# Surveen Chawla
**Surveen Chawla** is an Indian actress and dancer who works in Hindi television, Bollywood, and Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, and [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema), and who has since moved into streaming series. She began on television in 2003 with [Ekta Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ekta-kapoor)'s serial *Kahiin To Hoga*, built her film career through regional cinema, and became widely known for the 2014 thriller *Hate Story 2*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). She was born in 1984 in [Chandigarh](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandigarh), India, into a Punjabi family, with sources giving her birth date as either 1984 or 1 August 1984[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/surveen_chawla).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Television debut | *Kahiin To Hoga* (2003), a Balaji Telefilms serial, playing Charu; later *Kasautii Zindagii Kay* and the titular role in *Kaajjal*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) |
| Film debut | Kannada film *Paramesha Panwala* (2008), which was not a box-office success[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) |
| Punjabi breakthrough | *Dharti* (2011), a political thriller with Jimmy Sheirgill; a commercial success that won her the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Debut Female[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/punjabi/surveen-chawlas-shift-from-television-to-punjabi-cinema/photostory/120576284.cms) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/) |
| Hindi breakthrough | *Hate Story 2* (2014), a box-office success whose performance was well received even though critics panned the film[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) |
| Acclaimed film work | *Ugly* (2014), Anurag Kashyap's neo-noir thriller screened at Cannes, and Leena Yadav's *Parched* (2015), which won her a shared Best Actress Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/) |
| Streaming career | Debut with ALT Balaji's *Haq Se* (2018) as Mehr Mirza; later *Sacred Games*, *Rana Naidu*, *Decoupled*, and *Criminal Justice*[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/) • [6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/from-small-screen-to-silver-screen-surveen-chawlas-evolution/photostory/121246045.cms) |
| Awards total | 9 wins and 15 nominations as listed by IMDb[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/) |
## Television beginnings
Chawla entered television through [Balaji Telefilms](https://www.edgepedia.org/balaji-telefilms), the production house behind some of Indian television's most-watched serials of the period. Her first role was Charu in *Kahiin To Hoga* (2003), which co-starred [Rajeev Khandelwal](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajeev-khandelwal) and Aamna Shariff in the lead roles; her portrayal won praise and led to a part in *Kasautii Zindagii Kay*, followed by the titular role in *Kaajjal*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). She worked in television from 2003 to 2008 before turning to film[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622).
In 2008 she appeared on the dance reality show *Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena*, paired with the former fast bowler [S. Sreesanth](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-sreesanth), and in 2010 she hosted the comedy show *Comedy Circus Ke SuperStars*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). In a later interview she credited that hosting stint, done as a favor for a friend, with leading indirectly to her Punjabi film career: [Jimmy Sheirgill](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-sheirgill), producing his first Punjabi film, called her afterward[7](https://www.asianage.com/bollywood/surveen-chawla-gets-candid-140).
## Regional cinema
Her film debut came in [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema) with *Paramesha Panwala* (2008), which failed at the box office despite promotion, and she made her Telugu debut with *Raju Maharaju* in 2009[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622).
**Punjabi cinema became her base.** She entered it in 2011 with *Dharti*, a political suspense thriller directed by Navaniat Singh, in which she played Bani opposite Jimmy Sheirgill and Rannvijay Singh; the film was a commercial and critical success and reportedly outperformed same-day releases in Punjab[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) • [8](https://hindi.theindianwire.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80-210612/). It earned her the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Debut Female[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/). A string of Punjabi films followed, including *Taur Mittran Di* (2012), *Saadi Love Story* (2013), *Singh vs Kaur* (2013), *Lucky Di Unlucky Story* (2013), and *Disco Singh* (2014), for which she won the PTC Best Actress award in 2015[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/). She also worked in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema), appearing in *Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal* (2013)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622).
## Hindi films
Her Bollywood debut was a cameo in the 2011 romantic comedy *Hum Tum Shabana*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). The role that made her widely known came with *Hate Story 2* (2014), an erotic thriller that succeeded at the box office while drawing negative reviews; her own performance was well received[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). In interviews she described the aftermath candidly: the film's marketing was outside her control, she expected to be typecast, and she received and rejected a series of similar bold-role offers afterward[7](https://www.asianage.com/bollywood/surveen-chawla-gets-candid-140).
