Shibani Dandekar Akhtar (born 27 August 1980[1]) is an Indian-Australian singer, actress, host and model.[2] She began her career working as a television host on American television. Following her return to India, she began hosting several shows and events on Hindi television, besides working as a model and singer. She was one of the co-hosts of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.[3] She was also a contestant on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 (2012) and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 (2017).
Shibani Dandekar Akhtar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dandekar in 2019 | |
| Born | Shibani Dandekar 27 August 1980 Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Anusha Dandekar (sister) |
Early and personal life
edit
Dandekar was born in Pune as the eldest daughter into a Marathi family.[4] Her father Shashidhar Dandekar is a theatre actor in Australia and her mother Sulabha Dandekar works in Qantas Airways, Australia. She has two sisters, Anusha Dandekar, an actress-singer working in Bollywood, and Apeksha Dandekar.[5] Dandekar along with her sisters formed a music band named D-Major.[6][7] Dandekar grew up in Australia and Africa for the majority of her childhood.[8] She also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India card.[9]
Dandekar started dating Bollywood filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar in 2018, just after his divorce from Adhuna Bhabani in 2017.[10] On 19 February 2022, they got married in a non-religious ceremony at Farhan's father's farmhouse in Khandala.[11]
Career
editIn 2001,she was hit by a car then after the incident she moved to New York City and began working in American television.[12] She hosted three nationally syndicated television shows, Namaste America, V Desi and the Asian Variety Show.[13] In this role, she introduced Bollywood's biggest stars to American audiences and also hosted An Evening With Shah Rukh Khan in Atlantic City. She has been a contestant on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa,[14] the India-based Dancing With the Stars on the BBC network and hosted in India on Colors TV.[15]
She returned to India and continued her work as a television host, while venturing into modelling as well.
Apart from music and modeling, Dandekar's love for anchoring shows saw her as host for major events such as the Maxim Hot 100, Nike, Rolls-Royce, Puma, Mercedes, Toyota, Horlicks, HSBC, Spice Mobile, JBL, MTV Coke Studio, Nivea and the Sony Launch of the tribute to Michael Jackson's "This is It". Dandekar has anchored popular shows including the lifestyle shows After Hours on Zee Cafe, Men 2.0 on AXN,[16] ZoOm's Let's Design,[17] India's Sexiest Bachelor on Big CBS Prime,[18] as well as its extension India's Glam Diva on Big CBS Love.[19][20] Dandekar also anchored the Indian produced Grammy Nominees Special on VH1 as a lead-up to the 53rd Grammy Awards.[21] Since 2011, she has been co-hosting the show Extraa Innings – T20 on Sony Max Television during the Indian Premier League matches;[22] she won a nomination at the 11th Indian Television Academy Awards in the category Best Anchor Game/Quiz Show.[23] She is hosting the Mission cover shot for National Geography channel. She did a dance number Hi Poli Saajuk for 2014's Marathi movie Timepass, followed by 36 Nakhrewali in Sangharsh.[citation needed] She played the role 'Zoya' in the movie Roy which was released on 13 February 2015.[citation needed] In 2017, Shibani participated in Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 and eliminated in the first week at 12th place. In 2019, she hosted the opening ceremony of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 along with Andrew Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness in which her husband Farhan Akhtar also appeared as a guest representing India.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Timepass | Marathi | |
| Sangharsh | Chameli | ||
| 2015 | Roy | Zoya | Hindi |
| Shaandaar | Sonia | ||
| 2016 | Sultan | TV Host | |
| 2017 | Naam Shabana | Special appearance in a song | |
| Noor | Zara Patel | ||
| 2018 | Bhavesh Joshi | Item girl in the song "Chavanprash" |
Television
edit| Year | Shows | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Namaste America | Host | |
| 2001 | V Desi | ||
| 2001 | Asian Variety Show | ||
| 2009 | After Hours | ||
| 2010 | Let's Design | ||
| 2010 | AXN's Men 2.0 | ||
| 2011 | India's Sexiest Bachelor | ||
| 2012 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 | Contestant | 8th place |
| 2012 | Mission Cover Shot | Host | |
| 2013 | Grammy Nominees | ||
| 2013 | Style and the City | ||
| 2011-15 | Indian Premier League | ||
| 2015 | I Can Do That | Contestant | |
| 2017 | Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 | 12th place | |
| 2018 | Top Model India | Mentor | |
| 2020 | Four More Shots Please | Sushmita Sengupta | Season 2 |
| 2020 | Hostages | Isha Andrews | |
| 2020 | What the Love! with Karan Johar | Herself | Guest |
| 2023 | Made in Heaven | Aditi | Season 2 |
References
edit- ^ "Farhan Akhtar wishes girlfriend Shibani Dandekar with all his heart on her 41st birthday". India Today. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Shibani Dandekar". The Times of India. 20 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "Shibani Dandekar hosts Farhan Akhtar in pre World Cup party at Buckingham Palace". CatchNews.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Cricket buff anchor". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "CCL Anchor". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Anushka and Shibani's band". The Hindu. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "IPL Eye Candy". India Today. 23 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ DNA India (6 July 2011). "Shibani Dandekar Interview". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ @shibanidandekar (23 December 2012). "I should be happy that as an OCI holder I don't have to decide which f***ing moron I have to vote for but it just pisses me off even more" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 May 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Farhan Akhtar confirms he's dating Shibani Dandekar for a year, hints wedding may be on the cards". Hindustan Times. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ "Farhan Akhtar-Shibani Dandekar wedding: Javed Akhtar reads out poem for the occasion". The Tribune. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ DNA India (28 April 2006). "American Born Glam Desi". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "IPL's Host". Rediff.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Shibani Dandekar to win Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa?". NDTV.com.
- ^ Shibani Dandekar Profile
- ^ "Now TV to bring spotlight back to men". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Sisters, Anchors, Cricket Buffs". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ DNA India (6 July 2011). "Shibani Dandekar Interview". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "India's Glam Diva". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Freida Pinto, Sonakshi Sinha ..." The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ Radio and Music. "VH1 Grammy nominees special". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ Rediff. "IPL Season 4". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ Indian Television Academy. "Event Details". Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
External links
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