Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1987) is an Indian-born Portuguese actress and model who predominantly appears in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
language films. D'Cruz was born in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and spent most of her childhood in
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. D'Cruz made her screen debut in 2006 with Telugu-language film ''
Devadasu'', which was a commercial success. She has received several awards including a
Filmfare Award South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing f ...
and a
Filmfare Award
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
.
D'Cruz established herself as a leading actress in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
with successful films including ''
Pokiri
''Pokiri'' () is a 2006 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film, action thriller film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh. The film was produced by Jagannadh and Manjula Ghattamaneni by their respective production companies Vai ...
'' (2006), ''
Rakhi'' (2006), ''
Munna'' (2007), ''
Jalsa
''Jalsa'' () is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by Allu Aravind, under the Geetha Arts banner starring Pawan Kalyan, Ileana, Parvati Melton, Kamalinee Mukerji, Mukesh R ...
'' (2008), ''
Kick
A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...
'' (2009) and ''
Julayi
''Julayi'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas, and produced by S. Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations banner. The film stars Allu Arjun, Ileana D'Cruz, Sonu Sood, and ...
'' (2012). She made her debut in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
with ''
Kedi'' (2006) and starred in Shankar's ''
Nanban Nanban may refer to: Japan
* Nanban art, Japanese art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries influenced by contact with the Nanban
* Nanban trade
or the , was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to t ...
'' (2012), a commercial success.
D'Cruz expanded to Hindi cinema in 2012 with
Anurag Basu
Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1974) is an Indian director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He began his directing career in television, moving to feature films in 2002. Basu achieved initial success with his films tackling the themes of passion and ...
's comedy-drama ''
Barfi!
''Barfi!'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as the eponymous lead, alongside P ...
'', for which she won the
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
The Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (previously known as Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year) is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films to recognise a performance by a female actor in their deb ...
. She has since played the leading lady in ''
Main Tera Hero
''Main Tera Hero'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan and produced by Shobha Kapoor
Shobha Kapoor (born 1 February 1949) is an Indian television, film and web series producer. She is ...
'' (2014), ''
Rustom'' (2016), and ''
Raid
Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to:
Attack
* Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground
* Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business
* Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...
'' (2018).
Early and personal life
D'Cruz was born to a Catholic father and Muslim mother in
Mahim
Mahim (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɦiːm(Marathi language, Marathi: माहिम) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Mahim Junction railway station on the Western Railway zone, Western Railway and Harbou ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
on 1 November 1987.
Her family moved to
Parra, Goa
Parra is a village on the outskirts of Mapusa town Bardez sub-district, North Goa, India. It has traditionally been known as a village that has grown luscious watermelons. In recent times, the village is facing considerable urbanisation and so ...
when she was 10 years old.
Her first
portfolio
Portfolio may refer to:
Objects
* Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase
Collections
* Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual
* Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
was created in January 2003; D'Cruz called it a "disaster". Subsequent photo shoots and
ramp shows led to a second portfolio the following year, which landed her advertisements from
Electrolux
Electrolux AB () is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool.
Electrolux products sell under a variety ...
,
Emami
Emami Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, India. This group trades with their tag name Himani. The company has seven manufacturing units across India and one overseas unit. The Company caters to a num ...
Talc and
Fair & Lovely. The latter, in particular, which was directed by
Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter, and actor who works in Hindi films. He is the son of Indian music director Roshan and Indian Bengali singer Ira Roshan. He had appeared in 84 films throu ...
, gave her exposure and brought in several offers for acting in feature films.
D'Cruz acquired Portuguese nationality in 2014. In an interview with
''Verve'' in 2017, she said that Portugal was a part of her ancestry.
She was in a relationship with Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone. It was rumored that they had already married. On 28 August 2019, Indian media aired the news that the couple had broken up.
Career
Debut and early roles (2005–2006)
![Ileana D'Cruz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Ileana_D%27cruz.jpg)
In 2005, D'Cruz was called for an
audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...
by director
Teja Teja may refer to:
Places
*Isla Teja, an island in Chile
*La Teja, a neighbourhood of Montevideo, Uruguay
* Teja, Perak, Malaysia
* Teja Kalan, a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India
* Teja Khurd, a village in Batala in G ...
, but the project was cancelled.
