Nargis Fakhri

 ( Official Website ) 

Fakhri started her career as a model at the age of 16. In her later years, she appeared as a contestant on the second and third cycle of America's Next Top Model (2004). Although Fakhri was selected for the first two challenges of both the cycles, she failed to make up to the third challenge for the top twelve contestants. She subsequently modeled professionally in America, working for freelance agencies, and appearing regularly at fashion shows. Fakhri's fame increased when she appeared in a popular Indian print campaign for the 2009 Kingfisher Calendar. Her appearance in the Kingfisher Calendar attracted the attention of Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali. He selected her for a role in the Hindi romantic drama Rockstar. Fakhri later said that she agreed to work in India so that she could "relate to her culture" and get "close to her roots Pakistan", because India and Pakistan share similar cultures.

Her next release was opposite John Abraham in the Shoojit Sircar's political thriller Madras Cafe (2013), a drama set during the time of the Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war and the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Her portrayal was of a British war correspondent in Sri Lanka, and was inspired by many war correspondents, including Anita Pratap. Unlike her debut film, Fakhri dubbed her own dialogues and was approached for the film because Sircar wanted "a girl who looked Indian but had an English accent". Upon release, Madras Cafe received acclaim from the critics, and the performances of the lead actors were praised. Saibal Chatterjee said Fakhri "strikes the right notes", whereas Rajeev Masand called her "pleasantly competent". Anuj Kumar of The Hindu was particularly impressed with the film and thought that Fakhri has proved that she has more to her than just a "prominent pout". Later that year, she made a special appearance in the action comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero to perform in the item number "Dhating Naach" with the film's lead actor Shahid Kapoor.

The following year, Fakhri collaborated with Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz for the romantic comedy Main Tera Hero, a remake of the 2011 Telugu language film Kandireega, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and directed by David Dhawan. Set in Bangkok, she played Ayesha, a Don's daughter, who falls for an impetuous brat. The film was a financial success, but received mixed reviews from critics. For her performance in the film, Rohit Khilnani said that Fakhri "is not bad" and that "she fits well in this masala comedy and doesn't disappoint". Main Tera Hero Movie Review | Varun Dhawan, Ileana DCruz, Nargis Fakhri . Koimoi.com (April 4, 2014). Retrieved January 17, 2016. Taran Adarsh however, disagreed, and said though she "looks great", she needs to "polish her acting skills". She next appeared in a popular item number titled "Yaar Naa Miley" with Salman Khan for Sajid Nadiadwala's action thriller Kick. The song was well received by critics and was immensely popular among the audience. Later that year, she starred in Paul Feig's action comedy Spy, her first project in Hollywood. The film follows the transformation of desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper (McCarthy) into a field agent who attempts to foil the black market sale of a suitcase nuke. Featuring alongside Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Jude Law, Fakhri was cast in her first antagonist role, portraying Lia, a secret agent. The film and her performance received praise from critics. John Boone of Entertainment Tonight noted how much she stood out in the "fewer quieter scenes" of the film. Fakhri's performance earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight nomination. Spy emerged as one of top-grossing productions of the year, earning $235.7 million worldwide.

Fakhri's final role in 2016 was as Christina, an American citizen in search of an instrumentalist capable of playing the banjo, in Ravi Jadhav's musical Banjo. Co-starring Riteish Deshmukh, the film was described as a tribute to rappers living in Mumbai's ghettos. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews and under performed at the Box Office India. Writing for the Times of India, Renuka Vyavahare thought that she "overdoes the American accent but grows on you eventually." Koimoi wrote that "Why would you waste your money to watch Nargis' acting and Riteish juggling between his Lai Bhaari and Rockstar character." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV noted that her part in the drama is the film's "biggest undoing." In October 2017 Fakhri was selected as a One Young World counselor, alongside Kofi Annan, Doutzen Kroes, and Cher to speak at their summit in Bogota. Fakhri next starred in her second Hollywood production, the romantic comedy 5 Weddings (2018), opposite Rajkumar Rao. Reza Noorani of The Times of India disliked the chemistry between Fakhri and Rao, and said that she "doesn't bring much to the table". Fakhri begun 2019 with Bhushan Patel-directed horror thriller Amavas. As her previous release, the film received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box-office.

In 2025, Fakhri appeared opposite Akshay Kumar in Housefull 5. The film was released in two versions, titled Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B, each featuring a different climax and murderer. Devesh Sharma stated that she adds to the "glamour quotient", but has nothing to do in the film.

On 26 November 2024, Fakhri's sister Aliya was arrested for murdering her ex-boyfriend and his female friend, by setting their garage on fire. Fakhri later revealed that she has been estranged from her sister for twenty years and refused to comment on the crime.

On February 16, 2025, Nargis married her Kashmiri boyfriend, Tony Beig, a Los Angeles-based businessman, after dating him for three years.

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted

• List of Hindi film actresses