# Isha Talwar

Isha Talwar (born 22 December 1985) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Malayalam and Hindi films. Talwar started her career as a model, and made her film debut with the Malayalam film Thattathin Marayathu (2012), winning SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Malayalam. She is known for her role in Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde (2013), Bangalore Days (2014), Maine Pyar Kiya (2014) and Article 15 (2019). Talwar is also known for her portrayal in the series Mirzapur (2020-present), Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023) and Indian Police Force (2024).

## Early life and background

Isha Talwar was born on 22 December 1985 to Indian film actor Vinod Talwar.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, she graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. She joined choreographer Terence Lewis's dance school in 2004, where she learned various dance forms like ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and salsa and went on to become a tutor in the dance studio. She stated that her choreographer Terence Lewis, was "one person who changed me completely".

## Career

Talwar worked as a model and appeared in more than 40 commercials for brands like Pizza Hut, Vivel Fairness Cream, Kaya Skin Clinic, Dulux Paints, and Dhatri Fairness Cream, besides a music video with Hrithik Roshan for the Just Dance competition. She says she spent two years preparing for her film debut. Although she had worked as a child actress in the 2000 Bollywood film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, her full-length film debut was with the Malayalam film Thattathin Marayathu, for which she took a four-month voice training class, went through a course to learn the language, and learned to play the guitar. The film which saw her play Aisha, a Muslim girl who falls in love with a Hindu boy, became a blockbuster and was listed by Rediff.com in their "Top five Malayalam films of 2012" list. Critics noted that she "looked beautiful", but had "nothing much to do" in the film. In a later interview, she stated that the role of Aisha had given her "a lot of recognition" and that she was "really happy with" her girl next-door image from the film. Her second film I Love Me by B. Unnikrishnan had her playing the female lead alongside Asif Ali and Unni Mukundan. She said that her character in the film Samantha had "shades of grey".
In 2013, she had two releases – her Telugu debut, Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde, which opened to a positive response, and her Tamil debut, Thillu Mullu, a remake of the same-titled 1981 Tamil comedy film which was also a commercial success. In 2014, she was seen in the Malayalam films, Balyakalasakhi, Utsaha Committee, God's Own Country, and Anjali Menon's Bangalore Days. She has shot for an "extended cameo role" in Siddique's Bhaskar the Rascal. She has also been shooting for the Tamil remake of Thattathin Marayathu, reprising her own role. She made her Bollywood debut in the Hindi movie Tubelight alongside Salman Khan. She also appeared alongside Saif Ali Khan in Kaalakaandi. In 2020, she appeared in the Amazon Prime web series Mirzapur. In 2023, she worked on Hotstar web series Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo.

## Media image

Talwar was named the Kochi Times Most Desirable Women of 2014. She was placed 2nd in 2013 and 6th in 2015.

## Filmography
### Films

Key :
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2000 | Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai | Preeti's youngest sister | Hindi | Child artist |
| 2012 | Thattathin Marayathu | Aysha Rehman | Malayalam | Lead Debut |
| 2012 | I Love Me | Samantha | Malayalam | |
| 2013 | Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde | Shruti | Telugu | |
| 2013 | Thillu Mullu | Janani | Tamil | |
| 2014 | Balyakalasakhi | Suhra | Malayalam | |
| 2014 | Ulsaha Committee | Rosemary | Malayalam | |
| 2014 | God's Own Country | Asha | Malayalam | |
| 2014 | Bangalore Days | Meenakshi | Malayalam | |
| 2014 | Maine Pyar Kiya | Shalini | Telugu | |
| 2015 | Bhaskar the Rascal | Rani Kabeer | Malayalam | Cameo |
| 2015 | Two Countries | Simran | Malayalam | |
| 2016 | Raja Cheyyi Vesthe | Chaitra | Telugu | |
| 2016 | Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai | Aysha | Tamil | |
| 2017 | Tubelight | Maya | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Crossroad | Gaya Parameshwaran | Malayalam | |
| 2018 | Kaalakaandi | Rakhi | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Ranam | Seema | Malayalam | |
| 2019 | Article 15 | Aditi Ranjan | Hindi | |
| 2019 | Roam Rome Mein | Parul | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Kaamyaab | Isha | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Ginny Weds Sunny | Neha Gulati | Hindi | Cameo |
| 2022 | Sharmaji Namkeen | Urmi Kaul | Hindi | |
| 2022 | Theerppu | Mythili Ram Kumar | Malayalam | |
| 2023 | Run Baby Run | Priyanka | Tamil | |
| 2024 | Shahkot | | Punjabi | |
| 2024 | Durga | Archana | Odia | |
| 2024 | Ella | Ella | Hindi | |
| 2025 | Oru Jaathi Jathakam | Thathri kutty | Malayalam | |
| 2025 | Kaushaljis vs Kaushal | | Hindi | |

### Television

| Year | Series | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2010 | Rishtey | | Hindi | Episode 46: "Itni Chhoti Baat, Itni Lambi Raat" |
| 2011 | Just Dance | | Hindi | Music video |
| 2014 | Comedy Stars | Celebrity judge | Malayalam | |
| 2015 | D 4 Dance | Celebrity guest | Malayalam | |
| 2016 | Laughing Villa | Guest | Malayalam | |
| 2017 | Comedy Super Night 3 | Dancer | Malayalam | In the title song |
| 2018 | Kasthooriman | Herself | Malayalam | Episode 91, 92, 95, 96 |
| 2019 | Home Sweet Office | Shagun | Hindi | Dice Media, Pocket Aces |
| 2019 | Parchhayee | Hameeda | Hindi | ZEE5 originals |
| 2020 | Swaha | | Hindi | Flipkart |
| 2020 | Mirzapur | Madhuri Yadav Tripathi/Madhuri Yadav | Hindi | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2021 | Roz Roz | Dancer | Hindi | Sony India |
| 2023 | Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo | Bijli | Hindi | Disney+ Hotstar |
| 2023 | Chamak | Jazz | Hindi | SonyLIV |
| 2024 | Indian Police Force | Rashmi Malik | Hindi | Amazon Prime Video |

## Awards

* 2013: Amrita TV Film Award for Best Pair – Thattathin Marayathu
* 2013: Asiavision Award for New Sensation in Acting – Thattathin Marayathu
* 2013: Indian Movie Award in Qatar For Best Debutant Actress – Thattathin Marayathu