Prachee Shah Paandya, also known as Prachi Shah, is an Indian actress and

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

dancer who appears in

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 ...

films and television. She is known for her roles in television shows like '' Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'' and '' Ek Shringaar-Swabhiman.''

Early life and career

Shah is a

Gujarati Jain Jainism has had a notable following in Gujarat. According to the 2011 Census of India, around 0.959% of the population of Gujarat is Jain. There are several old Jain temples that draw pilgrims from Jains around the world in places such as Palita ...

by birth but her family has lived in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

for three generations. In an interview she admitted not knowing how to speak

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

but being fluent in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

because of her upbringing. She is a trained

dancer and has performed in dance shows both nationally and internationally. She trained with her guru Ganesh Hiralal ji, of the seventh generation of the Hiralal family of the Jaipur ''gharana'' and holds the Guinness World Record for performing 93 spins in one minute and in 2015 was appointed as the Kathak ambassador by the Government of India. In 2019, Shah attended the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

moderating a session discussing women in global cinema.

Personal life

Shah has been married to filmmaker Vishwas Paandya since 9 December 2005. She gave birth to their daughter Khiana in 2009 and subsequently took a year off from work.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * Actresses in Hindi television Living people Indian soap opera actresses Indian television actresses Indian film actresses Gujarati people Actresses in Hindi cinema Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Gujarati cinema 1979 births Actors from Mumbai {{India-actor-stub