[rediff.com: The hottest heroine of Telugu cinema](_blank)
. Specials.rediff.com (23 August 2006). Retrieved on 28 May 2011. She made her feature film debut in the
Telugu language
Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fami ...
romance film ''
Devadasu'' (2006), directed by
Y. V. S. Chowdary. She underwent acting classes with Aruna Bhikshu, before starting to work on the film. She recalls that during filming she felt "pressured ... almost cried and didn't want to go further", but went ahead after her mother encouraged her, giving her "the lecture of a lifetime
..at 3 am." A review from ''Indiaglitz'' stated that she "has chiseled features and a figure to die-for." ''Devadasu'' became the year's first commercially successful Telugu film, eventually grossing around 140 million, whilst earning D'Cruz the
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debutant. She next appeared in the gangster film ''
Pokiri
''Pokiri'' () is a 2006 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film, action thriller film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh. The film was produced by Jagannadh and Manjula Ghattamaneni by their respective production companies Vai ...
'' in which she portrayed an
aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...
teacher, who is harassed by a corrupt police officer. The film was a high financial success, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film at the time.
She made her
Tamil-language film debut in ''
Kedi'' (2006). Although the film did not do so well at the box-office, D'Cruz remained too busy to accept all the film roles offered to her.
Her Telugu film ''
Khatarnak
''Khatarnak'' () is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by choreographer-turned-director Amma Rajasekhar. Ravi Teja and Ileana D'Cruz play the lead roles. B. V. S. N. Prasad has produced this film. The film released on ...
'' (2006) in which she acted opposite
Ravi Teja
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian film actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his roles in action comedy films. He is one of the highest- ...
did not do as well as expected, which has been attributed to her glamorous appearance not going down well with the audience. She subsequently experienced a breakthrough in her career as her following releases ''
Rakhi'' (2006) and ''
Munna'' (2007) proved critically and financially successful.
Breakthrough and establishment in Telugu cinema (2007–2011)
D'Cruz appeared in the 2007 film ''
Aata''. She received favourable reviews for her performance as Satya, a college student who is on the run from the home minister's crooked son by whom she is targeted, when leading a protest and demanding punishment for his crimes. In 2008, she performed the female lead role in the action film ''
Jalsa
''Jalsa'' () is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by Allu Aravind, under the Geetha Arts banner starring Pawan Kalyan, Ileana, Parvati Melton, Kamalinee Mukerji, Mukesh R ...
'', directed by
Trivikram Srinivas
Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971), often credited as Trivikram, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2021, he became one of the highest-paid directors in Cinema of South ...
. D'Cruz received largely positive remarks, with critics citing that she looked "pretty", "damn cool", and "every bit chic and stunning throughout the film", while being later awarded the
Santosham Award, one of five awards for ''Jalsa'', and the South Scope Style Award, besides garnering a nomination for the
Best Actress prize at the
56th Filmfare Awards South
The 56th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honored its selection of the best 2008 in film, South Indian films of 2008 and was held on Friday, 31 July 2009, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India.
Nominations
The nominees for the 56th Filmf ...
. Her first 2009 release, titled ''
Kick
A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...
'', was likewise declared a box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films that year.
Later that year she starred in the films ''
Rechipo
''Rechipo'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film, starring Nithiin and Ileana D'Cruz . The film is produced by G. V. Ramana, cinematography by T. Surendra Reddy and directed by Parachuri Murali. The film released on 25 Septe ...
'' and Y. V. S. Choudary's ''
Saleem'' both of which performed poorly at the box office.
![Ileana D'Cruz LFW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Ileana_D%27Cruz_LFW.jpg)
D'Cruz had 2 releases in 2011. Her first film that year was ''
Shakthi
In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and re ...
'', where she essayed the lead female role. She gave a stage performance for this movie's audio release function along with Jr. NTR, as part as promotion of the film. The socio-fantasy film, the costliest Telugu film ever made at . Her next release was ''
Nenu Naa Rakshasi
''Nenu Naa Rakshasi'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh and features Rana Daggubati and Ileana D'Cruz. The film was awarded the ‘U/A’ certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification. The ...
'', which marked her second collaboration with
Puri Jagannadh
Petla "Puri" Jagannadh (born 28 September 1966) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, who works primarily in the Telugu film Industry. He made his directorial debut with the Telugu film '' Badri'' starring Pawan Kalyan, Renu ...
. Though the film was a failure, her performance was received positively by critics; an Indiaglitz reviewer described her as a "pleasant surprise in the film" as she "cried, smirked, looked hot, grabbed sympathy and made faces that were apt to the scenes", while cinegoer's reviewer cited that the film had "one bright spot, Ileana, she looks stunning and also like an accomplished senior to the hero." Despite her recent failures, D'Cruz continued to be the highest-paid actress in South India.
