Athiya Shetty is a former Indian actress who worked primarily in Hindi cinema.

Born on 5 November 1992 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, she is the daughter of veteran actor Suniel Shetty and Mana Shetty, a businesswoman, designer, and social activist.

Her father belongs to the Tulu-speaking Bunt community, while her mother has mixed Punjabi Hindu and Gujarati Muslim heritage.

Athiya studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School before shifting to the American School of Bombay. She later trained in acting at the New York Film Academy in the United States.

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    Siblings

    Athiya has one sibling, a younger brother named Ahan Shetty.

    Born a few years after her, Ahan followed in the family tradition and pursued acting. He made his Bollywood debut with the 2021 romantic drama Tadap, a remake of the Telugu film RX 100.

    The siblings share a close bond that has grown stronger over the years.

    Athiya has spoken publicly about their childhood, noting that they used to fight a lot when young due to their age difference, often leading to grounding by their parents, but they later became each other’s sounding boards and close friends.

    Athiya Shetty and her brother Ahan PHOTO/Instagram

    Career

    Shetty made her acting debut in 2015 with the romantic action film Hero, a remake of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 classic of the same name.

    Directed by Nikkhil Advani and produced by Salman Khan, the film cast her as Radha Mathur opposite fellow debutant Sooraj Pancholi.

    Though the movie received mixed reviews and had a modest box-office performance, it marked her formal entry into Bollywood.

    She next appeared in the 2017 romantic comedy Mubarakan, directed by Anees Bazmee, where she played a supporting role alongside Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and Ileana D’Cruz.

    In 2018, she featured in a special dance appearance in the song “Tere Naal Nachna” from Nawabzaade.

    Her final leading role came in 2019 with the comedy-drama Motichoor Chaknachoor, opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in which she portrayed Anita “Ani” Awasthi.

    After these projects, Athiya largely stepped back from acting, focusing instead on her personal life.

    Accolades

    Shetty earned a nomination for the Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow – Female. She also shared the Stardust Award for Best Jodi of the Year with co-star Sooraj Pancholi.

    Additional honors included the Producers Guild Film Award for Most Promising Debut Jodi (shared with Pancholi) and recognition as part of the Hottest Pair at the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

    She received nominations in categories such as Best Female Debut at events including the Screen Awards and Producers Guild Film Awards.

    Other acknowledgments came in the form of the Vogue Beauty Award for Face to Watch Out For and the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award for Best Debut Female.