Isha Koppikar

Isha Koppikar is an Indian actress and model who has appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films.

Early Life
Isha Koppikar was born on was born on September 19, 1976 in Mumbai, India into a family of Mangalorean origin.

Isha comes from a family of learned academicians and Isha herself has completed a course in Life Sciences from Ruia College in Mumbai.

While at college, Isha appeared in a photoshoot with famed Indian photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha which led to a career in modeling. Isha appeared in commercials for "Camay", "Rexona", "L'Oreal", "Tips & Toes", "Coke" "Synergy", "Ponds", and "Deepam Sarees". In 1995, Isha competed in the 1995 Miss India Contest and won the talent crown. Her exposure as a model led to her career as an actress.

Early Film Career
The first movie that Isha appeared in was the 1998 Tamil film “Kaadhal Kavithai” for which she received the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. The year 1998 saw the release of 2 other movies for Isha: the Tamil film “En Swasa Kaatre” and a cameo appearance in Praveen Kanth's “Jodi”.

During 1999, Isla appeared in several films including Telugu and Tamil films. In the year 2000, Isha appeared in four Kannada films: “Hoo Anthiya Uhoo Anthiya”, “Nuvvu Vasthavani”, “O Nanna Nalle”, and finally “Surya Vamsha”. Isha was interested in becoming a Bollywood actress by this time and performed in her first Hindi film, “Fiza”.

Introduction to Bollywood
After appearing in “Fiza”, Isha then appeared in the movie “Rahu” with an item number appearance. This was followed with two more Bollywood films, “Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbatand” and K. Raghavendra Rao's urban comedy “Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa”. Isha then appeared in the movie “Company”; here she performed in an item number as “Khallas” which led to her nickname of “Khallas Girl”. Isha was becoming a Bollywood celebrity. She won the Stardust Award for Most Exciting New Face for “Khallas”. By 2003, Isha was working steadily in Bollywood.

Later Bollywood Career
In 2003, Isha released 5 films as a Bollywood actress. In Harry Baweja’s “Oayamat: City Under Threat”, Isha played one of three terrorists and this role brought her a Filmfare nomination in the Best Villain category. In 2004, Isha’s films were being released every two months on average.

In “Inteqam”, Isha revived the role played by Sharon Stone in the original Hollywood version of “Basic Instinct”. She also appeared in a comedy but another role of hers garnered more attention. Isha had performed in the movie “Girlfriend” which was about a lesbian love triangle. This film sparked controversy and protests. Isha was again a hot celebrity in India.

In 2005, Isha only released four films. In 2006, Isha appeared in the remake of hit “Don: The Chase Begins Again” as a mob moll. This film was successful but many of her projects during this time were either stuck in production or cancelled.

Vicky Ranawat's “Haseena Smart Sexy and Dangerous” was quietly released towards the end of 2006, the murder mystery Garhee appeared on DVD, “Raakh” was dropped, whilst Koppikhar's highest profile film of 2007, “Salaam-e-Ishq”, gave her limited screentime.

Isha’s film career has picked up in 2008 and 2009 with several films ready for release. One film that is eagerly awaited is “Shabiri” in which Isha will play a crime lord.

Isha has other interested besides her film work. She performs in musical stage shows and is also a spokesperson for the PETA.