Kiara Advani’s 2014 debut Fugly was not particularly memorable but within a decade, she has established herself as a bankable Bollywood heroine with credits in hits like Kabir Singh and Shershaah. If you too are a fan of the actress who will next be seen in Don 3, have a look at our curated list of her best movies along with a handy guide to stream them all.
Where can you watch Kiara Advani’s filmography?
You can watch most of Kiara Advani’s best movies on Netflix and Prime Video although Hotstar also offers a few streaming options. Netflix, in particular, is a good place to start, as Advani has also fronted some of the streaming platform’s Indian originals like the thriller drama Guilty and the erotic anthology Lust Stories. She also had a brief cameo as herself in the Netflix original comedy series Masaba Masaba.
Once you’ve got your Kiara Advani watchlist sorted out, have a look at some of her best cinematic highlights.
Early beginnings and Lust Stories breakout
Kiara Advani made her screen debut in the Akshay Kumar-produced crime comedy Fugly (you can rent it on Apple, YouTube or Google Play). While the movie polarised critics, Advani’s sophomore feature was a stronger effort with the sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. With Indian thriller veteran Neeraj Pandey directing and the late Sushant Singh Rajput essaying the role of the titular character, the blockbuster found her playing Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Rawat.
But still, Advani needed a role that made her truly standout instead of just being assigned to a formulaic love interest. This is where Karan Johar’s acclaimed segment in Lust Stories came into play. Addressing the conservative taboos around the sexual lives of married Indian women, Advani plays a newlywed bride who navigates her way through a healthy sexual life and the joy of self-pleasure.
Lust Stories paved the way for Advani’s future female-centric dramas like Guilty in which she played a singer caught in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal and Indoo Ki Jawaani that found her starring as a Ghaziabad girl discovering online dating.
Continued commercial breakthrough with Kabir Singh and Shershaah
While Lust Stories established Advani among the critics, it was the controversial tragiromance Kabir Singh that made her a household name. A Hindi remake of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Arjun Reddy, Kabir Singh starred Shahid Kapoor as the titular antihero, an alcoholic romantic with anger issues. Advani played Preeti, the girl who falls for Kabir with utmost devotion. But when their love story can’t reach a happy ending, the romance turns toxic. Upon release, Kabir Singh broke box-office records and brought Advani further fame even though the film’s particularly toxic traits did draw much discussion and debate on glorification of morally grey heroes.
A relatively less toxic romantic drama to watch in Advani’s career is the real-life Indian Army martyr Captain Vikram Batra in the war biopic Shershaah. The movie is notable for its gruelling exploration of the Kargil War and one soldier’s journey through love and patriotism. Siddharth Malhotra essays the lead role while Kiara Advani plays his love interest, a story that had real-life consequences with Malhotra and Advani marrying soon afterwards.
Why is Lust Stories Kiara Advani’s best movie to watch?
Shershaah and MS Dhoni come to a close second for their overall merits but the short film from Lust Stories is Advani’s best work in terms of her taking centre stage. The message of the film, coupled with the actress’s earnest portrayal of a sexually prude woman continue to make it a timely watch.
