Meenakshi Chaudhary Biography: Age, Family, Miss Grand India, Movies, Vrushakarma & Latest News

Meenakshi Chaudhary is an Indian actress and beauty queen who works mainly in Telugu and Tamil films. Born on 5 March 1997 in Panchkula, Haryana, she is a qualified dentist who won Femina Miss Grand India 2018 and finished first runner-up at Miss Grand International 2018, the best result by an Indian woman at that pageant. After her film debut in Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu (2021), she starred in a string of big releases, including HIT: The Second Case, Guntur Kaaram, The Greatest of All Time, Lucky Baskhar and the blockbuster Sankranthiki Vasthunam. Her next film, the adventure thriller Vrushakarma with Naga Chaitanya, releases on 4 December 2026.

Meenakshi Chaudhary Latest News

• Vrushakarma release date (September 2026): The makers announced that Vrushakarma, an adventure thriller with mythological fantasy elements directed by Karthik Dandu (Virupaksha), will release worldwide on 4 December 2026. Meenakshi plays the female lead opposite Naga Chaitanya. The film is produced by Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra and Sukumar Writings.
• Anaganaga Oka Raju (January 2026): Her Sankranti 2026 release, the comedy Anaganaga Oka Raju, opposite Naveen Polishetty, was a hit, grossing around ₹100 crore. She played Charulatha “Charu”, whose family pretends to be rich.

Meenakshi Chaudhary Profile, Age and Wiki

Early Life and Education

Meenakshi Chaudhary was born on 5 March 1997 in Panchkula, Haryana, into a Punjabi family. Her father, the late B. R. Chaudhary, was a colonel in the Indian Army. She studied at St. Soldier International Convent School in Chandigarh and was a state-level swimmer and badminton player in school.

She went on to earn a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from National Dental College and Hospital in Dera Bassi, Punjab, so she is a qualified dentist.

Pageant Career

Meenakshi’s first title was Miss IMA, at the Indian Military Academy’s Autumn Ball in 2017. In 2018 she won Femina Miss Haryana and went on to Femina Miss India 2018 in Mumbai, where she finished first runner-up and also won the Miss Photogenic award.

She was crowned Miss Grand India 2018 and represented India at Miss Grand International 2018 in Yangon, Myanmar. She finished first runner-up, behind Clara Sosa of Paraguay, becoming the first Indian woman to place that high at the pageant.

Meenakshi Chaudhary Career

Out of Love and Debut Films (2019–2022)

Meenakshi began acting with a small role in the Hindi film Upstarts (2019) and played Alia in Out of Love (2019–2021), Disney+ Hotstar’s Hindi adaptation of the BBC drama Doctor Foster.

Her Telugu debut came in 2021 with Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu, opposite Sushanth, which earned her a SIIMA nomination for Best Female Debut. In 2022 she starred with Ravi Teja in Khiladi and played Aarya in Sailesh Kolanu’s crime thriller HIT: The Second Case, opposite Adivi Sesh, which brought her a SIIMA Best Actress nomination. She made her Tamil debut in Kolai (2023).

2024: Guntur Kaaram, GOAT and Lucky Baskhar

2024 was her breakout year, with six releases. She played Raji in Trivikram’s Guntur Kaaram, starring Mahesh Babu, and starred in the Tamil film Singapore Saloon. In Venkat Prabhu’s The Greatest of All Time, she played Srinidhi opposite Vijay.

Her biggest success that year was Venky Atluri’s Lucky Baskhar, a period drama about a bank cashier caught up in a financial scam. She played Sumathi, the wife of Dulquer Salmaan’s character, and won the SIIMA Critics award for Best Actress (Telugu). She also appeared in Matka, with Varun Tej, and Mechanic Rocky, with Vishwak Sen.

Sankranthiki Vasthunam and Anaganaga Oka Raju (2025–2026)

In January 2025 she starred in Anil Ravipudi’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam, playing ACP Meenakshi, an IPS officer and the former girlfriend of Venkatesh’s character. Aishwarya Rajesh played his wife. The Sankranti release became one of the biggest Telugu hits of the year.

