Anushka Sharma (born May 1, 1983) is model and actress in the Bollywood film industry.

In 2008, she played the female lead role in the Bollywood film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, directed by Aditya Chopra, who earlier directed hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Mohabbatein (2000).

Anushka Sharma was born to an army based family in Bangalore. Her father is a highly ranked Army Officer and her mother is a housewife.

She has one elder brother named Karnesh who was a state-level cricketer and is now in the Merchant Navy.

She studied in Army School and then excelled to achieve a graduation specialized in arts from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

She is currently studying for a degree in economics at Mount Carmel, which she is completing through correspondence.

Right from a young age, Sharma wished to make it big in the glamor world.

She was once quoted as saying "I can't see myself doing anything else." With moral support from her parents, a confident Anushka enrolled in the Elite Modeling Agency.

She was groomed by renowned style consultant Prasad Bidapa, whom she met when she was just 15 years of age.

She was the find of internationally acclaimed Goan fashion designer Wendell Rodricks.

She began her modeling career at the Lakme Fashion Week and was a show-stopper at Wendell Rodricks Les Vamps Show.

Within a year she became a sensational model in India, and was picked to be Wendell Rodricks's finale model at the Spring Summer '07 Collection.

Through the Elite Modeling Agency, her pictures reached the casting directors of Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and she was called in for an audition.

She has stated that she currently has a contract to do two more movies with Yash Raj Films but is free to do films outside YRF to further her career if she wishes.

It is rumored that her next movie will be opposite Shahid Kapoor which will be produced by Yash Raj Films.