Before Dhurandhar: Where you first saw Sara Arjun and the Aishwarya Rai connection

When the Dhurandhar trailer dropped earlier today, marking Ranveer Singh’s return to crackling, full-throttle action, it dominated the buzz. Amid that, a new face quietly slipped into the national conversation. Sara Arjun, all of 20, has suddenly become the talking point of Bollywood’s latest spy thriller. Viewers who watched the trailer this morning found themselves asking the same question: Who is she, and where has she been hiding?

From Ad Commercials to Acclaimed Cinema

For many, Sara may seem like a fresh discovery, but she’s grown up right in front of the camera. Born in 2005, she started acting before she even started school. By the time she turned five, she had already appeared in more than a hundred commercials for brands like Maggi and McDonald’s. Her first major breakthrough arrived with the Tamil drama Deiva Thirumagal, where she played Vikram’s daughter. Even as a six-year-old, her emotional range stunned critics and established her as one of the most gifted child performers of her era.

Over the years, she moved effortlessly across Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam films. Audiences might remember her as the younger version of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan films, or from her memorable turns in Saivam, Sillu Karupatti, Jazbaa, or Ek Thi Daayan. Her filmography is unusually rich for someone who has only just entered her twenties.

Her Big Moment in Dhurandhar

That early promise seems ready to blossom again with Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. At today’s grand trailer launch in Mumbai, Sara walked in with the ease of someone who has been doing this for years, yet carried the spark of a newcomer stepping into her first major Bollywood spotlight. Ranveer Singh, who leads the film, even took a moment on stage to praise her composure, timing, and commitment, calling her “a performer wise beyond her age.”

Naturally, the internet has latched onto the age difference between the two leads, turning it into a mini-debate. But the chatter has only amplified Sara’s visibility, pushing her into the centre of conversation around the film.

With the trailer now trending and Dhurandhar shaping up to be one of 2025’s big-ticket releases, Sara Arjun seems poised for a powerful new chapter. She may have started her journey as a beloved child actor, but if today’s buzz is any indication, she’s stepping into adulthood with a spotlight entirely her own.