Born on May 18, 1995, in Pune, Maharashtra, Shivangi Joshi has spent a major part of her childhood in and around Rishikesh. She was raised in Uttarakhand, Dehradun. The actress, who rose to fame after playing Naira in Television's most popular and long-running show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, made it big in the Telly world without a godfather. (All pictures/Shivangi Joshi's official Instagram account and mid-day archive)

Shivangi Joshi completed her schooling from Pine Hall School, Dehradun and graduated in B.A from her hometown itself. After graduation, she took a break of a year and then tried her luck in the TV industry. Hailing from a small town, it's indeed applaudable, how Shivangi achieved her dream!

Well, Shivangi Joshi was always interested in acting and dancing and dreamt of becoming an actress since her childhood. But, another hidden talent of the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress is - she has won several gold medals in Taekwondo competitions.

Shivangi Joshi, one of the most loved actresses in Television, has made her debut in 2013 with the show, Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi. She was just 18 when she entered the Telly world.

Soon after that, Shivangi Joshi went on to play Aayat Haider in TV show Beintehaa and Poonam Thakur in Begusarai (2015).

Through Begusarai, Shivangi Joshi met Shweta Tiwari, who played a pivotal character in the show. And the former considers Tiwari as her inspiration.

Things drastically changed after 2016 for Shivangi Joshi when she entered Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai as Naitik and Akshara's daughter Naira Singhania.

Shivangi Joshi's chemistry with co-star Mohsin Khan was and is still loved by the audience. Kartik (Mohsin's character) and Naira in Rajan Shahi's long-running show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai became such a rage that the couple was called 'Kaira' by their loyal fans.

Love seemed to be in the air for Shivangi Joshi and Mohsin Khan off-screen as well. Shivangi was often spotted with Mohsin after work hours. In fact, the actress spent New Year's Eve (2017) with Mohsin and his family.

While the duo initially maintained that there is nothing brewing between them, in 2017, Mohsin in a public statement revealed that "He is in love with Shivangi". Mohsin said in a statement in February 2017, "We have been linked to each other ever since we became part of the show but we chose to avoid all those rumours and not let it affect our friendship or work in any way. In fact, there was nothing to talk about initially, since we were just friends. Our friendship graduated to love eventually. We rang in the New Year with my family. Funnily, we haven't gone out on an official date yet, owing to our erratic schedule."

Asked what made him fall for Shivangi, Mohsin Khan had said: "Shivangi's innocence made me fall for her. We are still exploring each other. It has been a long friendship and a beautiful journey, which has now blossomed into love." However, in January 2020, Mohsin shocked his fans by saying he and Shivangi Joshi were never in a relationship.

Coming back to Shivangi Joshi's professional front, it is often seen that with success comes arrogance as well, but that has not happened with her. She is still the same off-screen.

When mid-day asked Shivangi about handling this huge fan following (2.6 million on Instagram) with grace and politeness, she said, "I feel every day is my first day. I work harder and harder every day. I want to go higher and I feel this is just the beginning. I have to achieve bigger goals. I will go step by step. I have to work a lot and make everyone proud."

Shivangi Joshi says she loves her profession, and her fans play a huge role in it. On what she loves about being an actor, she said: "It's the love that we get from our fans which is so gratifying."

However, it can get hectic at times. "Any profession can be hectic. It totally depends on people and how much time they make for themselves and others. It's important to make time for yourself in this industry. For example, I still go out for movies and family gatherings after I finish shooting," she said.

Shivangi adds that the TV industry is a great place to make new friends. "My close friends like Lata Sabharwal and Aditi Bhatia are from the industry. We hang out after pack-up and even chill at each other's houses when we get the time," she said.

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Shivangi Joshi! May you achieve more success!