Amrita Rao (born 7 June) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films.

Rao won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female for her portrayal of a college student in the romantic drama Ishq Vishk (2003), her first commercial success.

She made her television debut with the soap opera Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai (2016), portraying a singer.

[14] In 2002, Rao played her first leading role as Anjali Thapar in Raj Kanwar's fantasy thriller Ab Ke Baras alongside debutante Aarya Babbar.

Rao next starred alongside Ajay Devgn in the biographical period film The Legend of Bhagat Singh.

[18] In May 2003, Rao starred in the coming-of-age romance film Ishq Vishk opposite Shahid Kapoor, in their first of several collaborations, as a college student.

[21][22][23] The film featured an ensemble cast (Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Tara Sharma, and Genelia D'Souza) and earned around ₹34.14 crore (US$3.9 million) worldwide.

Her role as an army officer's daughter Sanjana (Sanju) Bakshi received positive reviews and earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

[28] Critical response to the film was negative, although Rao garnered acclaim for her performance as a school teacher.

[29][30] That same year, Rao took the lead role in the John Matthew Matthan drama Shikhar, in which she portrayed Madhvi.

The movie received mixed reviews from critics; Rajeev Masand wrote, "Amrita hit career lows, producing the low-fashion chemistry".

In her fourth collaboration with Shahid Kapoor, Rao portrayed Poonam, a traditionally raised young woman.

"[36] Rao had two major releases in 2008: drama My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves opposite newcomer Nikhil Dwivedi, and Shyam Benegal's comedy film Welcome to Sajjanpur.

My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves received overwhelmingly negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.

"[38] In Welcome to Sajjanpur, Rao played the role of Kamala, a woman who is desperate for communication from her husband Bansiram (Kunal Kapoor), a laborer at a dockyard in Mumbai.

[42] That same year, Rao took on the lead role in Neeraj Vora's comedy-drama Short Kut: The Con is On opposite Akshaye Khanna, produced by Anil Kapoor.

Critical response towards the film and Rao's performance received negative reviews: The Indian Express's Shubhra Gupta noted: "Everything is loud and plastic, and the actors all chant their lines at the top of their voices.

"[43] Gaurav Malini of The Times of India stated, "Amrita Rao tries too hard to look hot but lacks oomph in every possible angle".

Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India wrote, "Amrita Rao at best, but the film is so predictable and so long, it loses impact".

[47] In later years, Rao made special appearances in comedy-drama Heyy Babyy (2007), romantic-comedy Life Partner (2007), and science fiction romance Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai (2010).

[53] The film received predominately negative reviews, nevertheless was an above-average grosser at the box office with revenues of ₹29 crore (US$3.4 million).

Later that year, she appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Manoj Bajpai in Prakash Jha's political drama Satyagraha.

[56] Rao made her television acting debut in 2016 with &TV's Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai portraying the elder sister Kalyani Gaikwad.

Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters wrote, "Amrita Rao, who plays Thackeray's wife, has the cosmetic role of providing endless cups of tea to visitors and gaze at her husband dotingly".