Kriti Kharbanda has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema, marking an important milestone in a career that has taken her through horror, romance, comedy, drama and streaming projects.
The actress made her Hindi film debut with Raaz Reboot in 2016. A decade later, her filmography includes a mix of commercial entertainers and more performance-driven projects, while her transition to OTT has also added another dimension to her work. Recent retrospectives on her career have highlighted five projects that reflect the different phases of her Hindi entertainment journey.
Kriti had already established herself in the South Indian film industries before entering Bollywood. She had appeared in Telugu and Kannada films, with projects such as Googly, Super Ranga and Bruce Lee: The Fighter helping her build recognition before her Hindi debut.
Her Bollywood journey, however, began with a very different kind of film.
Raaz Reboot Gave Kriti Her Hindi Debut
In Raaz Reboot, Kriti played Shaina, the central female character in Vikram Bhatt's supernatural horror film.
The 2016 movie, which also starred Emraan Hashmi and Gaurav Arora, introduced Kriti to a Hindi-speaking audience in a genre that relied heavily on atmosphere, suspense and supernatural elements.
For the actress, the film became the starting point of her decade-long journey in Hindi cinema.
Looking back, Raaz Reboot is significant not only because it was her first Hindi film but also because it opened the door to a series of projects across very different genres.
Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana Showed Another Side
A year after her Hindi debut, Kriti appeared in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, opposite Rajkummar Rao.
She played Aarti Shukla, a young woman whose relationship takes an unexpected turn before marriage. The film gradually moves from romance into a story about relationships, ambition, resentment and personal transformation.
Kriti's performance gave her an opportunity to move beyond the conventional glamour-oriented roles associated with many mainstream Hindi releases.
The film has remained one of the more discussed titles in her Hindi filmography, with her performance as Aarti often singled out when looking back at her acting journey. IMDb's career biography also describes the film as a notable performance in her Hindi career.
The pairing with Rajkummar Rao also helped the film develop a strong following after its theatrical release.
Housefull 4 Took Kriti Into Big-Ticket Comedy
Kriti then entered one of Bollywood's biggest comedy franchises with Housefull 4.
The 2019 film gave her the opportunity to play two different characters — Rajkumari Meena and Pooja — as the story moved between two time periods.
The scale was completely different from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana. Instead of an intimate romantic drama, Kriti was now part of a large ensemble featuring Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon and Pooja Hegde.
The film also became a major commercial release, and Kriti received recognition for her comic performance. She won the Lions Gold Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role in 2020 for Housefull 4.
The project demonstrated another aspect of her screen presence — the ability to participate in a broad, theatrical comedy without being restricted to dramatic roles.
14 Phere Brought Her Back to a More Emotional Story
Kriti's next notable phase came with 14 Phere, the 2021 social comedy-drama.
In the film, she played Aditi Karwasra, a young woman navigating love, family expectations and the complications surrounding marriage.
The film paired Kriti with Vikrant Massey and explored the familiar Indian wedding setup through questions surrounding caste, family approval and relationships.
Compared with the larger-than-life world of Housefull 4, 14 Phere gave Kriti a more contemporary character and allowed her to work within a story that balanced humour with emotional conflict.
The project also reflected a recurring feature of her career — moving between commercial entertainment and stories built around relationships and social situations.
Rana Naidu Season 2 Took Her Into OTT
Kriti's Hindi journey later expanded beyond films when she joined the second season of the popular series Rana Naidu.
Her appearance in Rana Naidu Season 2 marked another change in format. Instead of a two-to-three-hour theatrical narrative, the OTT series allowed her to work within a longer story with multiple characters and intersecting plotlines.
The move also came at a time when actors were increasingly using streaming platforms to experiment with different kinds of roles.
For Kriti, it added another format to a career that had already moved between horror, romance, comedy and drama.
A Career That Began Before Bollywood
Although Kriti completed 10 years in Hindi cinema with Raaz Reboot, her acting career is actually older.
She made her screen debut with the Telugu film Boni in 2009 and subsequently worked extensively in Kannada and Telugu cinema. Her performance in Googly received positive attention, while Super Ranga earned her the Critics' Best Actress award at the South Indian International Movie Awards.
That experience gave her a substantial foundation before she entered Bollywood.
Her South Indian filmography includes films such as Bruce Lee: The Fighter, Belli and Thirupathi Express, among others.
Her transition to Hindi cinema therefore wasn't the beginning of her acting career but rather the start of another chapter.
From Horror to Comedy and Drama
What stands out across Kriti Kharbanda's decade in Hindi entertainment is the variety of genres she has explored.
Raaz Reboot placed her in supernatural horror. Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana brought romance and emotional drama. Housefull 4 took her into mainstream comedy, while 14 Phere focused on relationships and social expectations. Her work in Rana Naidu Season 2 then expanded her presence into long-form streaming entertainment.
Her filmography also includes Guest iin London, Veerey Ki Wedding, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, Pagalpanti and Taish, showing how frequently she has moved between different styles of storytelling.
Kriti Kharbanda’s Bollywood Journey Continues
Ten years after Raaz Reboot, Kriti Kharbanda has built a Hindi filmography that is considerably broader than the role with which she entered the industry.
Her journey has included commercial franchises, romantic dramas, social comedies and streaming projects. Alongside her Hindi work, she has continued to remain associated with the wider Indian film industry.
The decade milestone therefore offers a chance to look beyond any single film or character and see the range of roles that have shaped her career.
From Shaina in Raaz Reboot to Aarti in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, her double role in Housefull 4, Aditi in 14 Phere and her OTT appearance in Rana Naidu Season 2, Kriti has continued to explore different corners of Hindi entertainment.
As she enters the next phase of her career, the actress's 10-year journey in Bollywood stands as a mix of genres, platforms and characters — with plenty of room for another chapter.
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