Youngest Bollywood star to get Best Actress nomination, 17-year-old who beat Kareena, Kangana, Deepika, Alia, Priyanka

Laapataa Ladies' fame Nitanshi Goel has been nominated for Best Actress at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The actress was 16 years old when the film was released in theatres earlier this year and received high praise for a performance many critics called far beyond her years. With her nomination, Nitanshi has created a new record as the youngest actress from Hindi films to ever be nominated for a major Best Actress award, pipping some legends of Bollywood in the process.

Youngest Bollywood stars to earn Best Actress nomination

Now 17, Nitanshi is the joint youngest Bollywood actress to earn a leading nomination for acting. The only other actress to do so at this age was Dimple Kapadia, who had earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress for her debut film Bobby in 1973. Dimple is also the youngest winner, having won the award that year. Saira Banu was nominated for a Filmfare Best Actress award for Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai when she was 17. Jaya Prada (Sargam), Poonam Dhillon (Noorie) Reena Roy (Nagin), Kajol (Yeh Dillagi), and Zaira Wasim (Secret Superstar) were all teenagers too when they earned their respective Best Actress nominations. The top stars of this generation – Kangana Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, and Kareena Kapoor – all earned their first nomination in their early 20s.

All about Laapataa Ladies

Set in 2001 in rural India, Laapataa Ladies is a story about two young brides who get separated during a train journey and what happens when Kishan, a police officer, takes it upon himself to probe the missing case. Expressing excitement at being nominated at the IFFM, Nitanshi said, “Being nominated alongside such incredible talents is an honour. I'm grateful for the opportunity to bring Phool to life and thrilled to see my work recognized on this platform.” Laapataa Ladies was presented by Jio Studios, produced by Aamir Khan and Jyoti Deshpande under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions. Directed by Kiran Rao, the film also starred Sparsh Srivastava and Pratibha Ranta, along with Ravi Kishen. The movie was released in theatres on March 1 to widespread critical acclaim.

With inputs from ANI

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