A year later, she had another Sankranti hit with Anaganaga Oka Raju (14 January 2026), directed by Maari and starring Naveen Polishetty. She took on the role of Charu after Sreeleela left the project, and the film grossed around ₹100 crore.

Vrushakarma (2026)

Meenakshi’s next release is Vrushakarma, opposite Naga Chaitanya, directed by Karthik Dandu, who made the hit thriller Virupaksha. Described as an adventure thriller with mythological fantasy undertones, it was shot partly in Rajasthan and releases on 4 December 2026.

About Lucky Baskhar

Lucky Baskhar (2024), written and directed by Venky Atluri, is a period crime drama set in 1980s and 1990s Bombay. Dulquer Salmaan plays Baskhar, a struggling bank cashier who gets involved in a financial fraud to escape poverty. Meenakshi plays Sumathi, his wife, who stands by the family as his new wealth brings danger. The film was a box-office success in Telugu and its dubbed versions, and her performance won the SIIMA Critics award for Best Actress (Telugu), the biggest award of her career so far.

Meenakshi Chaudhary Movies List

Awards and Titles

• Miss IMA (2017)
• Femina Miss Haryana (2018)
• Femina Miss India 2018 – 1st runner-up and Miss Photogenic
• Miss Grand India (2018)
• Miss Grand International 2018 – 1st runner-up
• SIIMA – Best Actress (Critics), Telugu (Lucky Baskhar, 2025)

Personal Life

Meenakshi is unmarried and keeps her private life away from the media. She grew up in an army family; her father served as a colonel in the Indian Army. Before films took over, she was also active in sports, competing in swimming and badminton at state level.

Why Meenakshi Chaudhary Stands Out

Meenakshi’s path is unusual: a dentist and army officer’s daughter who became an international pageant finalist and then one of the busiest actresses in South India. In just a few years she has worked with Mahesh Babu, Vijay, Venkatesh, Dulquer Salmaan and Naga Chaitanya, and delivered back-to-back Sankranti hits in 2025 and 2026.

Lesser-Known Facts About Meenakshi Chaudhary

• She is a qualified dentist with a BDS degree.
• She was the first Indian woman to finish first runner-up at Miss Grand International.
• She was a state-level swimmer and badminton player.
• She had six film releases in 2024 alone.
• She has appeared in music videos, including “Ki Mai Kalli Aa” (2018) and “Kyun” (2019).

Related Biographies

• Aishwarya Rajesh
• Kalyani Priyadarshan

FAQs About Meenakshi Chaudhary

How old is Meenakshi Chaudhary?

Meenakshi Chaudhary was born on 5 March 1997, so she is 29 years old in 2026.

Is Meenakshi Chaudhary a doctor?

Yes. She holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from National Dental College and Hospital in Dera Bassi, Punjab.

Did Meenakshi Chaudhary win Miss India?

She was first runner-up at Femina Miss India 2018 and won the Miss Grand India 2018 title. She then finished first runner-up at Miss Grand International 2018.

Who is Meenakshi Chaudhary’s father?

Her father was the late Colonel B. R. Chaudhary of the Indian Army.

What is Meenakshi Chaudhary’s next movie?

Her next film is Vrushakarma, opposite Naga Chaitanya, releasing on 4 December 2026.

Which movie won Meenakshi Chaudhary an award?

She won the SIIMA Critics award for Best Actress (Telugu) for Lucky Baskhar (2024).

Is Meenakshi Chaudhary married?

No, Meenakshi Chaudhary is not married.

Which Vijay film did Meenakshi Chaudhary act in?

She played Srinidhi opposite Vijay in Venkat Prabhu’s The Greatest of All Time (2024).

Who is Meenakshi Chaudhary’s co-star in Lucky Baskhar?

She starred opposite Dulquer Salmaan in Lucky Baskhar (2024), playing his wife Sumathi.

Where is Meenakshi Chaudhary from?

She is from Panchkula, Haryana, where she was born on 5 March 1997 into a Punjabi army family.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Meenakshi Chaudhary
• The Hollywood Reporter India – Vrushakarma locks December 4 release
• Wikipedia – Anaganaga Oka Raju