The same year she appeared in [Anurag Kashyap](https://www.edgepedia.org/anurag-kashyap)'s neo-noir psychological thriller *Ugly*, which first screened at the Cannes Film Festival and opened to widespread critical acclaim[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). She also made special appearances in item songs in *Himmatwala* (2013), *Creature 3D*, and *Welcome Back* (2015)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622).
**Parched marked a turning point.** In Leena Yadav's drama *Parched* (2015), about four women battling restrictive social customs, she played Bijli alongside [Radhika Apte](https://www.edgepedia.org/radhika-apte) and [Tannishtha Chatterjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/tannishtha-chatterjee)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). The film screened at the 2015 [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival), won 18 international film awards, and released in India in 2016[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). Chawla shared the Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles with Apte, Chatterjee, and Lehar Khan, and received a Screen Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/). She has called *Parched* the turning point of her career, while describing herself as "basically a commercial star" whose versatility is her asset[7](https://www.asianage.com/bollywood/surveen-chawla-gets-candid-140).
In 2016 she appeared in the second season of the Indian crime-drama series *24* with [Anil Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/anil-kapoor) and competed in *Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa* season 9, from which she was voted out in a double elimination[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/).
## Streaming work
Chawla entered the digital space in 2018 with ALT Balaji's web series *Haq Se*, playing Mehr Mirza, the eldest of four Mirza sisters in a story set in Kashmir[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/). She went on to appear in Netflix's *Sacred Games*, and later in *Rana Naidu* (2023), the comedy *Decoupled* (2021), and *Criminal Justice*[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/from-small-screen-to-silver-screen-surveen-chawlas-evolution/photostory/121246045.cms) • [9](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vijayawada-02-06-2025.pdf).
The streaming phase has brought her the most recent recognition. She won the IWM Digital Awards Jury Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role in a Web Series for *Decoupled* in 2022, and in 2025 won the Indian Television Academy's OTT Award for Best Actress, Drama, for *Criminal Justice*[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/). In March 2026 she was nominated for Best Actress (web series) at the 8th Critics' Choice Awards for *Criminal Justice* Season 4, in a field that included [Shabana Azmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/shabana-azmi) and Priyamani[10](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/homebound-black-warrant-lead-critics-choice-awards-2026-nominations/).
## Career pattern
Her trajectory runs from daily-soap television through regional film stardom to Hindi cinema and then streaming, with each phase feeding the next: the *Comedy Circus* hosting job led to *Dharti*, footage from her *Hum Tum Shabana* cameo led T-series to cast her in *Hate Story 2*, and the streaming series have produced her recent awards[7](https://www.asianage.com/bollywood/surveen-chawla-gets-candid-140) • [1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622). She has also spoken publicly about industry problems, including experiences with the casting couch[9](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vijayawada-02-06-2025.pdf).
## References
1. [Surveen Chawla - Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/surveen-chawla/23622)
2. [Surveen Chawla Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/surveen_chawla)
3. [Surveen Chawla's shift from television to Punjabi cinema, Times of India / ETimes](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/punjabi/surveen-chawlas-shift-from-television-to-punjabi-cinema/photostory/120576284.cms)
4. [Surveen Chawla - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/awards/)
5. [Surveen Chawla, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4015689/)
6. [From small screen to silver screen: Surveen Chawla's evolution, Times of India / ETimes](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/from-small-screen-to-silver-screen-surveen-chawlas-evolution/photostory/121246045.cms)
7. [Surveen Chawla gets candid, The Asian Age](https://www.asianage.com/bollywood/surveen-chawla-gets-candid-140)
8. [सुरवीन चावला का जीवन परिचय, The Indian Wire (Hindi)](https://hindi.theindianwire.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80-210612/)
9. [The Pioneer, Vijayawada edition (2 June 2025)](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vijayawada-02-06-2025.pdf)
10. ['Homebound', 'Black Warrant' lead Critics' Choice Awards 2026 nominations, The Tribune](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/homebound-black-warrant-lead-critics-choice-awards-2026-nominations/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 2010s onward › Surnames symbols to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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