Bollywood debut and success (2012–2017)
In early 2012, she starred in the Tamil film ''
Nanban Nanban may refer to: Japan
* Nanban art, Japanese art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries influenced by contact with the Nanban
* Nanban trade
or the , was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to t ...
'' directed by
S. Shankar
Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typicall ...
, a remake of the 2009 Hindi film ''
3 Idiots
''3 Idiots'' (stylized as ''3 idiots'') is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, co-written by Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Adapted loosely from Cheta ...
''. The film opened to high positive reviews from critics praising the performance. It became a major financial success, grossing at the box office on its first week.
Her next release was the action comedy ''
Julayi
''Julayi'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas, and produced by S. Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations banner. The film stars Allu Arjun, Ileana D'Cruz, Sonu Sood, and ...
'', written and directed by
Trivikram Srinivas
Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971), often credited as Trivikram, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2021, he became one of the highest-paid directors in Cinema of South ...
. D'cruz was featured as Madhu opposite
Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun (born 8 April 1982) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. One of the highest paid actors in India, Arjun is also known for his extraordinary dancing skills. He is a recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Award ...
. The film opened to positive reviews and became the third biggest hit in 2012 and biggest hit in Telugu. She then starred in Puri Jagannadh's
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
''
Devudu Chesina Manushulu''. In this film she played the role of a taxi driver. The film received mixed reviews and eventually under-performed at the box office.
D'Cruz made her
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
debut with
Anurag Basu
Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1974) is an Indian director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He began his directing career in television, moving to feature films in 2002. Basu achieved initial success with his films tackling the themes of passion and ...
's ''
Barfi!
''Barfi!'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as the eponymous lead, alongside P ...
'' In addition to playing the role of the narrator, she portrayed the character of Shruti Ghosh, a girl who leaves her true love for material comforts. The movie released on 14 September 2012, to highly positive reviews from critics, and was a major commercial success, earning worldwide. D'Cruz's performance was well received, earning her a
Filmfare Best Female Debut Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (previously known as Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year) is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films to recognise a performance by a female actor in their deb ...
, as well as a nomination for
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmf ...
. Rachit Gupta from
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
said "This is Ileana's first film but her fantastic performance is just a testament why the Telugu audience consider her a superstar. Of course it also helps that she is the most visually appealing in Barfi! out shining even the scenic hills of Darjeeling".
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in hi ...
stated "Ileana leaves a lasting impression in her Hindi film debut, conveying both love and pain through those beautiful, expressive eyes". The film was screened at the
Busan International Film Festival
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...
, Marrakech International Film Festival and was chosen as
India's official entry to the Oscars for the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2012 in film, films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...
.
![Anurag Basu, Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana Dcruz, Siddharth Roy Kapur at the launch of 'Barfi!' promo 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Anurag_Basu%2C_Ranbir_Kapoor%2C_Priyanka_Chopra%2C_Ileana_Dcruz%2C_Siddharth_Roy_Kapur_at_the_launch_of_%27Barfi%21%27_promo_01.jpg)
She next appeared in the
Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of Hindi films. Having received several accolades including three National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards, he made his directorial debut with the crime film ''Ghayal ( ...
action comedy film ''
Phata Poster Nikhla Hero
''Phata Poster Nikhla Hero'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film features Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles, and was released on 20 September 2013 to a mixed to positive ...
'' opposite
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, inc ...
. The film released on 20 September 2013 to mixed reviews, and the film was eventually declared a poor grosser at the box office. However, D'Cruz received mixed reviews for her performance, with the Times of India saying that she was "good with emotions but not so tuned into comedy yet." In April 2014 she gave a photo shoot for the magazine ''
Man's World''. Her first release of 2014 was coming-of-age romantic action comedy film ''
Main Tera Hero
''Main Tera Hero'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan and produced by Shobha Kapoor
Shobha Kapoor (born 1 February 1949) is an Indian television, film and web series producer. She is ...
'', a remake of the Telugu film ''
Kandireega
''Kandireega'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy action film directed by Santosh Srinivas and produced by Bellamkonda Suresh under Sri Sai Ganesh Productions. The film stars Ram Pothineni, Hansika Motwani, Sonu Sood and Aksha ...
'', which was produced by
Balaji Motion Pictures
Balaji Motion Pictures is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. Based in Mumbai, it produces and d ...
and directed by
David Dhawan
David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Hindi films. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller '' Aankhen'' and 1999 comedy '' Biwi No.1'' earned him two Filmfar ...
