Ekavali Khanna

Biography:

Ekavali Khanna is an actress who works across Indian and international cinema, with appearances in Bollywood, Hollywood, and Bengali films.

Born in Kolkata, she completed her schooling at Modern High School and later graduated from Delhi University. She comes from a mixed Punjabi and Goan background but culturally identifies as Bengali. Due to professional commitments, she divides her time between Mumbai and Kolkata.

Khanna made her film debut in 2014 with Kaun Kitne Pani Mein, directed by National Award–winning filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda. In the same year, she collaborated with another National Award recipient, Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, on Zed Plus, playing a parallel lead opposite Adil Hussain. Over the next two years, she appeared in several films, including Daasdev (directed by Sudhir Mishra), Satra Ko Shaadi Hai (directed by Arshad Sayed), and a guest role in Bollywood Diaries by K.D. Satyam. Her 2015 release Dear Dad, opposite Arvind Swamy and directed by Tanuj Brahmar, further strengthened her presence in mainstream cinema.

In 2017, she featured in Bioscopewallah, directed by Deb Medhkar, and Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, directed by Harish Vyas, for which she won the Best Actor award at OIFFA 2018. That same year, she received global critical acclaim for her role as Najma in the Norwegian film What Will People Say, directed by Iram Haq. The film was later selected as Norway’s official entry to the Academy Awards in 2019.

Expanding her international work, Khanna appeared in the Hollywood crime drama Line of Descent (2018), directed by Rohit Karn Batra. She also played a significant role in Veere Di Wedding, directed by Shashank Ghosh. Additionally, she appeared in several films in 2018, including Chotte Nawab, Dark Light, Yaarjigri, Anaam, and Aadhar, collaborating with directors such as Kumud Chaudhary, Mayur Hardas, Amit Joshi, Ganesh Shetty, and Suman Ghosh.

Alongside her Hindi and international projects, Khanna has worked extensively in Bengali cinema, with films such as Katmandu directed by Raj Chakraborty, Dwando directed by Suman Ghosh, and Nirontor directed by Chandrashish Ray.