Richa Panai

About

Indian film actress and model known for her early Malayalam film run in 2011 with the films Vaadamalli, Bangkok Summer, and Sandwich, her Telugu debut in 2012 with Yamudiki Mogudu, her Hindi debut in 2016 with the ensemble thriller Traffic, and her award win for Asianet Film Award for Best New Face of the Year (Female) in 2012. She is also known for her Instagram account @richapanai where she shares updates lifestyle and fashion content, travel photos, and personal interests with her followers.

Before fame

She entered the spotlight first through pageantry and modeling after she won the Miss Lucknow title after graduating from high school. Her win inspired her to pursue modeling. She worked as an air hostess with Kingfisher Airlines before her film and modeling career took off. She made her film debut in 2011 with the Malayalam film Vaadamalli. She quickly followed it with appearing in two more Malayalam releases the same year in Bangkok Summer and Sandwich. She made her Telugu debut in 2012 with the film Yamudiki Mogudu. She entered Kannada cinema in 2015 by appearing in the film Buguri. She made her Bollywood debut in 2016 with the ensemble drama Traffic. She continued acting into the 2020s with projects including Circle in 2023.

Trivia

She loves cats and is the founder and owner of the cat cafe KitCat Cafe.

Family life

She was born and raised in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. She is the daughter of Shakuntla Panai. She has a brother named Ravi Panai.

Associated with

She appeared in Traffic in 2016 along with Jimmy Shergill and Manoj Bajpayee.