It's television actress Sanjeeda Shaikh's birthday on December 20. As the actress turns 35, we take a look at some of her glamorous pictures and lesser-known facts!
Updated On: 2017-12-30 02:14 PM IST
Born on December 20, 1984, Sanjeeda Shaikh hails from Kuwait. Her hometown is, however, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Sanjeeda was very young when she decided to move to Mumbai to start a dance academy with a friend. (All photos/Sanjeeda Shaikh's official Instagram account)
At age 19, Sanjeeda Shaikh made her acting debut in Bollywood. She played a small role in Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini-starrer Baghban.
Sanjeeda Shaikh played the role of Nilli, Kapil's (Nakul Vaid) girlfriend who get quite friendly with Raj Malhotra (Big B) while he spends time in Hemantbhai Patel's (Paresh Rawal) cafeteria.
In 2005, Sanjeeda Shaikh made her Tamil debut with Ponniyin Selvan, starring Ravi Krishna, along with Gopika and Revathi.
In 2006, Sanjeeda Shaikh got a television break with the show Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa. Her character became quite popular, though the show ended within a span of a year.
After that, in 2007, Sanjeeda appeared as a vamp in the Ekta Kapoor show Kayamath and became a household name. In the same year, Sanjeeda participated in Nach Baliye 3 with then-boyfriend-now-husband Aamir Ali and the couple won the competition.
During the competition, fellow participants Rakhi Sawant, and her then-partner, Abhishek Awasthi alleged that Shaikh and Ali won the competition by bribing the makers of Nach Baliye. However, Sanjeeda and Aamir did not pay heed to the controversy.
Banking on the success of Nach Baliye 3, after winning hearts with her dancing prowess, Sanjeeda Shaikh appeared in the TV show Kya Dill Mein Hai in 2008 along with Aamir. In the same year, the couple even hosted Nach Baliye 4.
After a break of almost two years, Sanjeeda Shaikh appeared in the TV show Jaane Pehchane Se Yeh Ajnabi, followed by a short stint in Bollywood film Pankh and later, went on to participate in yet another dance reality show Zara Nachke Dikha.
In 2011, Sanjeeda Shaikh appeared as the female lead in Sahara One's show Hi! Padosi,Kaun Hain Doshi? Interestingly, the TV show which began as a comedy later turned into a drama series named Piya Ka Ghar Pyaara Lage.
In the meanwhile, on the personal front, Sanjeeda Shaikh got married to her longtime boyfriend-actor Aamir Ali on March 2, 2012.
Sanjeeda Shaikh was left speechless when Aamir popped the question to her after a hard day's work.
'I wasn't expecting a proposal from Aamir that night, especially when he had waited long hours for my shoot to get over and I too was drained after giving back-to-back high-intensity scenes that involved portraying a lot of mental trauma and crying. As I came out of my shot, there he stood in front of me, went down on his knees and proposed marriage. That was it, the moment of my life,' said Sanjeeda in 2012, just a few months before she got hitched.
Asked if it's challenging to have your spouse in the same profession, Sanjeeda said, 'It is good to have your partner in the same profession because the understanding is great. Me and Aamir are like friends. We understand each other so well and it's easier I think as we have the same profession.'
Again, after taking a break for two years, in 2013, Sanjeeda Shaikh starred in the TV show Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan, Zee TV's Hindi remake of the Bengali hit Khela. She later appeared in the TV show Ek Hasina Thi, which gained huge popularity for Shaikh.
After Ek Hasina Thi, Sanjeeda was seen in the reality show Power Couple with husband Aamir Ali. 'I really don't want to work with Aamir in a fiction show (again) as I want to miss my husband. I don't want to work with him for 14 hours a day, then go home tired and not talk to each other as that would happen eventually. I rather love going home after a long day at work, to my husband with a fresh mind,' said the actress.
Even as the world is eager to jump onto the digital bandwagon, which carries the promise for better content, Shaikh says TV still enjoys a generous audience. 'The digital platform has its own viewership, but we have a lot of people who still watch saas-bahu shows. That is not going to change. I felt, people wouldn't be enticed by the web, but I was wrong. I too don't watch TV anymore, and only watch digital shows.'
Sanjeeda Shaikh was last seen in the music video titled, Ruka Hoon. The music video featured Jigar Saraiya and Sanjeeda romancing in the exotic location of Istanbul.
