Rati Agnihotri

Rati Agnihotri (born 10 December 1960) is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films. Born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in a Punjabi Brahmin family, she began modeling at age 10 and entered acting as a teenager.

She launched her acting career at age 16 with the Tamil film Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979), directed by Bharathiraja, which became a major success and made her an overnight sensation. Despite being Punjabi, she won the hearts of Tamil audiences and appeared in 32 films across Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada languages over three years. She is also a classically trained Bharatnatyam dancer.

Full Name	Rati Agnihotri
Other Name(s)	Rati Virwani
Occupation	Model/Actress
Date of Birth	10-December-1960 (65 years)
Birth Location	Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
Gender	Female
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Hindu
Zodiac Sign	Sagittarius
Height	164 cm
Weight	65 kg
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Black
School	Good Shepherd's Convent school
College	University of Leeds, U.K Miranda House, Delhi University, India
Qualification	BA, MA
Hobbies	Acting,Travelling, Dancing

In 1981, she made her Bollywood debut alongside Kamal Haasan in the blockbuster Ek Duje Ke Liye, which became one of Indian cinema's biggest hits. Her performance in this cult tragedy film earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She subsequently starred in notable films including Farz Aur Kanoon (1982), Coolie (1983), Tawaif (1985), and Hukumat (1987). Her role in the drama Tawaif also earned her a second Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination.

At the peak of her career, she quit films after marrying businessman Anil Virwani in 1985 and moved into domestic life, even helping run an interior design business with her husband. She returned to the silver screen 16 years later in 2001 with Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi. Post-return, she appeared in strong supporting roles in films such as Hum Tum (2004), Dev (2004), Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004), The Shaukeens (2014), and Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2017).

She bravely spoke publicly about facing domestic abuse during her marriage, which she eventually ended in 2015, becoming a symbol of strength for women dealing with similar issues. She has continued acting in both films and television, maintaining her presence in Indian entertainment decades after her initial rise to fame.

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