Niki Aneja Walia, model, compere, VJ, host, and actress on television and in Bollywood, is a popular household name for many. More than her film career, Niki Aneja is known for working for 30 years in over 31 television serials across genres. She is, to date, most popular for her role as Dr Simran Mathur in the Hindi TV series Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani on Zee TV. But, Niki Aneja has also had a significant film career. Over the years, Niki Aneja has worked with superstars like Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, and Kiara Advani, among others. Niki Aneja was also touted to play the lead role in Shah Rukh Khan's film Yes Boss but she quit the film after shooting commenced.
Niki Aneja who has worked in silence for years, is currently grabbing headlines for levelling serious allegations against producer Pahlaj Nihalani. Recalling working on her debut film Mr Azaad (1994), which also starred Anil Kapoor in the lead, Niki Aneja has revealed that she was mentally tortured on the set of Mr Azaad. Niki Aneja also alleged that Pahlaj Nihalani asked her to have dinners with the distributors and ‘compromise’ when she was just 19.
In an interview with Siddharth Kanan on his podcast, Niki Aneja said, "I felt very uncomfortable. I wasn’t treated nicely during Azaad. Newcomer aside, I realised there is more to acting than what people said. Ye jo casting couch hai, ‘Compromise kar lo kya problem hai… aapki journey jaldi ho jayegi…’ When people talk about these things around you, I don’t resonate with them. I want to wake up and respect who I see in the mirror. Whatever I learned technically during that shoot is my wealth but what I learned on the outside of the shoot, during rehearsals and promotions, I understood that all these things I can’t do. I was only 19 at that time."
Niki Aneja, in her interview, claimed that after the incident on Mr Azaad set, people started to disrespect her. She revealed that several people also taunted her after she refused to compromise, however, Niki Aneja says that she has always stood her ground and has no regrets about it.
Many people are unaware that Niki Aneja also has a special connection with Aishwarya Rai, who is currently in the news amid her divorce rumours with Abhishek Bachchan. Niki Aneja was a judge for Femina Miss India 1994 which led to the win for Miss World for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Miss Universe for Sushmita Sen.
Niki Aneja is the cousin of actor Parmeet Sethi. She has been married to Sonny Walia since February 2002. The couple has twins (a boy, Sean, and a girl, Sabrina). She currently lives in England.
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