Patralekha Paul Turns 33: A Look At The Actor's Journey In Films

Patralekha Paul birthday: As an actor in films like CityLights and Badnaam Gali, Patralekha Paul has demonstrated the acting range she is capable of. Even in the absence of very many credits to her name, she has managed to make her mark as a memorable figure, on-screen and off, which is worth revisiting as she turns 33.

She started as an ad model for television, most notable for a Tata Docomo film she did. She made her film debut in 2014 with CityLights, opposite her longtime partner and now husband, Rajkummar Rao.

Directed by Hansal Mehta, the low-budget film won Paul massive acclaim. It traced the story of a poverty-ridden couple that comes to Mumbai in search of a livelihood and the hardships they faced. Paul played the role of Rao's ever-supportive wife Rakhi, who emerges by the end of the film as a significant character.

Paul bagged a screen award for her debut with the role.

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In 2016, she played the lead in the erotic thriller Love Games, produced by Mukesh-Mahesh Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar. A year later, Paul reunited with Rao for the screen in the miniseries, Bose:Dead/Alive, based on the life of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.

The bulk of her work since has been for digital platforms, with ZEE5 series Forbidden Love and Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu. A Kannada film starring her is also said to be in the works.

Paul hails from Shillong and has an educational background in commerce, like her father. While he wanted her to trace her path, her heart were set on acting and she made the leap during her years in college. She also went on to pursue a course at Barry John's acting studio.

"Earlier, I felt I didn’t belong here. But now, I’m more comfortable with myself. I made friends in the industry," she told Filmfare in 2016. She has expressed a desire to work with several Hollywood titans, including Meryl Streep.

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Paul and Rao have always drawn the adulation of fans for their long-term relationship that has been going strong for over a decade now. The couple tied the knot last year in November, with photos and videos from the ceremony going viral on the internet. Read all about it here.

While Paul first saw Rao in his debut film Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Rao saw his future wife in a television commercial she did and apparently predicted she is the woman he would marry. More on their love story.