Meet actress, Alia Bhatt's cousin, became overnight star; divorce and depression ruined her career, is now a pole dancer

In 2005, when Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri made Kalyug, a bold, daring film on pornography, it launched Kunal Kemmu, a former child artiste. The film also marked a comeback for Amrita Singh after years away from films. But amid these stars, another actress made her debut in the film, someone who was related not just to the director but also to Emraan Hashmi and Alia Bhatt (who was still a pre-teen then). And while this actress, Smilie Suri, had a great start, it did not pan out the way she would have wanted.

Smilie Suri’s great debut and downfall

Smilie is the sister of Kalyug director Mohit Suri. This means that she is also a distant cousin of Emraan Hashmi and a niece to Mahesh Bhatt, making her Alia and Pooja Bhatt’s cousin to. But unlike her illustrious cousins, Smilie’s career did not take off. After being noticed in Kalyug, Smilie appeared in a handful of other films like Yeh Mera India, apart from cameos in Teesri Aankh and Crook. However, by 2010, Smilie’s film career had pretty much run its course. She worked in a film called Downtown, which was shelved. After this, she moved to TV and appeared in Jodha Akbar and Nach Baliye, before taking a sabbatical.

Smilie Suri in Kalyug

Smilie Suri’s personal life

In 2014, Smilie put her acting career on a hold when she married businessman Vineet Bangera. However, as per reports, the marriage did not last long but ended in divorce. As per reports, the end of her marriage was hard on Smilie, who battled depression post it and spent some time away from the spotlight to work on herself.

Smilie’s career in recent years

A trained kathak dancer, Smilie has worked with Shiamak Davar and trained under Sandeep Soparrkar. In 2018-19, Smilie got into pole dancing as a fitness activity. The actress has since stuck to it. The former actress routinely posts her routines on social media and even trains others now. Her pole dance routines on Instagram frequently earn her hundreds and thousands of likes and comments. In 2024, Smilie returned to films after almost 15 years when she appeared in a small role in the Zee5 film House of Lies.

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