Kishwer Merchant Rai (born 3 February 1981) is an Indian television

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

. Merchant is well known for acting in the shows '' Hip Hip Hurray'', '' Ek Hasina Thi'', ''

Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar ''Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar'' () is a Hindi-language Indian soap opera, soap opera on Indian television which premiered on Sony Entertainment Television India. The soap opera will be produced under Balaji Telefilms. The show deal with the rela ...

'', ''

Har Mushkil Ka Hal Akbar Birbal ''Har Mushkil Ka Hal Akbar Birbal'' is an Indian historical comedy television series which aired on BIG Magic. It stars Kiku Sharda and Vishal Kotian. A bhojpuri language dubbed version aired on Big Ganga. Plot The show's story is based on t ...

'', ''

Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani'' (translation: ''This is a Story of Love'') is an Indian supernatural television series produced by Ekta Kapoor that aired on STAR One from 18 October 2010 to 15 December 2011. Developed under the working title "Fanaa ...

'' and ''

Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan ''Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan'' (''How Is This Friendship'') is an Indian television series that aired on MTV India from 21 July 2014 to 31 December 2015. A third season premiered on Voot on 15 May 2018 and a fourth season premiered on 2 December 2022. T ...

''. She was a contestant in the reality show ''

Bigg Boss 9 ''Bigg Boss Double Trouble'' (stylized as ''Bigg Boss: Nau'') is the ninth season of the Indian reality TV series ''Bigg Boss'' that premiered on 11 October 2015 on Colors TV. Salman Khan returned to host the ninth season. The series won by P ...

'' in 2015.

Life and career

Early life and debut show (1997–2009)

Merchant was born into an Ismaili ( Aga Khani

Khoja The Khojas ( sd}; gu, ખોજા, hi, ख़ोजा) are a mainly Nizari Isma'ili Shia community of people originating in Gujarat, India. Derived from the Persian Khwaja, a term of honor, the word Khoja is used to refer to Lohana Rajp ...

) family in Mumbai to Siraj Merchant and Rizwana Merchant. She started her career in 1997 with the TV show '' Shaktimaan'', in which she played Julia, an assistant. She then played Nonie in the popular show '' Hip Hip Hurray'' from 1998 to 2000. Kishwar then appeared in many successful popular shows like '' Babul Ki Duwayen Leti Jaa'', '' Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand'', ''

Kutumb The Kutumb Foundation is a New Delhibased NGO. It was founded in 2002. The NGO works in Khan Market, Ali Vihar, Nizamuddin Sunder Nursery Slum and Savda-Ghevra Jhuggi Jhopri Resettlement Colony. Kutumb works in the field of education through its ...

'', '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay'', ''Kayaamat'', ''Hatim'' and ''Khichdi''. Kishwar appeared in many Balaji shows like ''

Kkavyanjali Kkavyanjali is an Indian television romantic drama series that aired on Star Plus from 25 January 2005 to 28 August 2006. The series starred Anita Hassanandani, Rakshak Sahni and Eijaz Khan. It is the tale of two lovers who can never meet, sou ...

'' and ''

Kasamh Se ''Kasamh Se'' (English title: ''The Promise'') was an Indian soap opera produced by Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms. The show aired on Zee TV from 16 January 2006 to 12 March 2009. The story is about three sisters: Bani, Piya and Rano. It w ...

''. In 2007, she played the positive role of Tamanna in

Sanaya Irani Sanaya Irani (born 17 September 1983) is an Indian actress. She is known for playing Gunjan in '' Miley Jab Hum Tum'', Khushi in '' Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?'' and Parvati in '' Rangrasiya''. In 2015, she participated in the eight season of ...

and

Arjun Bijlani Arjun Bijlani (born 31 October 1982) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi television and reality shows. He is one of the most popular television actors. Arjun made his television debut with Ekta Kapoor Ekta Kapoor (born 7 Ju ...

's popular youth show ''

Miley Jab Hum Tum ''Miley Jab Hum Tum'' (''When you and I met'') is an Indian teen drama television series that aired on STAR One from 22 September 2008 to 19 November 2010. The show is about falling in love during college and developing relations for a lifetime ...

'' in 2008. She is very popular for playing Haseena in the popular

Sukirti Kandpal Sukirti Kandpal (born 20 November 1988) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Hindi television. She is known for portraying leading role of Dr. Riddhima Gupta in '' Dill Mill Gayye'' and Piya Dobriyal in ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani''. In ...

and

Vivian Dsena Vivian Dsena (born 28 June 1988) is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Abhay Raichand in ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahani'', Rishabh Kundra in '' Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' and Harman Singh in ''Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki'' ...

series ''

''. She also played a role of Sonia in the second season of the hit show – ''

Chhoti Bahu ''Chhoti Bahu'' is a 1971 Hindi film. Produced by Seeru Daryani and Darius Gotla, the film is directed by K. B. Tilak and written by Raj Baldev Raj. The film stars Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna, Nirupa Roy and I. S. Johar. The music is by ...