. Featured alongside
Varun Dhawan
Varun Dhawan (; born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He has starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes b ...
and
Nargis Fakhri
Nargis Fakhri (born October 20, 1979) is an American actress and model who primarily works in the Indian Hindi-language films. Her first role in film came with the 2011 romantic drama ''Rockstar'', for which she was nominated for Filmfare Award ...
, she played a role of Sunaina Goradia. The film released to mixed reviews from critics, though it became a box office success. She then appeared in
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Khan ma ...
's maiden production ''
Happy Ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the main protagonists and their sidekicks, while the main villains/antagonists are dead/defeated.
In storylines where the protagon ...
'' where she played lead along Saif Ali Khan,
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
and
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin (; born 10 January 1984) is a French actress and writer who works in Hindi films. Known for her unconventional body of work, she is the recipient of such accolades as a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Screen Awar ...
which released on 21 November 2014. The film met with negative reviews and underperformed at the box office.
After taking a sabbatical, in February 2016 she started
Akshay Kumar
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...
''
Rustom'' which released in August 2016. The film emerged as one of the highest Indian grossing films of 2016, more than 2 billion at the box office. Ileana was praised for her performance as Cynthia Pavri, which garnered her numerous award nominations.
![Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'Cruz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Ajay_Devgn%2C_Ileana_D%27Cruz.jpg)
In 2017, her films ''
Mubarakan
''Mubarakan'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor (in a dual role), Ileana D'Cruz, Athiya Shetty, Neha Sharma, Karan Kundra and Ratna Pathak Shah in the lea ...
'' starring opposite
Arjun Kapoor
Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...
and
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
and ''
Baadshaho
''Baadshaho'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria. It stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Ileana D'Cruz, Vidyut Jammwal, Esha Gupta and Sanjay Mishra. The film is set i ...
'' starring opposite
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
both failed to find an audience at the box office.
Recent work (2018–present)
D'Cruz's first release of 2018 ''
Raid
Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to:
Attack
* Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground
* Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business
* Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...
'', opened to positive critical and commercial feedback.
After six years hiatus, she signed a Telugu film ''
Amar Akbar Anthony
''Amar Akbar Anthony'' is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed and produced by Manmohan Desai and written by Kader Khan. The film stars an ensemble cast of Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, ...
'' starring opposite her frequent co-star
Ravi Teja
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian film actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his roles in action comedy films. He is one of the highest- ...
. Released amid good expectations the film opened with negative reviews and failed at the box office.
In 2019, she appeared in ''
Pagalpanti'', a comedy film by
Anees Bazmee
Anees Bazmee is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer known for his works in Indian cinema.
Career
Bazmee did his directorial debut with '' Hulchul'' in 1995, however his first commercial success in came in 1998 with the film '' ...
.
She is appearing in COVID-19 delayed film ''
The Big Bull
''The Big Bull'' is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language financial thriller film directed and written by Kookie Gulati, based on stockbroker Harshad Mehta who was involved in financial crimes over a period of 10 years during 1980–1990. The film stars ...
'', a biographical crime film, along with
Abhishek Bacchan,on stockbroker Harshad Mehta's life. She has completed the filming of ''
Unfair & Lovely'' it is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language social comedy film directed by Balwinder Singh Janjua and produced by Sony Pictures Films India. The film features
Randeep Hooda
Randeep Hooda (; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor and Equestrianism, equestrian known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hooda made his Hindi film debut with ''Monsoon Wedding''. He had a turning point in his career with the ga ...
and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles. The film is about to explore India's obsession with fair skin. Both films are slated to release in 2021.
Filmography
Films
Music videos
Accolades
See also
*
List of Hindi film actresses
This is a list of notable actresses who have starred in Hindi cinema, the commercial Hindi-language film industry based chiefly in Maharashtra.
The following are some of the most popular Indian actresses of their decades:
...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Cruz, Ileana
1986 births
Living people
Indian people
Indian women
Actresses from Mumbai
People from Panaji
Female models from Mumbai
Female models from Goa
Konkani people
Indian Roman Catholics
Indian film actresses
Indian female models
Portuguese film actresses
Portuguese female models
Naturalised citizens of Portugal
Portuguese expatriates in India
Portuguese people of Indian descent
Portuguese Roman Catholics
European actresses in India
European actresses in Bollywood
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Filmfare Awards South winners
Filmfare Awards winners
Screen Awards winners
Zee Cine Awards winners
21st-century Indian actresses
21st-century Portuguese actresses