In the world of Bollywood, few newcomers have made as striking an entry as Sara Ali Khan did in 2018.
Born to actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, Sara’s lineage naturally sparked curiosity and anticipation around her debut.
As Sara turns 29 today (August 12), it’s a fitting moment to look back on a career that, though still young, has already left a significant mark on the industry.
Sara’s introduction to Bollywood came with the film Kedarnath, a love story set against the tragic backdrop of the 2013 Uttarakhand floods.
Directed by Abhishek Kapoor and starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput, Kedarnath showed Sara as Mukku, a spirited young woman whose rebellious nature and deep sense of empathy defined her character. Her performance earned her widespread praise, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Barely three weeks after the release of Kedarnath, Sara made her second big-screen appearance in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba. In Simmba, Sara played the love interest of Ranveer Singh’s free-spirited cop, Simmba.
The film was a major commercial success. In the years that followed, Sara continued to experiment with diverse genres. In 2020, she starred in Love Aaj Kal, Sara then ventured into comedy with the film Coolie No. 1, a remake of the 1995 Govinda-Karisma Kapoor classic. In 2021, Sara worked in Atrangi Re, directed by Aanand L. Rai. As Sara’s filmography continued to grow, she also dabbled in genres like psychological thrillers with Gaslight in 2023.
Sara also embraced lighter fare with Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, a comedy that highlighted her impeccable timing and chemistry with co-star Vicky Kaushal. In Ae Watan Mere Watan, a period drama set during India’s Quit India movement in 1942, Sara took on a more serious role.
Beyond her film roles, Sara has also been candid about the topic of nepotism, a conversation that has followed her since her debut. In an interview with BBC, even before her first film was released, she openly acknowledged the advantages she had as an “insider”, she said, “The main perk is access. I could go to Rohit (Shetty) sir’s office and ask him to consider me for Simmba. The access that my parents worked so hard to enable me to have is not something I deny. Having said that, the tonality of conversation around nepotism has become hard back home. While star kids, as much as I hate that term, do have easier into this line. If you’re not good, you won’t get a second film.”
Looking ahead, Sara’s career shows no signs of slowing down with upcoming projects like Metro…In Dino, Sky Force and Eagle.