Mandana Karimi

Manizhe Karimi (better known by her stage name Mandana Karimi), is an Iranian actress and model based in India. After working on several successful modelling projects around the world, she appeared as a lead actress in the Bollywood film, Bhaag Johnny. She was also the second runner up in the popular reality TV show, Bigg Boss 9.

Karimi was born in Tehran, Iran, into an Islamic family of mixed ethnicity. Her father, Reza Karimi, is an Indian and her mother, Saba Karimi, is an Iranian. She was raised in Tehran. She said in an interview, "I was born in a conservative Muslim family and while growing up, I was very shy and quiet. I studied art. I used to spend most of my time in my room playing around with papers, cameras and colours." About her Indian connection she commented, "I had come to India many times, visiting my family or for holidays. Also, when I started modelling, I got offers from India but was never interested." Being a Middle Eastern, she has reportedly seen a lot of conflict and emotional upheavals while growing up.

Karimi started her career as an air hostess, and later quit that job to pursue a career in modelling. In 2010, after working on various international modelling projects, she came to Mumbai for three months on a modelling contract. About her experience in India she said, "I had a different experience, staying without my family. I absolutely loved it! Work was great, but at that time, I had other contracts around the world. Then, in 2013, I decided to move to Mumbai and try acting."

Karimi has done TV commercials with Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor.

In February 2015, she made a guest appearance in the film Roy. Later that year, in September, her movie Bhaag Johnny was released. She also appeared in the October 2015 film, Main Aur Charles, where she played the role of Charles Sobraj's assistant. Karimi's next film, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3, a sex comedy, was released on January 22, 2016.

Karimi was a contestant in reality TV show, Bigg Boss 9, where a group of celebrities from various walks of life live together in a large house. One of the contestants get eliminated every week, based on public votes. The show went on air in October 2015 on Colors. She was one of the third finalists of the season.

In an interview, Karimi said, "The first film that I watched was Sholay when I was 8 or 9 years old. My father was one of the few people in Iran who possessed a tape of the film, though the government didn't allow to keep video cassettes." She further commented, "Mainly, I've grown up watching Iranian films, especially by directors like Majid Majidi and favorite actress is Golshifteh Farahani."

A marriage certificate claiming that Karimi is married to model Lalit Tehlan surfaced in 2011. The document dated February 18, 2011 states that they had an Arya Samaj wedding. However, Karimi denied any such marriage at that time and said the two were just dating.

Karimi speaks Persian, English and Hindi.

In July 2016, Karimi got engaged to her boyfriend, Gaurav Gupta, an Indian businessman from Mumbai.