Ileana D'Cruz
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Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1986) is a Portuguese actress who primarily appears in Telugu and
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
films. She is the recipient of several accolades including a
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...
and a
Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
. D'Cruz made her screen debut in 2006 with the Telugu-language romantic-drama film '' Devadasu'', a commercial success, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut - South. D'Cruz established herself as a leading actress in
Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...
with successful films including '' Pokiri'' (2006), '' Jalsa'' (2008), '' Kick'' (2009), and '' Julayi'' (2012). She also starred in the Tamil film ''Nanban'' (2012), which was a commercial success. D'Cruz expanded to Hindi cinema in 2012 with Anurag Basu's comedy-drama '' Barfi!'', for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She then played the leading lady in the box office successes—romantic comedy '' Main Tera Hero'' (2014), and the crime thrillers '' Rustom'' (2016) and ''
Raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
'' (2018). In addition to her acting career, D'Cruz is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. D'Cruz is married to Michael Dolan, with whom she has a son.


Early life

Ileana D'Cruz was born to a Goan Catholic father and Muslim mother in Mahim,
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
(now Mumbai) on 1 November 1986. She is an atheist. Her family moved to Parra, Goa when she was 10 years old. Her first modeling portfolio was created in January 2003, and 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 corporation, multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool Corporation, Whi ...
, Emami 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 Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
, gave her exposure and brought in several offers for acting in feature films.


Career


Breakthrough (2006–2007)

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 gi ...
by director Teja, but the project was cancelled.rediff.com: The hottest heroine of Telugu cinema
. Specials.rediff.com (23 August 2006). Retrieved on 28 May 2011.
She made her feature film debut the following year with the Telugu romance film '' Devadasu'', playing an NRI girl opposite Ram Pothineni. She underwent acting classes with Aruna Bhikshu, before starting to work on the film, and 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 critic from ''Indiaglitz'' stated that she "has chiseled features and a figure to die-for." The film became the year's first commercially successful Telugu film, eventually grossing around 140 million, whilst earning D'Cruz the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South. D'Cruz next played an aerobics teacher, who is harassed by a corrupt police officer opposite
Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. He has appeared in more tha ...
, in '' Pokiri''. The film was a major commercial success, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film at the time. The film proved to be her breakthrough, with Trade analyst Sridhar Pillai calling her the "new pin-up girl of Telugu cinema". ''
Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and ...
'' found her to be "promising". The film earned her nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. In her third release of 2006, she made her Tamil film debut with '' Kedi'' opposite Ravi Krishna and appeared opposite
Ravi Teja Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised for his roles in action comedy films, he is popularly referred to as ...
in '' Khatarnak'', both of which were box office failures. Her final release of the year, '' Rakhi'' opposite Jr. NTR was a box office success. D'Cruz first release of 2007, '' Munna'' opposite Prabhas was an average grosser. She then played a college student who is on the run from the home minister's crooked son, in '' Aata'' opposite Siddharth. It was a box office failure. Radhika Rajmani however stated, "Ileana is true to her character and her earnest performances is perhaps the saving grace of the film."


Critical and commercial success in Telugu films (2008–2011)

D'Cruz played a college student in love with her sister's ex-lover in the 2007l8 film '' Jalsa'', opposite
Pawan Kalyan Konidela Pawan Kalyan (born Konidela Kalyan Kumar; 2 September 1971) is an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and martial artist serving as the List of deputy chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, 11th Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Prade ...
. The film was a box office success and one of the year's highest grosser. She received largely positive remarks, with critics citing that she looked "pretty", and "damn cool". Her performance won her the Santosham Award for Best Actress alongside her second Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu nomination. Her second release that year '' Bhale Dongalu'' opposite Tarun received mixed reviews from critics and audience. D'Cruz had three film releases in 2009. In her first film '' Kick'', she reunited with Ravi Teja, played a modern girl. It was a commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year. A critic stated: "Ileana plays her part well. She is still as sexy as ever and the director exploits her charm and sex appeal to the hilt." The film earned her third Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu nomination. Her other two releases that year: '' Rechipo'' opposite
Nithiin Nithin Kumar Reddy (born 30 March 1983), known professionally as Nithiin, is an Indian film actor, distributor and producer who primarily works in Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Nithiin is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Awa ...
and '' Saleem'' opposite
Vishnu Manchu Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu (born 23 November 1981) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works in Telugu cinema and television. Manchu had a brief stint as a child artist with the 1985 film ''Ragile Gundelu''. Years later, he starr ...
, performed poorly at the box office. In 2010, D'Cruz had a special appearance in the Kannada film '' Huduga Hudugi''. D'Cruz appeared in two films in 2011. Her first film that year was '' Shakthi'', opposite Jr. NTR, where she played a minister's daughter. The socio-fantasy film was the costliest Telugu film ever made at . It became a box office failure. A ''Rediff.com'' critic criticised her performance. Her next release '' Nenu Naa Rakshasi'', saw her play a Youtuber and vlogger opposite
Rana Daggubati Ramanaidu Daggubati, (; born 14 December 1984) known professionally as Rana Daggubati, is an Indian actor, film producer, and entrepreneur who primarily works in Telugu cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil and Hindi cinema, Hindi films. H ...
. Though the film was a failure, her performance was received positively by critics; an ''India Glitz'' 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", Despite these failures, D'Cruz continued to be among the highest-paid actresses in South Indian cinema.


