Amruta Khanvilkar

Amruta Khanvilkar Malhotra was born on November 23, 1984, in Mumbai, India. She grew up in a Marathi family with her parents, Ajit and Gauri Khanvilkar, and a younger sister, Aditi. Her family moved to Pune in 1994, where she completed her schooling at Karnataka High School and graduated from Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce. From a young age, Khanvilkar developed a passion for dance, although her father initially had reservations about her pursuing it. In 2004, she began her career as a contestant on India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj, a talent competition that marked her entry into the Indian television industry. That same year, she appeared in the Hindi short film Saanjh, presented by the Film and Television Institute of India, which won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare.

Khanvilkar made her Marathi film debut in 2006 with “Golmaal.” The following year, she entered Hindi cinema with “Mumbai Salsa” and achieved commercial success in Marathi with “Saade Maade Teen” (2007), which became one of the highest-grossing Marathi films of its time. Her career progressed with roles in films like the supernatural horror “Phoonk” (2008) and the suspense thriller “Gaiir” (2009), for which she received her first Best Actress nominations. A turning point in her career was her Lavani dance performance “Wajle Ki Bara” in the 2010 film “Natarang,” which brought her widespread recognition. She continued to receive acclaim for her roles in films such as “Shala” (2011) and “Aayna Ka Bayna” (2012), the latter earning her a Best Actress award at the CineRockom International Film Festival.

Over the years, Khanvilkar has taken on diverse roles and achieved significant milestones. In 2015, she showcased her dance abilities by winning the seventh season of the reality show Nach Baliye with her husband, Himmanshoo Malhotra. Her performance as Zareena in “Katyar Kaljat Ghusali” (2015) earned her critical praise and nominations at the Maharashtra State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards Marathi. In 2018, she gained further recognition for her role as Munira in the Hindi espionage thriller “Raazi” and received accolades for her portrayal of the Lady Serial Killer, Lavina Birdie, in the web series “Damaged.” Her titular role in the romantic drama “Chandramukhi” (2022) garnered immense critical and commercial success, earning her the Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Actress. In 2024, she featured in several web series including “Lootere,” “36 Days,” and “Taskaree,” and made her stage debut in the Marathi play “Lagna Panchami.” In 2025, she was officially appointed as a brand ambassador for Joy n Crew and Medimix Ayurveda.