# Shweta Kawatra (श्वेता कवात्रा)
**Shweta Kawatra** (श्वेता कवात्रा; also spelled Kawaatra in some English sources) is an Indian television actress and former model, best known for playing the antagonist Pallavi Agarwal in [Ekta Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ekta-kapoor)'s STAR Plus soap *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii*.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) • [2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms) English sources disagree on the surname spelling, with IMDb and [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) using "Kawatra" and the Times of India and other outlets using "Kawaatra".[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1655836/) • [2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Breakthrough role | Pallavi (Pallavi Kamal Agarwal), initially the antagonist, in *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii* on STAR Plus[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) |
| Awards for that role | Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role; STAR Parivaar Award for Favourite Devrani[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) |
| Other serials | Isha Kapoor in *Kkusum*; Dr. Niyati Pradhan in *CID* and *CID: Special Bureau*; Nivedita Mittal in *Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan*; Bhayankar Pari in *Baal Veer*[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) |
| Films | *My Brother Nikhil* (2005), *Murder 2* (2011) as Dr. Sania, *Azhar* (2016), *Ram Setu* (2022)[4](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/) • [5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html) |
| Marriage | Married co-actor Manav Gohil on 26 December 2004; daughter Zahra Tabeetha born 2012[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) |
| Birth year | Disputed: 1960 (IMDb, AllMovie) versus 1976 (Indianetzone); Delhi in both accounts[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1655836/) • [1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) |
| Peak workload | 6–7 shows at a time in a year, by her own account[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html) |
## Early life and background
Kawatra grew up in Delhi and studied at Jesus and Mary College, where she was interested in modeling; she walked the ramp for the first time at 18, at the Surya hotel in Delhi.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms) At 19 she came to Mumbai to take part in the Femina Look of the Year contest and went home empty-handed.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms) She has said she never attended acting school.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms)
Her birth year is reported inconsistently. IMDb and AllMovie give 10 February 1960, while the specialist reference Indianetzone gives 10 February 1976; both agree on Delhi.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1655836/) • [7](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/shweta-kawatra-an1654582) • [1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) Indianetzone also reports that she practices Buddhism and is a member of the [Soka Gakkai](https://www.edgepedia.org/soka-gakkai), a Japanese Buddhist movement.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra)
## Television career
Her first acting role was in *Suhana Safar* on [Zee TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/zee-tv).[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms) The role that defined her career came through an unusual channel: Ekta Kapoor telephoned her at 1:30 in the morning to offer her Pallavi in *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii*, and it took Kawatra four episodes to get the feel of the character.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms) The serial ran for 1,449 episodes until March 2009, one of the longest-running serials on Indian television.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra)
**Typecasting and range.** In *Kkusum* she played Isha Kapoor, a bubbly girl returned from America, deliberately opposite in character to Pallavi.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms) She then played Dr. Niyati Pradhan in Sony TV's *CID* and *CID: Special Bureau*, and Nivedita Mittal in *Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan*.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) An aggregator listing adds appearances in *Rishtey* (1998), *Ye Meri Life Hai* (2004), *Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar* (2005), and *Phulwa* (2011).[4](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/) Later television work included Bhayankar Pari in SAB TV's fantasy show *Baal Veer*, which began airing in October 2012, and hosting *Sawaal-e-Ishq* in 2015, giving advice on relationships and life.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) • [4](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/) She also competed with her husband on the dance show *Nach Baliye 2*.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra)
## Film and other work
Her film debut came in 2005 with *My Brother Nikhil*, in which she played a lawyer.[4](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/) She appeared as psychiatrist Dr. Sania in *Murder 2* (2011) and in *Azhar* (2016).[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) IMDb also credits her with *Miss India* (2004).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1655836/) In 2022 she appeared in [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar)'s *Ram Setu*.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html) In a 2021 interview she said the web had "broken that ice a bit" between television actors and films, and that she had done a short film with more projects coming up.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms)
## By the numbers
Her screen activity spans roughly two decades of television from the late 1990s or 2000 debut (sources differ) through *Ram Setu* in 2022.[4](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/) • [7](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/shweta-kawatra-an1654582) At her peak she worked on 6 to 7 shows at a time in a year, a workload she later described as burning her out.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html) *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii*, the serial in which she played Pallavi, ran for 1,449 episodes.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra)
## Reception and recognition
Her Pallavi Agarwal won her the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role and the STAR Parivaar Award for Favourite Devrani.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) The Times of India describes her as having become popular playing the vamp in *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki* and *Kkusum*.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms) She has also spoken about the barrier between the two industries: "After working for more than two decades in television, I was burned out and wanted to do films, but it wasn't easy. I was even at the peak of my career, but I had no clue who to approach and how to go about it," adding that filmmakers were not open to TV actors because overexposure kills their chance to be in films.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms)
## Personal life
She married [Manav Gohil](https://www.edgepedia.org/manav-gohil), her co-actor from *Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii*, on 26 December 2004, after meeting on the show's sets; their daughter Zahra Tabeetha was born in 2012.[1](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra) She has credited Gohil with giving her the liberty to step back and enjoy motherhood.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms)
## Health and career since 2023
Kawatra has spoken publicly about postpartum depression after her daughter's birth, describing a period in which she felt suicidal, helpless, and hopeless, and linking her reduced on-screen presence to the condition.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html) In a March 2024 Hindustan Times feature for [International Women's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-womens-day), she said it took her about one year to recognize what she was going through and almost five years to overcome the condition completely.[8](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/international-womens-day-2024-shweta-kawaatra-postpartum-depression-recovery-journey-tips-for-new-mothers-101709816620134.html)
On work, she has said that daily television does not allow her a balance of home and work and that she prefers OTT and films, which allow more time for life.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html)
## References
1. [Shweta Kawatra, Indianetzone](https://www.indianetzone.com/shweta_kawatra)
2. [After working for more than two decades in television, I was burned out and wanted to do films, but it wasn't easy: Shweta Kawaatra, Times of India (2021)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/after-working-for-17-years-in-television-i-was-burned-out-and-wanted-to-do-films-but-it-wasnt-easy-shweta-kawaatra/articleshow/86583484.cms)
3. [Shweta Kawatra, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1655836/)
4. [Shweta Kawaatra Height, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More, StarsUnfolded](https://starsunfolded.com/shweta-kawaatra/)
5. [Shweta Kawatra recalls being 'suicidal, helpless and hopeless' during postpartum depression, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/shweta-kawatra-recalls-being-suicidal-helpless-and-hopeless-during-postpartum-depression-101674546300090.html)
6. [Queen of hearts, Times of India Bombay Times](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bombay-times/queen-of-hearts/articleshow/507468719.cms)
7. [Shweta Kawatra, AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/shweta-kawatra-an1654582)
8. [International Women's Day 2024: Shweta Kawaatra shares her postpartum depression recovery journey, tips for new mothers, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/international-womens-day-2024-shweta-kawaatra-postpartum-depression-recovery-journey-tips-for-new-mothers-101709816620134.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, 2000s onward › Surnames H to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license