Sukirti Kandpal
Sukirti Kandpal is an Indian television actress known for her roles as 'Piya' in Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani, 'Dr. Riddhima' in Dill Mill Gayye and 'Debjani Thakur' in Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls. In 2014, Kandpal was a celebrity participant in the reality series Bigg Boss 8. She was last seen as the character Saundarya in ‘Savdhaan India Special Crime Series’ titled 'Chausar' on Star Bharat.
Early life and education
Kandpal was born in Nainital, Uttarakhand to B.D. Kandpal and Manju Kandpal. She has two siblings, an elder sister Bhavna Kandpal and a younger brother Manjul Kandpal. Sukirti originally wanted to pursue law, as her father was a public prosecutor. Kandpal attended St. Mary's Convent High School, Nainital. She has an honors degree in Economics from Sophia College for Women, Mumbai. She dated Manavendra Singh Shekhawat during the early years of her career. The couple split owing to different career paths, but they remain friends till date.Career
2007–2009 and ''Dill Mill Gayye''
Kandpal started her television career at the age of 19, in 2007, with Jersey No. 10 on Sab TV, which was an Indian adaptation of the American series One Tree Hill. A creative director from Cinevistaas Limited spotted her at a coffee shop and asked her to meet him later for an audition; she was selected.In 2008, she replaced Shilpa Anand as Dr. Riddhima Gupta on the show Dill Mill Gayye which became a turning point in her career. She worked in the show for ten months and later quit the show in 2009.
In 2009, she appeared in the official music video of the song "Teri Yaad Mein" by Kailash Kher, from the album Chaandan Mein.
2010–2011 and '' Pyaar Ki Ye Ek Kahaani''
In 2010, she appeared as Siddheshwari Singh in Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo.Later in 2010, she played a double role in Balaji Telefilms' supernatural romance Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani as Piyali Dobriyal and as Princess Maithali opposite Vivian Dsena. A new concept for an Indian audience, the show was inspired by The Vampire Diaries and Twilight Saga. The show garnered widespread appreciation from audiences in general and gave her lasting fame and recognition.
2012–2015 and Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls
After playing the lead in three shows, she took a break and made a comeback in 2012 with the role of Jazz in Rab Se Sona Ishq. She went on to play four different people with the same face in Life OK's Hum Ne Li Hai...Shapaths special episode "Mystery Of Clones". She later returned in the role of a runaway criminal for another episode.She co-hosted a special episode based on the harassment on girls in the crime based television series on Channel V and later made an appearance on the same show as a college girl Tanvi, in an episode based on the consequences of an open relationship.
In 2013, she was seen as the lead in Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai..ajab sa risk hai on Life OK.
She portrayed a Singaporean returned NRI Simran Khanna, settling down in a patriarchal Haryanvi family for the love of her life, Rajveer.
The show garnered praise for its chirpier, vivacious and progressive female lead. The show was a modest success in terms of TRPs and returned with a second season. She played a non-resident Indian character in both Rab Se Sona Ishq and Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai..ajab sa risk hai. Parts of Rab Se Sona Ishq were shot in London and Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai..ajab sa risk hai in Singapore, Macau and Thailand.
Besides doing many fiction shows, she has also been part of many reality shows such as
Meethi Chhoori No. 1, Nach Le With Saroj Khan, Killer Karaoke Atkah toh Latkah etc. In 2014, she appeared as a contestant in Bigg Boss 8.
In 2015, she played a journalist, Debjani Thakur, in &TV's Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls, which was one of the most popular shows that year. The show was a TV adaptation of Anuja Chauhan's novel Those Pricey Thakur Gurls, and was shot in key locations in Delhi.
2016–17 and ''Desi Explorers'' web series
In early 2016, she appeared as a lead in the episode "Grahan" of &TV's horror fiction show Darr Sabko Lagta Hai. She entered as the runaway bride, named 'Rajjo' on Zee TV's primetime show Tashan-E-Ishq. While expressing her excitement to play a 'Haryanvi' girl on television, she termed her character in the show as unlike her previous roles and described it as 'reserved, emotional, blindly trusting and later bearing the consequences of her gullible ways'.She was one of the celebrity hosts to travel-centered web series Desi Explorers. She was part of two subseries of Desi Explorers: Desi Explorers Jordan in partership with Jordan Tourism and Air Arabia and Desi Explorers Taiwan in partership with Taiwan Tourism Board, released on YouTube.
In 2017, she made a comeback to fiction in season 2 of Zee TV's Kaala Teeka as Naina Yug Choudhary. After this, she took a conscious decision to go on a break. She stated during an interview that she had been working continuously since the age of 19 and needed some time off with the family.
2019–present
In July 2019, after a hiatus of two years she was seen in a five part special crime thriller series titled "Chausar" in Savdhaan India special crime series on Star Bharat as mysterious girl Saundarya. While talking about her comeback she described her character as "mysterious" and series as "a tale of vengeance". In 2020, she will be seen in the first-ever show based on In vitro fertilization on Indian television titled Nine Months on SET.Modelling
Kandpal has appeared in advertisements and TVCs for PC Chandra Jewellers Goldlite collection, Hyundai 4S Fluidic Verna The World Sedan, Dove shampoo, Shahnaz Husain's Fair One Cream, and Margo Neem Face wash.Other work
In 2016, she was associated with "Sarvodaya Women Empowerment" initiative by Nainital police in her home state Uttarakhand. In 2020, she was associated with 'Main Darpok Hoon', an awareness campaign to encourage people to stay indoors and take preventive measures to stay healthy and safe during COVID-19 pandemic by Hamdard India.In the media
She was included in Eastern Eyes list of the top 50 sexiest Asian women in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. An Indian lifestyle website for men, MensXP.com, listed her among the "35 Hottest Actresses In Indian Television" and also included her among most desired actresses of Indian Television among teens from 2000s. In 2016, MissMalini.com listed her among the "28 Sexiest Hindi Television Actresses".She was ranked 20th Television Personality in a 2015 poll by Sabras Radio for her show Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls. She is a regular face of the annual Telly Calendar featuring popular television actresses by Marinating Films and Balaji Telefilms, and has been a part of all its six editions until 2017. In addition to her acting prowess, she is known for her styling and fashion sense. She has been described as 'sophisticated, stylish, effusive and smart enough to segregate her personal life from the professional'. She has also been described as a risk taker and experimental with her role choices. She was given the Aadhi Aabadi Women Achievers Award in 2013 along with 18 other Indian women for her outstanding contributions in her field.
Beauty pageants
Kandpal represented India in the Miss India Worldwide contest 2011 held in Dubai, won the title Miss Bollywood Diva and was one of the top ten contenders among the participants spanning over 30 countries.In 2016, she was one of the judges of the Mrs. India Dubai International Beauty Pageant 2016, held in Dubai. She was again part of the judges panel to Mr and Miss Delhi India 2017 contest alongside Aditi Govitrikar and Shahnaz Hussain.