Born on August 21, 1975, Mini Mathur grew up in Delhi. The popular television host is a living example of beauty with brains! Mini holds a degree in English Literature (from Lady Sriram College, Delhi) and in Business Management (from Institute of Management Technology [IMT], Ghaziabad). (All pictures/Mini Mathur's official Instagram account)

Mini Mathur initially took up a job as an advertising professional at J Walter Thompson, New Delhi, through IMT Campus Placement. She was a brilliant student academically.

Mini Mathur's journey in showbiz started when she became the face of a sunglasses brand, that led to many more modelling assignments. She made her television debut as a host with the game show Tol Mol Ke Bol. After hosting many more TV shows and also acting in shows such as Tanaav (Zee TV), Vakaalat (Zee TV) and Khwahish (Sony), Mini got her big break in MTV as a VJ.

In picture: Preity Zinta, Mini Mathur, Avan Contractor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

After working with MTV for almost four years, in 2004, Mini Mathur became the face of the singing reality show, Indian Idol. The popular video jockey from the 1990s soon became the most loved host for her anchoring skills on Indian Idol.

In picture: Mini Mathur, Hussain Kuwajerwala hosting singing reality show Indian Idol.

Mini has also hosted several live events and reality shows such as Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao (Sony), Wife Bina Life (Star Plus), Dilli Dil Se (Aaj Tak). She even shot for Kaun Banega Crorepati 6, as the 'expert' lifeline.

Mini Mathur, however, thinks a TV host's work is often not considered important enough, despite the fact that it is the host who keeps a show together. 'A TV host's job is highly underrated, and is often considered replaceable when actually they are the glue that holds and shapes everything together,' Mini had said this in a statement, a year back.

Mini Mathur is married to filmmaker Kabir Khan, who has helmed films such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ek Tha Tiger, Tubelight and the latest one being '83. You would be surprised to know that Mini did not tell her father about Kabir's surname for a year before they got married. Now, they have two children - son Vivaan and daughter Sairah.

'He was a Khan, not a Mathur, he was an atheist, which in the Mathur books is even worse than being a Muslim,' said Mini Mathur in an interview. She thinks, as long as people have faith, patriotism, and loyalty, their religion must not be questioned.

Mini Mathur is a liberal person. In an interview with mid-day, Mathur was quoted saying, 'Need to live lives happily with people who are cross-cultural. People are marrying cross-culturally... I am the product of a cross-cultural marriage, and we celebrate every religion. My best friend is Christian, my husband is Muslim. He is half Rao-Tamil Brahmin and half Pathan, and I am fully Kayasth. What are my children going to be? I have no clue... As long as they have faith, patriotism, and loyalty, nobody should ask them what their religion is,' said Mathur.

Mini Mathur is a complete family person. The seasoned host loves her job as much as taking care of her family. When asked how important is it for parents to make quality time for their children, she said, 'When you have children, it is important to realise that this is a lifelong responsibility, and you can't just have children to satisfy your maternal or paternal instinct. It's a lifelong commitment, and if you are not prepared to do it well or give it everything, then you shouldn't do it.'

Mini Mathur has worked non-stop when her two children - Vivaan and Sairah - were babies. 'Now that they are growing up, I feel they need more of my time. They need to talk to me every single day when they come back from school, so I do much slower work than I used to earlier. Now I only do stuff which means something, which means quality to me, and I am indispensable to that project. If somebody can replace me, I don't want to do that project,' said Mini in 2018.

On bonding with her children, Mini Mathur said, 'I like to believe that I am pretty bada** and cool... I like to be somebody that they can relate to, that they don't find outdated, somebody who speaks their language, who understands their problems over the years, and at the same time have a bond where they understand me as Mini, the person, and not relate to me only as Mini, the mother.'

The growing paparazzi culture has put the spotlight on celebrity children in showbiz like never before. Mini Mathur claims that her kids are not adversely affected by the exposure they receive due to their celebrity parents. 'When my kids were small, every Bollywood person or everybody would keep their kids away from the glare of the cameras and would shield their photographs. But this is 2018, and Taimur Ali Khan has a big following, and all children have their Instagram accounts. As far as my kids are concerned, everybody who comes home is a TV or a film star...,' said Mathur in 2018.

Mini Mathur was seen in a 10-part series 'Mini Me' on the small screen, along with her daughter Sairah. The mother-daughter duo ventured out on a trip across six countries in Europe for the show, also produced by Mini.

'Mini Me' showcased Mini and Sairah travel across multiple countries in Europe, trying food halts and doing some not-so-touristy things. In the unique travelogue, they were seen travelling through Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia and Spain.

Mini Mathur always stays in great shape! And considering that she's a mother of two, we're as amazed as you about how she manages to do that. Shedding some light on her fitness routine, Mini had told mid-day in an old interview, 'Fitness is part of my lifestyle now. I don't have to think whether I will hit the gym when I wake up, I just instinctively go. If I am out of the city, I do lunges and squats in the hotel room. But if I have a very strenuous shoot ahead, I might consider skipping the exercise.'

She is a box full of talent, a super-mom, one of the most loved hosts on television, and on top of everything, she is beautiful at heart.

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Mini Mathur!