Bollywood Celebrities with Nepal connections

There are some Nepali celebrities that have made it big in Bollywood. So naturally, there are many Bollywood celebrities with Nepal connections. Udit Narayan Jha is one of the most recognized names in India, Nepal and the Hindi speaking population throughout the world. Similarly, Manisha Koirala, as a Bollywood actress, is popular across the globe.

Nepal and India are closely related. This relationship is also reflected in the relationships between Nepalis and Indians. Here are some of the Bollywood celebrities with Nepal connections.

Udit Narayan

Udit Narayan was born in 1955. He was born to Nepali father Harekrishna Jha, and Bhuvaneshwari Jha. His mother was Indian. Udit Narayan did win Indian civilian honour “Padma Shri“. When this award was given to him, some people raised the issue that he was born in Nepal. However, Udit Narayan, himself, said that it was false, meaning he was born in India.

When a noted Nepali media Kantipur asked Udit about his nationality, he replied that he was “from Nepal, but his mother’s home was in Bihar.” According to Udit, he was born in Baisi, Supaul district, Bihar. His father was a native of Bhardaha in Saptari, Nepal. One thing to note is that he finished his SSC from India. He, however, cleared his intermediate degree from Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus in Kathmandu.

Here is a link to his melodious songs.

Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala is a veteran actress in Bollywood. She is actually Nepali. What’s more, she comes from the politically heavyweight Koirala family. In fact, she is the granddaughter of Bishweshwor Koirala. Bishweshwar Koirala was the 22nd Prime Minister in Nepal. He is also renowned for his contribution to the Nepali literature.

Manisha started her acting career from the Nepali film “Pheri Bhetaula‘ in 1989. Her first film in Bollywood was “Saudagar” in 1991. During her career, Manisha has received numerous awards including three Filmfare Awards, a Screen Award and Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu. Some of her most successful works include 1942: A Love Story, Gupt: The Hidden Truth, Dil Se, and Lajja.

Mala Sinha

Mala Sinha was born to Nepali parents who had immigrated to West Bengal in India. She also married Nepali actor Chidambar Prasad Lohani. In fact, they met while working in the same Nepali Film “Maitighar“.

Mala started her acting career from a Bengali Film Roshanara as a female lead. She has starred in more than 100 films including “Pyaasa“, “Anpadh“, “Maryada“, “Nai Roshani”, “Gumrah” and “Gehra Daag”. She received the Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Govinda Ahuja

Govinda is a star Bollywood figure. He has more than 165 Hindi films to his credit. Govinda first appeared in film Ilzaam in 1986. He is mostly recognized as a comedy hero. Govinda was also a member of Indian Parliament from 2004 to 2009 from Indian National Congress Party. Govinda married Sunita Ahuja in 1987.

It is rumoured that Govinda’s wife Sunita is of Nepali Origin. We could not verify this independently. However, Sunita can speak Nepali. In the video below Sunita says she is a “Nepali” and her mother was from Sankhu.

Bharti Singh

Bharti Singh is a well-known comedian in India. She is the most known female comedian in India. Her career started from the 4th season of reality comedy series “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge” that aired in Star One. Bharti’s father is a Nepali.

Bharati has worked in television programs like Comedy Circus, Comedy Nights Bachao, and The Kapil Sharma Show (second season). In 2019 she started Bharati Show – Ana Hi Padega in Tata Sky Comedy. In the same year, she took part in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 9 as a contestant.

Here is Bharati’s interview on Himalaya TV.

Ahmed Khan

Ahmed Khan is quite popular in Bollywood. He is quite versatile and has worked as a choreographer, actor, director, writer and producer. Ahmed is based known as a choreographer with around 100 movies to his credit. He has directed films “Baaghi 2” and “Baghi 3“. As an actor, he has acted in films including “Fanaa“, “Dil Chahta Hai” and “Sarfarosh“. His mother is a Nepali.

Here is a video about Ahmed Khan.

Sunil Thapa

Sunil Thapa is primarily Nepali Actor but he has appeared in Bollywood movies as well. In fact, Sunil Thapa started acting from a Hindi movie “Ek Duuje Ke Liye“, which was made in 1981. He has been commended for his exceptional work in the Hindi film Mary Kom made in 2014. In addition to acting, he is a good photojournalist too. He worked for Junior Statesman Magazine.

Danny Denzongpa

Danny is a popular film actor. He has acted in more than 200 films that include Hindi, Nepali, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu films. His work includes some international films as well. In the Hollywood movie Seven Years in Tibet, he worked alongside Brad Pitt as well. He is of Nepalese descent but was born in Gangtok, Sikkim.

In fact, Danny is a great singer as well, here is a link to his Nepali audio jukebox in YouTube.

Thank you for reading this far. These are prominent Bollywood celebrities with Nepal connections. If you think we missed someone that should be in the list, let us know by commenting below.