Charu Shankar is an Indian actor, wellness and fitness expert, theatre director, host, and dancer. She came into the limelight after she played the role of Mehrunissa in the Hindi television show Siyaasat (2014) on Epic TV.
Wiki/Biography
Charu Shankar was born on Monday, 17 August 1981 (age 41 years; as of 2022) in New Delhi, India. Her zodiac is Leo. Charu attended Modern School in Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. She pursued Masters of Arts in English (Hons.) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi.
A childhood picture of Charu Shankar with her younger brother Varun Shankar
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Charu’s father, Durgesh Shankar, is a former employee of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Her mother, Neelima Shankar, is a doctor. Charu’s younger brother, Varun Shankar, works as a counsel at a law firm in New Delhi.
Charu Shankar’s parents, Durgesh Shankar and Neelima Shankar
Charu Shankar with her younger brother Varun Shankar
Husband & Children
On 20 December 2010, Charu got married to Raghav Laul. Together, they have a son named Agastya Laul, who was born on 31 May 2015.
Charu Shankar and Raghav Laul while performing a wedding ritual
Charu Shankar with her son Agastya Laul, and husband Raghav Laul
Religion/Religious Views
Charu Shankar follows Hinduism.
An Instagram post shared by Charu Shankar, showcasing her religious beliefs
Career
Inclined towards acting and dancing from a young age, Charu acted in various school plays and dramas. For her first play in the school, she portrayed Mirabai, the devotee of Lord Krishna. While studying at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi, she actively participated in the dramatics society, and subsequently, performed in various theatrical productions like Shiva Calling, Draupadi, Once Upon a Time, and many more.
Charu Shankar in a still from the theatrical production Once Upon a Time
Host
In 2001, at the beginning of her career, Charu collaborated with the media house NDTV and hosted the morning show Fatafit for Dr Morepen’s Tango on NDTV.
Charu Shankar in a still from the morning show Fatafit for Dr Morepen’s Tango on NDTV
She hosted a few other shows related to fitness like Workout Victim (2006) on NDTV MetroNation and The Perfect Body Built By Tech (2014) on NDTV Prime.
Charu Shankar in a still from the fitness show The Perfect Body Built By Tech on NDTV Prime
In 2016, Charu got associated with Wion, an Indian multinational English-language news channel, and she worked there till 2017.
Film
In 2007, Charu made her acting debut with a brief appearance in the American comedy-drama film The Darjeeling Limited.
Charu Shankar in a still from her debut American drama film The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
In 2010, Charu played the role of Rosiana in the Hindi short film Sleeping Awake, starring Ali Fazal. The following year, the film won the Best Foreign Film Award at the California International Shorts Film Festival. Additionally, the film was officially selected to premiere at the Davis Film Festival and Burbank International Film Festival. In 2012, Charu played a small role in the film The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Charu Shankar in a still from the film The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
In 2015, she acted in the Hindi film Talvar in which she played the role of Dr Sunita Nathani.
Charu Shankar as Dr Sunita Nathani in a still from the Hindi film Talvar (2015)
In 2017, Charu appeared as Maya in the Hindi film Hindi Medium. In 2020, Charu played a brief role in the Hindi film Love Aaj Kal, starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan. In 2022, Charu acted in the musical adaption of the 2001 film “Monsoon Wedding” in which she played the role of Pimmi.
Television
In 2014, Charu made her television debut with the show Siyaasat in which she played the role of Mehrunissa on Epic TV.
Charu Shankar (right) as Mehrunissa in a still from her television debut show Siyaasat (2014) on Epic TV
Web Series
In 2019, Charu made her digital debut with the web series Made In Heaven in which she played the role of Sia Mathur on Amazon Prime Video.
Charu Shankar as Sia Mathur in a still from the web series Made In Heaven (2019) on Amazon Prime Video
In 2021, she appeared in the web series His Storyy as Rafia on ZEE5. The same year, Charu played the role of Qutlugh Nigar Khanum in the web series The Empire on Disney+ Hotstar.
Charu Shankar (right) as Qutlugh Nigar Khanum in a still from the web series The Empire (2021) on Disney+ Hotstar
Later, she appeared in a few web series like Aarya Season 2 (2021) as Nandini Shekhawat on Disney+ Hotstar, Delhi Crime Season 2 (2022) on Netflix, and Kaun Banegi Shikharwati (2022) as Rani Mrinalini on ZEE5, Mithya (2022) as Deepali on ZEE5. In 2022, Charu portrayed the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi in the web series Rocket Boys and its 2023 sequel Rocket Boys Season 2 on SonyLIV.
Charu Shankar portrayed the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi in the web series Rocket Boys (2022)
Others
Charu choreographed the songs of the film Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid (2012) and Listen… Amaya (2013). She appeared in various advertisements for popular brands like Fortune Oil, Cadbury Chocolate, Metro Shoes, Mirinda, Urban Clap, Tanishq, Amazon Prime Video, Britannia, Ikea, and many more.
Facts/Trivia
- Charu follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- In 2001, Charu was appointed as a dance instructor at Danceworx, a dance training academy, owned by an Indian-Australian choreographer Ashley Lobo.
- Being a fitness expert, Charu launched Janani Wellness Studio, which provides online classes regarding childcare support to pregnant women and young mothers.
- In July 2008, Charu was appointed as a global instructor with Reebok International. Since then, Charu has been working as a Jukari master trainer at Fitness First, a health club and gym in Gurgaon; Jukari is a modern gym workout, which was developed with the collaboration between Reebok and the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil.
- Since September 2009, Charu holds the post of director at Aquamarine Productions Private Limited, which is a platform created to provide opportunities in dance, music, or literature to young and aspiring artists.
- Charu is an AFPA-certified pre and post-natal fitness specialist and a certified ACE trainer.
- Charu is often spotted consuming alcoholic beverages with friends at various parties and events.
Charu Shankar (right) holding a glass of wine
- Charu is an avid dog lover and she has seven pet dogs; a few of them are named Langru, Frodo, Cheekoo, Golu, and Meenu. In an interview, Charu revealed that she met her husband while rescuing a street dog and said,
My husband and I met while rescuing a dog. We have seven dogs and love pampering them.”
Charu Shankar with her pet dog, Cheekoo
Charu Shankar with her pet dog Frodo
Charu Shankar’s pet dog, Meenu
- Charu is fond of travelling, exploring new places, reading books and novels, painting, and trying new adventure sports.
Charu Shankar while skydiving
- In 2017, Charu was appointed as the head of the well-being department at Rosewalk Healthcare, a maternity hospital in New Delhi. During her stint as the head of the well-being department, Charu designed and launched various classes and workshops for improvising the health of new mothers like prenatal exercise classes, diet consultations, lactation and breastfeeding support, well-being sessions, birth preparation classes, fit new mum programs, and baby’s sleep routine workshops.
- In 2017, Charu hosted an event at the DLF Cybercity in Chennai.
- On 3 August 2019, Charu was invited as a chief guest at the preschool Little Millennium in Jawahar Colony, Faridabad, Haryana.
Charu Shankar posing with the staff teachers during her visit to the preschool Little Millennium in Haryana as a chief guest
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
