Sonal Chauhan at Hf Yuva 2026: From Pageants to Bollywood and Mirzapur Success

Sonal Chauhan is set to be among the personalities attending NDTV Yuva 2026, giving audiences an opportunity to revisit a career that has taken her from beauty pageants to Hindi cinema and several regional film industries.

Nearly two decades after making her acting debut, Sonal remains closely associated with her first major role in Jannat. Her career has since expanded across Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema, with her latest chapter arriving through Mirzapur: The Movie.

Sonal Chauhan’s Journey Began With Beauty Pageants

Before entering films, Sonal Chauhan made her mark in the world of beauty pageants.

In 2005, she won the Femina Miss India title and was also crowned Miss World Tourism that year. The achievements brought her into the public spotlight and opened the door to opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Three years later, Sonal made her Hindi film debut with Jannat, opposite Emraan Hashmi.

The film became an important early milestone in her career and introduced her to a much wider Hindi-speaking audience.

‘I Love Being Called the Jannat Girl’

Despite moving through multiple film industries and taking on different roles over the years, Sonal continues to embrace the association with Jannat.

In an exclusive interview, she reflected on the affection she received for her debut film and said she has no problem with being remembered as the “Jannat Girl.”

“I love being called the Jannat Girl. I think very few actors get what I got in my first film,” Sonal said.

She explained that audiences still sometimes identify her with her character or the film, something she considers a sign of the lasting connection viewers developed with the movie.

“Till today, I am called by my character’s name, or I’m known as the Jannat Girl, and why would I mind it? I think it’s just beautiful that in my first film, I got so much love that the audience is still not over it,” she added.

From Bollywood to South Indian Cinema

Following Jannat, Sonal expanded her acting career beyond Hindi cinema.

She made her Telugu debut with Rainbow and subsequently appeared in films including Legend, Pandaga Chesko and Dictator. She was also part of Size Zero in 2015.

Her journey had already taken her into other regional industries. She made her Kannada debut with Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu in 2010 and later entered Tamil cinema with Inji Iduppazhagi in 2015.

Over the years, this has allowed Sonal to build a filmography spanning Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema.

Sonal Chauhan Returns to the Spotlight With Mirzapur: The Movie

In 2026, Sonal became part of the cinematic expansion of one of India’s widely recognised streaming franchises with Mirzapur: The Movie.

The film brought the Mirzapur universe from OTT to the big screen, creating uncertainty around how audiences would respond to the transition.

Sonal plays Mumtaz, and the response to her character has been one of the aspects she has particularly appreciated.

Sonal on Mirzapur: The Movie’s Box Office Response

Speaking to NDTV, Sonal admitted that the scale of the film’s theatrical response was beyond what she and the team had anticipated.

“Honestly, I don’t think any one of us expected this kind of a storm at the box office. I mean, like I said, you know, we were all nervous and we didn’t know how this transition from OTT to the big screen will be taken by the audience,” she said.

The actress explained that while the commercial figures have been encouraging, the audience’s response to individual characters has meant even more to her.

“But obviously, it’s been, it’s been amazing and all the love that we’re getting from the audience is something that matters more,” Sonal said.

She added that the response to her portrayal of Mumtaz had been particularly special.

“The numbers are amazing, but the way the audience has received this film and the way they have received me as Mumtaz is just unbelievable and it’s just so beautiful,” she said.

‘It’s Been Both’

For Sonal, the success of Mirzapur: The Movie has combined two forms of recognition that do not always arrive together: commercial performance and affection for individual characters.

“Sometimes there are films that make a lot of money, but we don’t hear or we don’t get this love for each and every character. But here, it’s been both. So of course, we’re all very, very happy and delighted,” she concluded.

Mirzapur: The Movie released in theatres on September 4, 2026.

A Career Spanning Nearly Two Decades

From winning pageant titles in 2005 to entering Bollywood with Jannat in 2008 and subsequently working across several Indian film industries, Sonal Chauhan’s career has continued to evolve.

Her appearance at NDTV Yuva 2026 comes at a particularly interesting point in that journey. Nearly two decades after her debut, she remains connected to the role that first made her widely recognised while also finding a new audience through Mirzapur: The Movie.

For Sonal, the continuing affection for Jannat and the response to Mumtaz represent two different chapters of a career built across languages, industries and changing audience preferences.