Shehnaaz Gillਸ਼ਹਿਨਾਜ਼ ਕੌਰ ਗਿੱਲ

Early life

Shehnaaz Kaur Gill was born on 27 January 1994 in Punjab and raised there; she is often reported as being from the Beas-Amritsar area and studied at Dalhousie Hilltop School before earning a B.Com from Lovely Professional University, Phagwara. Fond of singing and dancing from childhood, she was nicknamed the 'Katrina Kaif of Punjab' in her teens.

Raised in Punjab and educated at Dalhousie Hilltop School and Lovely Professional University, Shehnaaz Kaur Gill was the girl everyone noticed — pretty, vivacious, always performing. The 'Punjab ki Katrina Kaif' tag followed her from her teens, and she leaned into it, building a modelling portfolio that led to her first music video in 2015.

Career

Gill began with the 2015 music video 'Shiv Di Kitaab', followed by 'Majhe Di Jatti', 'Pindaan Diyan Kudiyaan' and Garry Sandhu's 'Yeah Baby Refix'. She debuted as an actress in the Punjabi film Sat Shri Akaal England (2017), and appeared in Kala Shah Kala and Daaka (2019).

Her life changed with Bigg Boss 13 (2019), where her candour, humour and emotional openness made her the season's breakout star and second runner-up, winning her a devoted national fanbase. She starred opposite Diljit Dosanjh in Honsla Rakh (2021), made her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan's Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023), and appeared in Thank You for Coming (2023). As a singer she has released tracks including 'Sidewalk', 'Shona Shona' and 'Dhup Lagdi'.

The music-video years — 'Shiv Di Kitaab', 'Majhe Di Jatti', 'Pindaan Diyan Kudiyaan' — made her a familiar face in Punjab, and the Punjabi films Sat Shri Akaal England, Kala Shah Kala and Daaka gave her acting credits. But nothing prepared anyone for Bigg Boss 13. Her unfiltered emotional honesty, her humour, her much-discussed bond with Sidharth Shukla — it all made her the season's most beloved contestant and, as second runner-up, a national celebrity overnight.

The post-Bigg Boss career has been carefully built: Honsla Rakh opposite Diljit Dosanjh was a box-office success, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan put her in a Salman Khan Eid release, and Thank You for Coming showed her in an ensemble Bollywood comedy. As a singer, tracks like 'Shona Shona' and 'Dhup Lagdi' have kept her musical identity alive.

Major works

Sat Shri Akaal England, Kala Shah Kala, Honsla Rakh, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan; the music videos 'Shiv Di Kitaab' and 'Shona Shona'.

Bigg Boss 13; Honsla Rakh; Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan; the music videos 'Shiv Di Kitaab' and 'Shona Shona'.

Personal life

Gill's brother Shehbaz Badesha also appeared on reality television. She is based in Mumbai.

Gill's younger brother Shehbaz Badesha has also appeared on reality TV. She is based in Mumbai and commands one of the largest social-media followings of any Punjabi celebrity.

Legacy

Few reality-show contestants have converted television fame into a sustained film career the way Shehnaaz Gill has — from Punjab's music videos to Bollywood, carried by a personality audiences found impossible to dislike.

Shehnaaz Gill turned fifteen minutes of reality fame into a durable stardom — a feat almost no Bigg Boss contestant had managed before. She remains the show's most successful export.