Shweta Basu Prasad Wiki, Height, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Shweta Basu Prasad is an Indian actress and entrepreneur who is known for playing the dual role of Chunni and Munni in the Hindi film ‘Makdee’ (2002); she won a National Award for Best Child Actor for the film.

Wiki/Biography

Shweta Basu Prasad was born on Friday, 11 January 1991 (age 32 years; as of 2023) in Jamshedpur, Bihar, India (now in Jharkhand). Later, Shweta, along with her family, shifted to Mumbai. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn.

From 2006 to 2010, she attended R. N. Podar School, Jain Derasar Marg, Santacruz West, Mumbai. In 2014, she pursued graduation in mass media, arts, and journalism at Sikkim Manipal University- Distance Education.  In 2021, she did a Film Appreciation Course (online) from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 3″

Weight (approx.): 55 kg

Hair Colour: Brown

Eye Colour: Brown

Figure (approx.): 36-28-34

Family

Shweta belongs to a Bengali family.

Parents & Siblings

Her father, Anuj Prasad, is a businessman and civil engineer. Her father has worked in various theatre plays. Her mother, Sarmistha Basu, has a great interest in Indian classical music. Her brother, Rahul Prasad, is a health coach and sports nutritionist.

Husband

In 2013, Shweta started dating the Indian filmmaker Rohit Mittal. After being in a live-in relationship for two and a half years, the couple tied the knot on 13 December 2018. They followed Bengali and Marwadi wedding rituals.

However, within a year of their marriage, Shweta announced her separation from her husband through her Instagram account. On 9 December 2019, she uploaded a post on Instagram, which reads,

Hi everyone, Rohit Mittal and I have mutually decided to part our ways and end our marriage. After months of contemplation, we arrived at this decision a few months ago in each other’s best interest, as individuals. Not every book is supposed to be read cover to cover, that doesn’t mean the book is bad, or one can’t read, some things are best left unfinished. Thank you Rohit for the irreplaceable memories and always inspiring me. Have a great life ahead, forever your cheerleader.”

Later, Shweta and Rohit filed for a divorce.

Career

Television

Child Actor

In 1998, Shweta started her career as a child actor with the Hindi TV series ‘X Zone’ in which she played the role of young Anu. The series was aired on Zee TV.

She then acted in many Hindi TV serials like ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’ (2000), ‘Kutumb’ (2001), ‘Koshish – Ek Aashaa’ (2002), and ‘Karishma Kaa Karishma’ (2003).

Lead Actor

In 2015, she made her debut as a lead actor in the episodic TV series ‘Darr Sabko Lagta Hai,’ which aired on And TV. In the series, she appeared in the episode “Hostel” in which she played the role of Pangkhuri.

She gained immense popularity with her role as Nandini Maurya in the Hindi TV series ‘Chandra Nandini’ (2017), which aired on Star Plus.

Web Series

Telugu

In 2018, Shweta made her Telugu web series debut with the Amazon Video web series ‘Gangstars’ in which she played the role of Aishwarya.

Hindi

She made her Hindi web series debut with the 2019 mini-series ‘Flip.’

She then appeared in various Hindi web series like ‘Hostages’ (2019; Disney+ Hotstar), ‘Dr Donn’ (2020; ALTBalaji), ‘High’ (2020; MX Player), ‘Ray’ (2021; Netflix), and ‘Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach’ (2022; Disney+Hotstar).

Film

Child Actor

Shweta made her Bollywood debut as a child actor with the Hindi film ‘Makdee’ (2002) in which she played the dual role of Chunni/Munni.

In 2005, she appeared in the critically acclaimed Hindi film ‘Iqbal.’

She then acted in the Hindi films ‘Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!’ (2005) and ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’ (2006).

Actress

Hindi

In 2017, she made her Bollywood debut as an actor with the Hindi film ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ in which she played the role of Urmila Shukla Bansal.

She has appeared in various Hindi films such as ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ (2018), ‘The Tashkent Files’ (2019), ‘Shukranu’ (2020), ‘Serious Men’ (2020), and ‘Comedy Couple’ (2020).

Bengali

She made her Bengali film debut with the 2008 film ‘Ek Nadir Galpo’ as Anu.

Telugu

In 2008, she made her Telugu film debut with the film ‘Kotha Bangaru Lokam’ as Swapna.

Some of her other Telugu films are ‘Ride’ (2009), ‘Kasko’ (2009), ‘Priyudu’ (2011), and ‘Vijetha’ (2018).

Tamil

In 2011, she made her Tamil film debut with ‘Raa Raa’ in which she played the role of Gayathri.

In 2013, she acted in the Tamil film ‘Chandhamama.’

