Sriti Jha Biography: Kumkum Bhagya, Her Spoken-Word Poetry and the 2026 Reunion With Shabir Ahluwalia

When Star Plus premiered Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera on April 20, 2026, much of the anticipation centred on one thing: it reunited Sriti Jha with Shabir Ahluwalia, her co-star from the long-running hit Kumkum Bhagya, in entirely new roles.

It was the latest chapter for an actress who built her career on the strength of that earlier pairing, and who has spent time away from acting performing her own spoken-word poetry.

Sriti Jha is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi television. She is best known for playing Pragya Arora Mehra in Kumkum Bhagya from 2014 to 2021, a role that won her multiple television awards, and for her more recent lead role in Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera.

Profile

Early Life and Education

Jha was born in Begusarai, Bihar. Her family moved to Kolkata, where they spent about a decade, before relocating to Kathmandu, Nepal, and eventually settling in New Delhi, where she attended Laxman Public School.

She has an older sister and a younger brother. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi.

Theatre Beginnings and Television Debut

While at university, Jha joined Verbum, an English-language dramatics society, in 2004, and later became its president.

Her lead performance in the society’s production of “Ritual in Blood” won her the Best Actor award in the Delhi University dramatics circuit. She made her television debut in 2007, playing Malini Sharma in Disney India’s teen drama Dhoom Machaao Dhoom, at age 20.

Building a Career in Hindi Television

Following her debut, Jha established herself as a leading actress across a series of Hindi television dramas.

She played Sudha “Devika” Sharma Vashisht in Jyoti (2009), Jhanvi Dobriyal in Dil Se Di Dua… Saubhagyavati Bhava? (2011), a drama centred on a woman’s struggle against an abusive husband, and Sandhya Savratkar Pradhan in Rakt Sambandh. In 2013, she played Ganga Singh opposite Shashank Vyas in Balika Vadhu.

Kumkum Bhagya and Pragya Arora Mehra

Jha’s most defining role began in 2014, when she was cast as Pragya Arora Mehra in Ekta Kapoor’s Kumkum Bhagya, opposite Shabir Ahluwalia.

The show became one of Indian television’s highest-rated dramas, and Jha’s performance earned her the ITA Award for Best Actress – Drama and the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role, among other honours, over consecutive years.

She played the role continuously until 2021, and briefly returned to it again in 2023. While on the show, she also lent her voice to narrate the horror drama Naagin 2 in 2016.

Spoken-Word Poetry

Alongside acting, Jha has built a public profile as a spoken-word poet, and has also written dialogue for shows including Dil Se Di Dua… Saubhagyavati Bhava? and Balika Vadhu.

In January 2021, she performed a poem titled “Confessions of an Asexual Romantic” at the Kommune India Spoken Fest, exploring what life might be like for an asexual person and the limited space in Indian public discourse for discussing sexuality.

In a later interview, Jha clarified that she herself is not asexual and that the poem was not autobiographical. She went on to perform further poems addressing other sexual orientations, including “Choodiyaan,” about a gay man, and “Chaabi Gum Gai Hai,” about a lesbian woman.

Reality Television and Recent Work

After Kumkum Bhagya’s initial run ended in 2021, Jha voiced the character Sakshi Deewan in the audio drama podcast series Darmiyaan and appeared in the 2020 short film U-Turn.

In 2022, she competed on the stunt reality show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 12, finishing in tenth place, and later entered the dance competition Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10 as a wildcard contestant, finishing as third runner-up. In 2023, she appeared in Karan Johar’s film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera (2026)

Jha returned to lead television roles in 2026 with Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera, a Star Plus romantic drama that reunited her with Shabir Ahluwalia in new roles: Jha as Aparajita, an artist working through a painful past, and Ahluwalia as Rakshit, a reserved businessman.

The show premiered on April 20, 2026, and drew significant attention from fans of the pair’s earlier chemistry on Kumkum Bhagya, according to coverage from outlets including MissMalini and IWMBuzz.

Selected Filmography

Career Timeline

Sources

• Wikipedia — Sriti Jha
• Wikipedia — Kumkum Bhagya
• Wikipedia — Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera
• IMDb — Sriti Jha Biography
• SheThePeople — Television Actor Sriti Jha Is Winning Hearts for Her Poem on Asexuality
• MissMalini — Tum Dena Saath Mera Marks the Return of Shabir Ahluwalia and Sriti Jha Together Again
• IWMBuzz — Gear Up: Star Plus’ New Show ‘O Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera’ Is Here

Zeez

Zeez is the editor and founder of BioOrbit, where he researches and writes biographies of public figures from Nigeria and around the world. With 5 years of experience writing about news, entertainment, sports and politics, Zeez focuses on verified facts, clear sourcing and regular updates. Found an error? Report a correction.