Expansion to Hindi films and recognition (2012–2018)

D'Cruz appeared in four films in 2012. She first returned to Tamil films after six years with '' Nanban'' opposite Vijay, where she played a doctor. A remake of the 2009 Hindi film ''
3 Idiots ''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. The film stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Shar ...
'', it became a major financial success, grossing at the box office on its first week. She received Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine nomination for the film. In her next film '' Julayi'', she played a travel agent's assistant opposite
Allu Arjun Allu Arjun (born 8 April 1982) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinemaand has been featured in ''Forbes Indias Celebrity 100 list since 2014. Allu Arjun's accolades include a Na ...
. A box office success, it became one of the highest grossing Telugu film of the year. A ''
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'' reviewer took note of her different characterization. She then played a taxi driver in '' Devudu Chesina Manushulu'', opposite Ravi Teja. The film received mixed reviews and eventually under-performed at the box office. In her final release of the year, D'Cruz expanded to Hindi films with Anurag Basu's '' Barfi!''. She portrayed Shruti, a girl who leaves her true love for material comforts and the narrator, opposite
Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...
. The film was a major commercial success, earning worldwide, becoming one of the highest grossing film of the year. D'Cruz's performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, as well as several nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Rachit Gupta noted, "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 (born 13 March 1976) 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 rel ...
stated, "Ileana leaves a lasting impression in her Hindi film debut, conveying both love and pain through those beautiful, expressive eyes." The film 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 films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...
. In her only film of 2013, '' Phata Poster Nikhla Hero'', she played a social worker 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 List of awards and n ...
. The film was eventually declared a poor grosser at the box office. A ''
Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' critic stated that she was "good with emotions but not so tuned into comedy yet." D'Cruz first release of 2014 was '' Main Tera Hero'', a remake of the Telugu film '' Kandireega''. She played a college student opposite Varun Dhawan. The film became a box office success. Taran Adarsh noted, "Ileana pairs off well with Varun and does a reasonable job." She then played a romance novelist opposite
Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. The titular head of the Pataudi family since 2011, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore a ...
in ''
Happy Ending A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which there is a positive outcome for the protagonist or protagonists, and in which this is to be considered a favourable outcome. In storylines where the protagonists are in phy ...
''. The film underperformed at the box office. Following a year hiatus, D'Cruz appeared opposite
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
in the 2016 film '' Rustom''. The film emerged as the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, collecting more than 2 billion at the box office. D'Cruz played Cynthia Pavri, a character based on Sylvia Nanavati. Anna MM Vetticad noted, "Illeana D’Cruz looks stunning in the film and does a decent job, but her characterisation is troubling." In 2017, D'Cruz first played a talkative Punjabi girl in '' Mubarakan'', opposite
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producers Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with the drama '' Ishaqzaade ...
. The film was a moderate success at the box office. Saibal Chatterjee noted, "''Mubarakan'' gives Ileana far more space than other actresses and she makes the most of the opportunity." In the next film, '' Baadshaho'', she played a Rajasthani princess (a character based on Gayatri Devi), opposite
Ajay Devgn Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
. Kriti Tulsiani found her performance to be "superficial and unconvincing". It was a box office failure. D'Cruz's first release of 2018 ''
Raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
'', saw her play an income tax officer's wife opposite Ajay Devgn. The film was a major commercial success. Taran Adarsh stated that D'Cruz provides"depth" to her character. With her next release, D'Cruz returned to Telugu films after six years. She reunited with Ravi Teja in '' Amar Akbar Anthony''. She played a multiple personality disorder patient. Despite good expectations, the film failed at the box office. Hemanth Kumar CR found her to be "convincing".


