Sonu Walia (born 19 February 1964) is a

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

actress, winner of Miss India pageant and model. Her birth name is Sanjeet Kaur Walia. In 1989, she earned a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in film ''

Khoon Bhari Maang ''Khoon Bhari Maang'' () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. Based on the Australian mini-series ''Return to Eden'' (1983), it stars Rekha as a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her sec ...

'' (1988). A psychology graduate and a student of journalism, Walia took up modelling before she entered the Miss India contest.

Career

Walia won the Miss India contest in 1985 and went to compete in

Miss Universe 1985 Miss Universe 1985, the 34th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 15 July 1985 at the James L. Knight Convention Center in Miami, Florida, United States. Seventy-nine contestants competed in the pageant. Deborah Carthy-Deu of Puerto Rico was crow ...

. She took over from

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

, Miss India 1984 and, after completing her responsibilities, relinquished her crown to Mehr Jesia in 1986. In 1988, she acted in the film ''

Akarshan ''Akarshan'' is a 1988 Bollywood romantic film directed by Tanvir Ahmed. It stars Akbar Khan and Sonu Walia in lead roles. Cast * Akbar Khan as Abhishek * Sonu Walia as Priya * Sharon Prabhakar * Rohini Hattangadi as Didi * Girish Karnad * Par ...

''. That year, she appeared in and won the

Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award 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 Filmfar ...

for ''

'', which also starred

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (born 10 October 1954), better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 fi ...

and

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: fi ...

. From 1988, she played the role of Maharani Chitrangadhaa, mother of

Babruvahana In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Babruvahana ( sa, बब्रुवाहन) is the son of Arjuna, a Pandava prince, and Chitrangada, the princess of Manalura. Babruvahana was adopted as the heir of Manalura by his maternal grandfathe ...

, in

Mahabharat Katha ''Mahabharat Katha'' is an Indian television series aired on DD National. This is a sequel which contains portions and stories left out of Mahabharat. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son Ravi Chopra. Plot This series covers e ...

TV show. She acted in a TV serial called '' Betaal Pachisi'' with

Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie ...

and Shahbaz Khan.

Personal life

Walia was married to Surya Pratap Singh, an NRI based in the US who was a hotelier and Indian film producer. He died in 2009.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walia, Sonu 1964 births Femina Miss India winners Female models from Delhi Indian film actresses Living people Miss Universe 1985 contestants People from New Delhi Punjabi people Ahluwalia Filmfare Awards winners