Himanshi Khuranaਹਿਮਾਨਸ਼ੀ ਖੁਰਾਨਾ

Early life

Himanshi Khurana was born on 27 November 1991 in Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab, and grew up in Ludhiana, where she studied medical science at BCM Senior Secondary School. Her father wanted her to become a nurse, but a family friend who photographed her in Class 11 saw a model's face and urged her to try it. She won Miss Ludhiana, became a finalist at Miss PTC Punjabi 2010, and won the Miss North Zone contest the same year before moving to Delhi for brand shoots.

Kiratpur Sahib, the historic town of her birth, and Ludhiana, the city of her upbringing, gave Himanshi Khurana a thoroughly Punjabi childhood. A medical-science student at BCM Senior Secondary School, she was headed for nursing — her father's plan — until a family friend's photographs in Class 11 revealed a camera-ready face. The Miss Ludhiana crown, the Miss PTC Punjabi finals and the Miss North Zone title in 2010 came in quick succession, and Delhi's modelling circuit came calling.

Career

Khurana's Punjabi music debut came in 2010 with 'Jodi — Big Day Party' with Panjabi MC and Kuldeep Manak. In 2013 she appeared in Hardy Sandhu's blockbuster video 'Soch', one of the most-watched Punjabi music videos of its era, and made her film debut in Sadda Haq. A prolific video career followed — 'Insomnia' (Sippy Gill), 'Laden' (Jassi Gill), 'Thokda Reha' and 'Gal Jattan Wali' (Ninja), 'Gabhru' (J Star) — alongside films including Leather Life and 2 Bol.

In 2019 she entered Bigg Boss 13 as a contestant, which brought her national attention. She has also recorded as a singer.

The Punjabi music-video industry of the early 2010s was booming, and Khurana became one of its queens. 'Jodi — Big Day Party' with Panjabi MC and Kuldeep Manak was the start; 'Soch' with Hardy Sandhu in 2013 was the explosion — a video that defined an era of Punjabi pop. 'Insomnia', 'Laden', 'Thokda Reha', 'Gal Jattan Wali', 'Gabhru' — the hits kept coming, and films (Sadda Haq, Leather Life, 2 Bol) followed.

Bigg Boss 13 in 2019 took her beyond Punjab's audience to the national stage, where her straightforward personality won her fans — and her share of headlines.

Major works

'Soch' (Hardy Sandhu), Sadda Haq (2013), 'Insomnia', 'Laden', 2 Bol; Bigg Boss 13.

'Soch', 'Insomnia', 'Laden', 'Gabhru'; Sadda Haq (2013), 2 Bol; Bigg Boss 13.

Personal life

Khurana is based between Ludhiana and Mumbai. Her mother Suneet Kaur has been a strong influence on her life.

Khurana is the daughter of Kuldeep Khurana, a government employee, and Suneet Kaur, whom she credits as her biggest motivation. She has two brothers. She divides her time between Ludhiana and Mumbai.

Legacy

One of the defining faces of Punjabi music videos in the 2010s, Himanshi Khurana bridged modelling, music videos and films — and took that Punjab stardom to national television.

In the golden age of the Punjabi music video, Himanshi Khurana was its most recognisable female face — the model who became an actress, and the Punjabi star who took on national television.