Former Telugu sensation Simran looks every bit beauteous at 42

During the late 90s till the mid-2000s, the on-screen persona and charismatic personality of Simran had trembled the hearts of most youth across the Telugu territory. She was literally treated like a goddess in this part of South India with several blockbusters to her name opposite all the A-list stars. After an unsuccessful stint in Bollywood, the Punjabi diva travelled down South and established a substantial film career which not may North beauties have had before.

With over two-decade experience in the showbiz world, the Mumbai-born lady moved into TV for a few years after marriage and returned back to Kollywood in 2014. While she is mostly donning supporting roles these days, the 42-year-old Simran is essaying the female lead opposite Superstar Rajinikanth in Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Petta’. With three Filmfare awards in her kitty, the veteran heroine looks every bit beauteous even at 42.

Born as Rishibala Naval, Simran made her celluloid debut with the 1995 Hindi film ‘Sanam Harjai’ which was the first Indian movie to be shot in New Zealand. After witnessing her talent in a TV show, Jaya Bachchan offered her a leading role in her home production ‘Tere Mere Sapne’. Followed by a queue of big-ticket films, the leggy lass shifted her focus to South and starred opposite Prabhu Deva in the 1997 super-hit ‘V.I.P’. She bagged the Filmfare award for Best Female Debut – South.

Despite acting in a row of films, Simran rose to fame and acquired overnight stardom with the Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer ‘Samarasimha Reddy’ which was a phenomenal success at the box-office. With subsequent hits like ‘Kalisundam Raa’, ‘Nuvvu Vastavani’ and ‘Narasimha Naidu’, the gorgeous woman catapulted into the top league of Tollywood and romanced all the big-guns in the industry. Her beautiful face, curvaceous personality and killer dance moves made Simran a hot favourite among the masses.

Simran’s career in Tamil cinema was a roller-coaster ride with many blockbusters and performance-oriented roles. After starring in a bunch of films, the sizzling star tasted her first success with Ajith Kumar ‘Aval Varuvala’ followed by the blockbuster ‘Vaali’ where she brilliantly emoted in the role of Priya. There was no looking back for Simran during this time as she was working almost 24 hours a day. She garnered immense accolades for her matured mother role in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Amrutha’ including a Filmfare. She also won the black lady as the supporting actress for the 2008 romantic-drama ‘Surya s/o Krishnan’.

The recently-released poster from Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Petta’ showcased Rajinikanth and Simran Bagga as a happy couple, navigating their way through a sea of people holding potted plants. While the entire shoot is almost wrapped up, the action-film features an ensemble star cast in the form of Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Simran will also be seen in a stylish avatar and an action-packed role in Vikram’s spy-thriller ‘Dhruva Nakshatram’.