Aanchal Kumar is a renowned Indian model and actress who is famous for being the wife of Anupam Mittal, the founder of Shaadi.com.
Wiki/Biography
Aanchal Kumar was born on Wednesday, 24 October 1979 (age 42 years; as of 2021), in Chandigarh, India. Growing up in Chandigarh, she was intrigued by modelling since childhood. Her tall model-like physique led her to participate in modelling competitions during her school days. She attended St. Stephen’s School, Chandigarh. A topper during her school days, Aanchal scored 91% in her board examinations. She was also a part of her school basketball team. During her teens, she relocated to Mumbai, Maharashtra, where she pursued a Bachelor of Arts at Mithibai College. After moving to Mumbai, she lived with her two elder sisters who were already living in the city.
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight (approx.): 52 kgs
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Body Measurements (approx.): 34-25-36
Family
Parents & Siblings
Aanchal Kumar was born in a Punjabi family. Her father, S. Kumar, retired as a Marketing Manager from a reputed multinational company. Her mother’s name is Sharan Kumar.
She is the youngest of four sisters. Her sister Payal Datwani Kumar is an entrepreneur who owns the Perch Wine And Coffee Bar in Mumbai. One of her sisters works as an air hostess with an international airline. Aanchal other sister’s name is Pooja Kumar. One of her sisters uses the moniker ‘spin_ii’ on her Instagram account.
Husband & Children
On July 4 2013, Aanchal Kumar got married to her longtime boyfriend Anupam Mittal, a Mumbai based entrepreneur and founder of the leading matrimonial website Shaadi.com. Anupam Mittal became a household name when he appeared in the Indian business reality television series ‘ Shark Tank India’ (2021). The destination wedding took place at The Fairmont in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Anupam proposed Aanchal for marriage in January 2013.
Together the couple has a daughter, Alyssa Kumar (born on 16 December 16 2017).
Relationships/Affairs
From 2006 to 2013, she was in a relationship with Anupam Mittal. Anupam and Aanchal went through a rough patch in their relationship after which they broke up for a while. Thereafter, there were rumours about her link-ups with her childhood friend and Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
Career
Modelling
Aanchal Kumar ventured into the modelling industry at the age of seventeen. She began her journey as a model shooting for various commercials, print as well as television. Two years into modelling, she was contacted by renowned model maker Maureen Wadia, who runs the Gladrags Career Academy, Mumbai. Maureen Wadia sought Aanchal to do the Bombay Dyeing commercial. Maureen also introduced Aanchal to the modelling contest organised by Gladrags and felt that Aanchal was a potential contestant.
Aanchal Kumar came into the limelight after winning the Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest in 1999, while John Abraham won the title among men. They won Rs 3 lakh worth of prizes each.
Thereafter, she secured herself modelling collaborations with prestigious brands like Rexona, Sunsilk, Bombay Dyeing etc. For the diet coke advertisement, she earned Rs 1.25 lakh in 1999. After the Gladrags contest, she went to Germany to participate in an intercontinental contest, where she was among the top five finalists. In 2007, she earned the title of Best Female Model of the Year Award at the Bollywood Fashion & Music Awards held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She has walked a number of ramps at prestigious events like Pune Fashion Week (2014) and Lakmé Fashion Week (2015). She has modelled for ace designers like Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra, and Tarun Tahiliani and brands like Marks & Spencer, Primme Up Fashions, and Shoppers Stop.
She has also appeared in a few music videos which include Jagjit Singh‘s ‘Aaina’ (2000) Hans Raj Hans‘s ‘Mukhra Tumahra,’ and Surjit Bindrakhia’s ‘Dupatta Tera Satrang Da’ (1994), and has also worked with Punjabi singer Jazzy B.
In 2006, she appeared as a model in the music videos of English-language songs ‘Blind, ‘Back In Bed,’ and ‘The Holy Rollers’ by the band Dragonfly, produced by Red Star Entertainment Productions.
Film
Aanchal Kumar made her film debut with the 2005 Indian crime comedy film ‘Bluffmaster’ in which she appeared as a background dancer, sharing the screen with Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.
She played a cameo role of a model in the 2008 Indian drama film ‘Fashion.’
Television
An avid reader, Aanchal won the celebrity segment of a quiz show Baazi Kiski, hosted by famous Bollywood actor Ashutosh Rana on Zee TV, in 2002. In the show, Aanchal walked away with the jackpot beating celebrities like model Dipannita Sharma and cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Waheed Akram. In 2010, she rose to prominence when she appeared as a contestant on the Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss 4, telecast on Colors TV. She was voted out of the show in the sixth week.
Facts/Trivia
- She was ranked 27th in Webindia123’s list of ‘Top 100 Beautiful Women 2021.’
- She once aspired to be an IAS officer.
- Aanchal Kumar enjoys consuming alcoholic beverages occasionally.
- She is a non-vegetarian.
- She has a tattoo inked on her left shoulder.
- A fitness enthusiast, while sharing her fitness regime in an interview, Aanchal said,
I like waking up early and doing yoga. Then, I do a bunch of chores, hit the gym thrice a week, swim twice a week and lounge.”
- In an interview, while talking about her beauty and diet regime she revealed that she visits a dermatologist each month, take skin clean-ups, and avoids sleeping with her makeup on. She also revealed that she is not much fond of desserts eats fish five times a week.
- Her friends and family fondly call her Anna.
- Before winning the quiz show Baazi Kiski, Aanchal had booked a Hyundai Santro car for herself, but as she won a Maruti car in the show, she cancelled her booking for Santro.
- Chicken soup and Parathas with white butter are her favourite food.