Actress and model Nargis Fakhri was born to parents Mohammed and Marie Fakhri on October 20, 1979, in Queens, New York City. Her father is from Pakistan, while her mother is from the Czech Republic. Fakhri considers herself a “global citizen” due to her heritage as both a Pakistani and a Czech, as well as her citizenship in the United States.
The 5 foot 9, doe-eyed actress made her foray into modeling at the age of 16 and has worked in Bollywood for nearly a decade, starring in blockbuster movies and amassing considerable wealth – estimated to be around $12 million as of 2022. A large portion of Fakhri’s wealth comes from her film and brand ambassador roles, starring in various movies, television commercials, and social media campaigns.
The American-born actress started her career as a model, famously appearing as a contestant on the second and third cycles of America’s Next Top Model (2004). Fakhri was chosen for the first two challenges of both seasons, but she was eliminated before the top twelve competitors reached the third challenge. However, this did not deter Fakhri from pursuing a career as a fashion model, and she regularly walked the catwalk for various modeling agencies in America. After appearing in a successful print campaign for the 2009 Kingfisher Calendar in India, Fakhri’s stardom skyrocketed. The campaign caught the attention of Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who considered Fakhri a perfect fit for the role of Heera Kaul in the superhit Bollywood movie Rockstar (2011).
The actress’s charming personality and exquisite taste in clothing won her millions of followers all around the world. With a dedicated fan following of 7.2 million on Instagram, the actress has reached new heights of popularity as a social media influencer. Fakhri is the ambassador for a variety of brands, such as fashion retailer Van Heusen and Italian fashion brand Cadini.
Her stunning looks and elegant style made her the face of Cadini’s ‘Power of Presence’ campaign in India. The showstopper model has also partnered with Betway, one of the most popular new USA online casinos. The top-rated online gaming company has a strong presence in the American states of Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey, Iowa, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, mainly due to its selection of games from industry leaders like NetEnt and Play’n GO. The actress also represents bluO, a bowling vertical jointly owned by PVR and the Major Cineplex Group of Thailand. Her sophistication, style, and strong social media presence led to a collaboration with HCL Infosystems.
After making her Bollywood debut with heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor in the critically acclaimed Rockstar (2011), she went on to work with Shoojit Sircar on her sophomore film, Madras Café (2013), in which she starred alongside John Abraham. Soon after, she ventured into the comedy genre and proved herself at ease in films like Main Tera Hero (2014), Housefull 3 (2016), and Dishoom (2016).
In 2015, she starred alongside Melissa McCarthy, and Jason Statham in the box office hit comedy Spy, directed by Paul Feig, thus adding some glitter from Hollywood to her already star-studded resume. Fakhri was nominated for the MTV Movie Awards in the ‘Best Fight’ category for her role in Spy. Most recently seen co starring with Riteish Deshmukh in 2016’s Banjo, the diva is currently gearing up for her second Hollywood project, 5 Weddings, alongside Rajkummar Rao with Namrata Singh Gujral at the helm.