Short Film

Shweta has also acted in a few Hindi short films like ‘Int. Café: Night’ (2014), ‘Chubhan’ (2019), and ‘The Lovers’ (2020).

Corporate Jobs

On 19 November 2015, Shweta started working as a script consultant at the Indian film production and distribution company Phantom Studios in Mumbai. She worked there till 14 April 2016. In 2017, she joined the Indian media house The Indian Express, as a column writer.

Other Work

From 2012 to 2016, she worked on the Hindi documentary ‘Roots’ starring many Indian celebrities like Shubha Mudgal, A R Rahman, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Vishal Bhardwaj.

She has worked as an assistant to the Indian film director Anurag Basu in the ‘Clean Shaven’ segment of the Hindi short film ‘Madly’ (2016). She owns a company named Interiors by Shweta Basu Prasad.

Controversy

Arrested in Prostitution Racket Case

In 2014, in a police raid, Shweta was arrested in a sex racket case from a hotel in Hyderabad, Telangana along with a businessman. According to media sources, Shweta apparently got involved in prostitution due to her wrong career choices and financial constraints. As per media, during police interrogation, Shweta said,

I was out of money and had to support my family and other good causes, and after finding all other doors closed, I was encouraged by some people to turn to prostitution to earn money. But I am not the one many other actresses, who also find themselves helpless and with no other choice, turn to prostitution for financial security.”

After hearing her statement, many Indian celebrities like Deepika Padukone and Shweta Tiwari came out in her support. However, she denied giving any such statement. She said,

The problem with our society is, as long as I was given sympathy and everyone went ‘awwww’, ‘poor girl’, ‘so sad’ and so on, everybody was supporting me. But, as soon as people understand that they got carried away by a false statement and a girl of 23 can be strong and can stand on her own feet without any sympathies, the society feels that she is lying?? What’s my fault if the news were the way they were? I cannot force anyone to like or respect me. These happen naturally. What happened was beyond my control.”

During the hearing of her case at the sessions court in Hyderabad, her lawyer pleaded to free her from all charges as no relevant proof was available against her. On 5 December 2014, she was given a clean chit by a sessions court in Hyderabad, and she was sent to the rescue home ‘Prajwal.’ Later, when she was  asked about the businessman/businessmen who was/were present in the hotel room with her, Shweta replied,

Who are these business men in my life? I am just as curious as all of you! So, here is the riddle: Why were the business men names who were caught ‘along with me’ not revealed? Clue: Were there any business men with me in that room at the time of detainment in the first place? Think Think. PROVE IT!”

The reporters even asked her what she was doing in the hotel if she was not involved in the racket. She replied that she was there to attend an award show and her staying arrangements were made by the organisers of the show. Later, in an interview, she said,

Anyway, enough said, enough heard. I have completely gone past the whole incident and I overlook everyone who picked up false statement(s) and encouraged mis-leading stories without verifying it’s authenticity. I overlook, because this episode does not deserve any more attention!”

Awards

• 2003: 50th National Film Award for Best Child Artist for the Hindi film Makdee

  Shweta Basu Prasad receiving the National Award from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

• 2006: Zee Cine Award for Best Actress (Critics) for the Hindi film Iqbal

• 2006: Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Hindi film Iqbal

• 2007: 5th Karachi International Film Festival for Best Supporting Actress for the Hindi film Iqbal

Favourites

• Fashion Brand(s): Forever 21, Marks & Spencer

• Holiday Destination: Himachal Pradesh

• Cuisine(s): Bengali, Italian, Chinese, Japanese

• Ice Cream Flavour(s): Strawberry, Belgium Chocolate

Facts/Trivia

• In 2007, she added her mother’s surname ‘Basu’ as her maiden name and changed her name from Shweta Prasad to Shweta Basu Prasad.

• After the success of the Hindi film ‘Iqbal’ (2005), Shweta’s parents decided that Shweta should take a break from acting and focus on her studies. They even turned down the offer of the Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar’s film ‘Traffic Signal’ (2007) and Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film ‘Halla Bol’ (2008). After completing the shooting of films that she had already signed, she took a break from acting.

• She is an avid book reader and has a huge collection of books.

• In her leisure time, she loves travelling, cooking, cycling, painting, and listening to music.

  Shweta Basu Prasad sitting with a painting made by her

• In her teens, she learnt to play the Sitar without the assistance of any professional.

  Shweta Basu Prasad playing the sitar

• She has been invited as a guest speaker at TEDx Talks and Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares.

  Shweta Basu Prasad as a guest speaker in Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares

• In 2018, she turned from being a hard-core non-vegetarian to a vegetarian.

• She is often spotted smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol.

  Shweta Basu Prasad consuming alcohol

• She has got an ‘X Heart XX’ tattoo inked on her right wrist.

  Shweta Basu Prasad’s tattoo