She has participated in concert tours and stage shows, and featured as a talent judge for various dance reality shows, including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (2007) and DID Super Moms (2022).

She has since worked intermittently, including in the Marathi film Ajoba (2014).

In addition to acting in films, Matondkar is involved with several humanitarian causes and is vocal about issues faced by women and children.

She married Kashmir based businessman and model Mohsin Akhtar Mir on 3 March 2016.