Career fluctuations (2019–present)

In 2019, D'Cruz played a con woman in '' Pagalpanti'', opposite
John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...
. Priyanka Sinha Jha of ''
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'' stated, "Ileana looks beautiful but has precious little to do." The film failed at the box office. With no release in 2020, she played a journalist in the 2021 '' The Big Bull'' alongside
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
. Ronak Kotecha was appreciative of her "honest performance". Following a three year sabbatical, D'Cruz returned to films in 2024. She first played a dark-skin girl in '' Unfair & Lovely'', opposite Randeep Hooda. Dhaval Roy stated, "Ileana shines as the endearing yet no-nonsense Lovely. But her makeup looks patchy and inconsistent throughout." In the same year, she played an emerging actress opposite
Pratik Gandhi Pratik Gandhi (born 28 April 1980) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi films, theater, and television. He is best known for portraying Harshad Mehta in the Sony LIV biographical series ''Scam 1992'' ( ...
in '' Do Aur Do Pyaar''. Anuj Kumar of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' found her to be an "absolute delight". Both films underperformed at the box office.


Other work and public image

D'Cruz has established herself as one of the leading actor of the Telugu and
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
cinema. '' Vogue'' said that she is a "well-recognised name" in the South Indian film industry. Taran Adarsh termed her "super efficient". '' Verve'' noted, "D'Cruz makes the unreal seem believable on celluloid". She stood at the 18th place on
Forbes India ''Forbes India'' is the Indian edition of ''Forbes'', which is managed by the Reliance Industries-owned media conglomerate, Network 18. History and profile Since its founding in 2008, ''Forbes India'' has achieved a circulation of 50,000 copies ...
's most influential stars on Instagram in South cinema for the year 2021. She was widely praised for her Hindi film debut '' Barfi!''. She was placed 2nd in '' Times of India's'' 10 Most Promising Female Newcomers of 2012 list. In 2012, '' Rediff.com'' placed her in their listing of the top 10 Bollywood actresses, where she ranked 8th. D'Cruz has been suffering from
body dysmorphic disorder Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), also known in some contexts as dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder defined by an overwhelming preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one's physical appearance. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined ...
. She has been vocal about her body image issues. In addition to her acting career, D'Cruz is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products including Clear Shampoo with
Virat Kohli Virat Kohli (born 5 November 1988) is an Indian Cricket, international cricketer who plays One Day International, ODI cricket for the India national cricket team, national team and is a former Captain (cricket), captain in all formats. He is a ...
and CavinKare with
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
. She is also the brand ambassador of
Tourism Fiji Tourism Fiji is a Fijian government marketing agency responsible for promoting Fiji as a tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN To ...
. D'Cruz has subsequently appeared on Times' Most Desirable Women list, she was placed 20th in 2011 and 21st in 2013. D'Cruz has been associated with a number of causes. She has donated her clothes and accessories to raise money for renovating an animal hospital in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
in 2013. She has walked the ramp for "Smile Foundation", to lend her support for girls education. In 2016, D'Cruz attended a charity event for the underpriviliged kids.


Personal life

D'Cruz acquired Portuguese nationality in 2014. In an interview with ''Verve'' in 2017, she claimed that Portugal was a part of her ancestry. She was in a relationship with Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone, which ended in 2019. In May 2023, D'Cruz married Michael Dolan and welcomed their first child, a son, in August 2023.


Filmography


Films


Accolades

D'Cruz has received a
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...
and a
Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
each. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut—South for '' Devadasu'' and Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for '' Barfi!''


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Cruz, Ileana 1986 births Living people Actresses from Mumbai People from Panaji Actors from North Goa district Female models from Mumbai Female models from Goa Konkani people Portuguese film actresses Portuguese female models People who lost Indian citizenship Portuguese expatriates in India Portuguese people of Indian descent Portuguese atheists Expatriate actresses in India 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 Portuguese actresses People with Overseas Citizenship of India