Bollywood actress who became a star with just one film, netizens now call her national crush.
Creating an impact on the audience with your films in the competitive industry is not easy and many actors struggle their way up to the top. One such actress who came to Mumbai with the dream to become a star was once rejected from many big films, however, she never gave up and is now a star with just one hit.
The actress we are talking about wooed everyone with her performance and also became a national crush. Her Instagram following spiked up after her recent release and she became the most popular actress in India in 2023 beating Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Prabhas. She is none other than Medha Shankr.
She completed her master's degree in Fashion Management from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, Medha Shankr started her journey as an actor in 2018 when she came to Bombay with dreams in her eyes. Shankar made her acting debut in 2019, with the British television series Beecham House, where she portrayed Roshanara. Shankar then made her film debut in 2021, with Shaadisthan, a Hindi teen musical film. However, in 2020, when the pandemic hit, Medha stopped getting work despite giving several auditions. She also revealed in an exclusive interview with DNA that she was rejected from three big projects.
The actress said, "During 2020, casting directors started to take note of me, that you are a good actor, they started calling me all the web series, main lead and this that. But what was happening was that in 3 big consecutive projects, I reached a stage that level, and the other girl would get it. There is one when you give the audition and you get rejected and the other one when you reach the top level and then the project goes to someone else. So that happened thrice with me in 2020 and that was a big blow."
The actress revealed in a recent interview with IMDb that she was broke during that time and had only Rs 257 in her bank account. She said, "It was 2020, a devastating year for many reasons worldwide. It was also tough for me because I was fully broke; I had only 257 rupees in my account.” Reflecting on what kept her going during this tough phase. I wanted to become an actor not because of the peripherals like glamour, beauty, clothes, or attention. It was never about that for me. I wanted to become an actor because I was deeply in love with the craft and the art part of it. I know that acting is my calling."
However, she then landed on 12th Fail where she played the role of IRS Shraddha Joshi. Her performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's inspirational film was praised by the critics as well as the audience and the film turned out to be a huge success. The film made her an overnight star and the actress gained a huge fan following on social media as well. Not only this, people now call her national crush, and has also won The IMDb “Breakout Star” STARmeter Award
Medha Shankr also shared insights into how her life has changed after being declared the ‘National Crush,’ adding, “It’s lovely. I appreciate being called the ‘National Crush.’ I am thoroughly enjoying the moment. However, I also understand that it’s transient, and I hope it’s not.”
12th Fail traces the inspiring story of the struggle of IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS Shraddha Joshi. The film is based on a book of the same title. Made in Rs 20 crore, the film collected Rs 70.05 crore worldwide.
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 "One film made this actor a star")
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