Drashti Dhami: The Doctor Who Won the Dance Floor
Mumbai Roots
Drashti Dhami was born in Mumbai on 10 January 1985, so she’s 41 now. Her family is Gujarati and fairly traditional, and she has said more than once that this upbringing kept her feet on the ground. TV wasn’t a total mystery to her either. Her sister-in-law, Suhasi Goradia Dhami, was already a well-known television actress by the time Drashti got started.
Getting Noticed
She began with a music video, Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re, but television is where people really met her. In Dill Mill Gayye she played Dr. Muskaan, a bubbly young doctor, and viewers fell for the character quickly. Geet… Hui Sabse Parayi came next, and after that Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, which is still the show most fans bring up first. Her chemistry with co-star Vivian Dsena had the gossip columns buzzing for ages, even though it stayed strictly on screen.
In 2016 she appeared in Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani, and she also turned up on the Colors reality show Mission Sapne.
Surprising Everyone on Stage
Plenty of people knew Drashti as an actress. Fewer expected her to win Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6, but she did, finishing ahead of trained dancer Lauren Gottlieb. She came back for the next season as host, and she’s also credited with a win on Nach Le with Saroj Khan. Along the way came a Lokpriya Naya Sadasya award at the 2012 Golden Petal Awards and a Star Guild Award for her drama work.
The Personal Side
For years her name was tossed around alongside various co-stars, though none of those rumours held up. What did last was her relationship with Neeraj Khemka, an NRI businessman. They started seeing each other around 2013 or 2014, and Mumbai’s cafes and restaurants saw them together often enough that the media noticed. They married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Mumbai on 21 February 2015.
Nearly a decade later, in June 2024, she announced she was pregnant and shared photos online. Her daughter, Leela, was born on 22 October 2024. The first picture she posted was just the baby’s feet, held up with her husband.
What Next?
There’s been chatter about a Devi return and a second season of Madhubala, but that’s unconfirmed, so her official social media is the safest place to check. Whatever happens, she has already moved from acting to dancing, hosting and now motherhood, and she tends to surprise people when they least expect it.
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