''.

Breakthrough and success (2012–2015)

In 2012, Merchant was seen in two shows ''

Amrit Manthan ''Amrit Manthan'' ( ''The Changes of Amrit'') is an Indian television soap opera, which premiered on 26 February 2012 and ran through 2 August 2013 on Life Ok. It is the story of two sisters who become each other's enemiesThis show was also ...

'' and '' Arjun''. Then came many shows like ''

Hongey Judaa Na Hum ''Hongey Judaa Na Hum'' (English: ''We won't be separated'') is an Indian television drama series that premiered on Sony Entertainment Television India on 10 September 2012. The story depicts the tempestuous love story of a young married coupl ...

'' and ''Parvarrish''. She appeared in the popular shows '' Ek Hasina Thi'' as Raima, ''

Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon ''Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' () is an Indian television series that premiered on 28 May 2012 and ran through until 9 August 2014, Produced to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, it aired on Colors TV Monday to Friday (later Saturday) ...

'' as Ananya, ''

'' as Nyonika and ''

'' as Dimpy, sharing the screen with many popular actresses like

Drashti Dhami Drashti Khemka Dhami (born 10 January 1985) is an Indian actress, model and dancer. She is one of the most popular Hindi television actresses having worked in several successful shows like '' Dill Mill Gayye'', '' Geet'', '' Madhubala'', ''Ek ...

and

Sanjeeda Sheikh Sanjeeda Sheikh (born 20 December 1984) is an Indian actress who works in the Hindi television industry. She is one of the most famous actresses on Indian television. Early life She was born in Kuwait into a religious Muslim family who hail ...

Bigg Boss and further success (2015–present)

Merchant was a participant in the reality TV show ''

'' along with her boyfriend

Suyyash Rai Suyyash Rai (born 24 March 1989) is an Indian television actor and singer. His first TV appearance was on Chandigarh auditions of Roadies 5.0. He is known for his role of Abhay on '' Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya'' on Sony TV. He was a contestant in ...

in 2015. She was paired with Aman Yatan Verma. Merchant, was forced to quit the Ticket to Finale task in its last leg and walked out of the house involuntarily with Rs 15 lakhs. In 2016, Kishwar made her comeback with Balaji's popular show ''

Brahmarakshas ''Brahmarakshas '' is an Indian Hindi-language supernatural thriller television series broadcast on Zee TV and digitally available on ZEE5. Spanning two seasons, it is a franchise produced by Ekta Kapoor under her studio Balaji Telefilms. The ...

'', playing the main antagonist- Aprajita. In April 2017, Kishwar was seen in yet another

Ekta Kapoor Ekta Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television producer, film producer and director who works in Hindi cinema and soap opera. She is the joint managing director and creative head of Balaji Telefilms Limited, which was founded in 1994. ...

's show, ''

Dhhai Kilo Prem ''Dhhai Kilo Prem'' is an Indian Hindi television series, which began airing from 3 April 2017 on Star Plus. The series is being produced by Balaji Telefilms of Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. The series aired from Mondays - Saturdays during the ...

'', which airs on

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedi ...

. She played a cameo appearance as Shilpa. In May 2017, she was seen in Rashmi Sharma's ''

Savitri Devi College & Hospital ''Savitri Devi College & Hospital'' is an Indian drama television series, that was aired for 365 episodes from 15 May 2017 to 29 September 2018. Produced by Rashmi Sharma, it starred Swarda Thigale, Varun Kapoor and Vikram Sakhalkar. In 2019, ...

'' on Colors, but later she quit the show. Kishwar was also playing Asha in &TV's show ''

Gangaa Gangaa (also known as Sagar Ki Gangaa) is an Indian, Hindi-language, television soap opera that premiered on 2 March 2015 on &TV. The show ended on 2 June 2017 after 595 episodes. The show was produced by Sphere Origins and initially starred c ...

'', which stars Aditi Sharma. The show went off air on 2 June 2017.

Personal life

In 2010, Kishwer Merchant started dating co-actor

. They got married on 16 December 2016. On 2 March 2021 the couple announced that they were expecting their first child. On 27 August 2021, the couple became parents to a boy and named him 'Nirvair'.

Television

Films

References

External links

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Kishwer Merchantt
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Kishwer Living people Actresses from Mumbai 1981 births Indian Ismailis Actresses in Hindi television Indian television actresses 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian film actresses Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series) contestants Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi participants Actors from Mumbai Khoja Ismailism Gujarati people