Shama Sikander

Shama Sikander Ali Gesawat is an Indian actress, best recognised for her lead roles in the TV series Yeh Meri Life Hai, the short film Sexaholic, and the mini-series Maaya: Slave of Her Desires.

At the age of 9, her family moved to Mumbai, Maharashtra, where she lived with her younger siblings, Khalid, Rizwan Sikander, and Salma (born 1991).

Sikander has mentioned in interviews that her early years in Mumbai were extremely difficult, even commenting that at times "there was no food in the house to feed the family".

Having moved places frequently, Sikander attended as many as nine schools in Makrana and various parts of Greater Mumbai, including Malad, Mumbra, Thane, and Andheri.

Following her 10th grade completion, and passing the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education examination, Sikander enrolled in the Roshan Taneja School of Acting in Mumbai in 1995, graduating a year later.

Sikander began her career on the big screen with small parts in Prem Aggan (1998, Hindi) and Mann (1999, Hindi) before landing a supporting role in Ansh: The Deadly Part (2002, Hindi).

Her film debut came at the age of 16, in 1998 with the Hindi-language feature film Prem Aggan, produced and directed by acclaimed film personality Feroz Khan.

After a friend suggested she screen test for the part, Sikander so impressed Feroz Khan that she landed the role, even though it had already been cast.

Despite significant hype, the film, which also featured Feroz Khan's son Fardeen Khan's debut, was both a critical and box office failure.

Nevertheless, one critic praised her screen presence and commented "[Sikander is] friendly to the viewers' eyes."

Sikander has appeared in numerous Bollywood films, starting her career with the 1999 Aamir Khan film Mann.

A year later Sikander appeared in the Indra Kumar film Mann (1999 Hindi) in a cameo as Kamini.

The film received mixed reviews and fared poorly at the box office.

As with her debut in Prem Aggan, however, Sikander received positive reviews for her performance.

Calling her "pretty and emotive", Mohammad Ali Ikram of Planet Bollywood exclaimed "Mark my words, this simple stunner has the ability to shine as a great performer and star".

Ansh: The Deadly Part (2002) was Sikander's first supporting role in a Hindi-language feature film.

Portraying the character Kusum opposite south Indian actor Abbas, the film produced by Rukamanee Arts was a box office success doing reasonably well and garnering generally favourable reviews.

Despite Ansh being her best-faring feature film so far, Sikander would not have another big screen release for the next six years.

The same year she was seen in the lead role in Chand Bujh Gaya, a film on the Godhra train burning and 2002 Gujarat riots, which was initially refused certification by CBFC and FCAT and could be released only after the producers approached the Bombay High Court.

Her first major role on television was as the title character "Pooja Mehta" in the popular Sony TV drama Ye Meri Life Hai (2003-2005).

Though her feature films failed to establish Sikander as a box office success, her Television debut portraying the title character "Pooja Metha" in the popular Sony TV drama Ye Meri Life Hai (2003-2005) made the show a household name overnight, gave her "instant fame", and eventually elevated her to "one of the most loved faces on Indian television.".

Her performance earned her numerous nominations, her wins including The Indian Television Academy Awards' "GR8 Face of the Year" (2004), The Indian Television Academy Awards' "Best Debut" (2004), The 12th Annual Lion's Gold Awards' "Best Actress: Critics' Choice" (2005), and Sony TV's "Best Face" (2005).

The performance earned her numerous nominations and awards, her wins including the 12th Annual Lion's Gold Awards' Critics' Choice "Best Actress" (2005), Indian Television Academy Awards' "GR8! Face of the Year" (2004), and "Best Debut" (2004).

Fueled by the success of Ye Meri Life Hai and her subsequent performances, Sikander would be seen in frequent guest appearances on various popular programs, including Batliwala House No. 43 (2005), CID (2006), Jodee Kamaal Ki (2007), Kaajjal (2008), and Man Mein Hai Visshwas (2009).

Sikander subsequently anchored Popkorn Newz (2007) and Jet Set Go (2008) before returning to film with the lead role of "Jiya" in Dhoom Dadakka (2008).

Beginning in 2007, Sikander also featured as a TV program host, first on entertainment channel Zoom's Popkorn Newz for a single season, and then in 2008 as the host of the STAR One travel contest program Jet Set Go.

An accomplished self-taught dancer and amateur singer, 2008 would also see Sikander appear on numerous programs, including the celebrity dance program Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena as a celebrity contestant alongside notable Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli (where she drew praise from Bollywood Superstar Sushmita Sen who called her "one of the most fabulous dancers I've ever seen" ), next in the singing reality program Jjhoom India again as a celebrity contestant, as well as India's longest running dance program Boogie Woogie as a celebrity guest performer in 2010 and subsequently on multiple occasions as a performer and as a guest judge.

Her ability to showcase well in singing, dancing, hosting, and acting caused critics to comment on her versatility as a performer, identifying her as one of the few who have been able to navigate between film and television.

While her TV career flourished, Sikander returned to film in 2008 with a supporting role in director Shashi Ranjan's Dhoom Dhadaka alongside notable Bollywood actors Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover, and Satish Kaushik.

The film was a box office failure and was regarded by critics as average to disappointing.

Sify's Sonia Chopra commented that "The cast doesn't disappoint as much as the film", and that "Shama Sikander [is] earnest enough ... molten-hot and ... superbly styled".

She subsequently appeared in the lead role of "Shunyaa" on the supernatural thriller TV series Seven (2010-2011 Hindi) produced by Bollywood juggernaut Yash Raj Films.

2010 saw Sikander return to a lead role in a television series for the first time since leaving Ye Meri Life Hai in 2005.

Sikander's Shunyaa featured as the central character in the supernatural thriller series Seven (2010–2011 Hindi), produced by the Bollywood juggernaut Yash Raj Films.

With a production budget far in excess of any television program that came before, YRF's Seven aired weekly episodes instead of daily, in contrast to its competing programming.

Sikander's performance and the program as a whole was widely appreciated for being "daringly different", with its own "dedicated audience" eliciting a "huge response through ... platforms like internet, e-mails and social networking sites."

She was seen as "Byankar Pari", the lead antagonist in the children's program Baal Veer (2012–2014) on SAB TV.

While working to establish herself in Mumbai's Bollywood industry, Shama travelled hours daily, from the outskirts of the city to attend auditions, often accompanied by her brother, Rizwan Sikander, also an actor.

Her last theatrical release, Bypass Road, a Bollywood thriller, was released on November 8, 2019.

Shama Sikander was born in Makrana, Rajasthan, India, to mother, Gulshan, and father, Sikander Ali Gesawat.