On her birthday, we look at the actress who chose depth over easy fame

Birthdays are moments to look back with gratitude and ahead with curiosity. In the case of Ridhi Dogra, each passing year shows more clearly how she has chosen roles not for comfort but for meaning. Her work reminds us that complex, flawed characters often reflect truth more than perfect ones. Today, we celebrate her journey and the risks she has taken on, especially in Jawan, among other projects.

From Grounded Beginnings

Ridhi Dogra grew up in Delhi and studied psychology in college. Before the camera, she worked in a regular corporate job. Those years of observing people, of seeing how people hide their fears and contradictions, shaped her sense of what makes a role powerful. She learned early that sharp emotions often lie beneath everyday surfaces. She carries that understanding into every character she plays.

Choosing the Grey Path

Throughout her career, Ridhi has often gravitated toward characters who are neither purely heroes nor villains. She has spoken about feeling the strain of playing grey roles, yet she continues to do so. She believes they give her—and her audience—a chance to explore tension, doubt, and moral ambiguity. In Woh Apna Sa, her character is neither wholly good nor wholly bad. That kind of moral mesh demands truth in performance. It asks the actress to stay rooted even when everything about the character feels unstable.

Jawan: Risk, Recognition, and Maternal Power

One of her more recent and visible roles is in Jawan, directed by Atlee. Ridhi plays Kaveri Amma, the adoptive mother of Shah Rukh Khan’s character Azaad.

She was hesitant at first. She worried about appearing older than she felt. She worried about whether playing SRK’s mother would be limiting or lead to judgement. She worried about how prosthetics or makeup might impact her on-screen presence.

What convinced her was the director's conviction and the depth of the character’s meaning. She saw Jawan as an opportunity to challenge age stereotypes in film — to demonstrate that playing a mother, even for a superstar like Shah Rukh Khan, can carry weight and dignity, not just a mere background.

Her role in Jawan may be brief, but it resonated. It gave her visibility on a wide scale and showed fans that she is willing to take roles that challenge her. It also showed that even smaller roles, if handled with care, can stay with audiences long after the credits roll.

Television, OTT and the Discipline of Depth

Alongside Jawan, Ridhi has continued to work in web series and television. She has chosen projects that allow space for introspection. Her characters often wrestle with inner conflict. They do not exist only to serve plot twists. They reflect ordinary people under pressure. In this, she has found her centre as an actor.

Standing Up to Stereotypes

One of the strongest threads in Ridhi Dogra’s choices is her resistance to being objectified or typecast. She has spoken of refusing roles that are glamorous only for appearance’s sake. She has taken on older roles, motherly roles, and roles that evoke emotional or moral discomfort. She believes that staying true to character, and not shrinking roles to fit shallow expectations matters more in the long run. Her work in Jawan is a clear example of this stand.