| Kitu Gidwani | |
| Birth Date: | 22 October 1967[1] |
| Birth Place: | Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Birth Name: | Kaushalya Gidwani |
| Occupation: | Actress, model, dancer |
| Years Active: | 1984–present |
Kaushalya "Kitu" Gidwani (born 22 October 1967) is an Indian actress and model. She has starred in several movies and serials on Indian television. Kitu played the role of Svetlana in Swabhimaan which brought recognition for her. Then she signed Shaktimaan and played the role of "Geeta Vishwas", a news channel reporter who stand for the truth. She left the show after a few episodes and later became popular after a TV series, Air Hostess aired on Doordarshan in 1986, and received critical acclaim for her roles in Dance of the Wind (1997), Deepa Mehta's Earth (1998), Govind Nihalani's Rukhmavati Ki Haveli (1991), Kamal Haasan's Abhay and Deham (2001).[2]
Gidwani was born in Mumbai. Her Sindhi parents migrated from Pakistan after the partition. They lived in a refugee camp in Worli.[3] She has a brother.
She studied in Fort Convent School, Mumbai. She graduated in Commerce and has an M.A. in French.[4] She started acting in French plays. Soon she was acting in English plays directed by Janak Toprani. She acted in some television serials and subsequently acted in a French film Black (1987), where she dared to be topless which was unusual during that time, playing a Brazilian girl in it.[5]
Gidwani made her television debut in 1984 on the TV soap Trishna, and during the 1980s and '90s, gave some memorable performances in TV serials like Swabhimaan, Air Hostess and Junoon.[6] She caught a lot of attention after her kissing scene in bed with actor Tom Alter in Junoon. In 1997, she was doing four serials at one time, besides Swabhimaan and Junoon, she was also acting in Saahil, Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum.[7] She recently appeared in multi-starrer Hindi serials Kaashish and Kulvadhu.
In 1997, she played the role of a Hindustani classical singer, Pallavi, who struggles to get her voice back after losing her mentor/mother, in Dance of the Wind. The role won her Best Actress Award at Three Continents Festival, Nantes.[8] In Pankaj Butalia's Shadows in the Dark she played Lajma, a middle-aged woman living in present-day Pakistan.[5] In the 2010s she played small roles in Fashion, Dhobi Ghat and Student of the Year.[6]
In 2001, in conjunction with Wills Lifestyle, an apparel chain owned by ITC Limited, she promoted Wills Sport Lifestyle brand of clothing.[9] In 2006, she also acted in a play, Your Place or Mine by Darshan Jariwala.[10]
She also did a play, Sock ’em With Honey, where she played a traditional Parsi woman from Pakistan, whose daughter falls in love with a Jew, prompting her first trip abroad.[11]
In 1997, Gidwani won the Best Actress Award at the Three Continents Festival, Nantes, France. The award recognized her outstanding achievement for the role of Pallavi in Dance of the Wind.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Holi | |||
| 1985 | Janam | Television film | ||
| 1985 | Wisdom Tree | Short film | ||
| 1985 | Trishna | Roohi | TV series | |
| 1986 | Air Hostess | TV series[13] | ||
| 1987 | Black' | French film | ||
| 1991 | Rukmavati Ki Haveli | Kittu Gidwani | ||
| 1991 | The Khajuraho | Short film | ||
| 1994 | Junoon | Mini Agrawal | TV series[14] | |
| 1994 | Tehkikaat | Kavita Deshpande | TV series | |
| 1995–1996 | Saahil | Prerna | TV series | |
| 1995–1997 | Swabhimaan | Svetlana Banerjee | TV series | |
| 1997 | Karvaan | Lajma | ||
| 1997 | Dance of the Wind | Pallavi Sehgal | ||
| 1998 | Earth | Bunty Sethna | [15] | |
| 1998 | Shaktimaan | Geeta Vishwas | TV series | |
| 2001 | Deham | Jaya | [16] | |
| 2001 | Abhay | Jayanti | ||
| 2001 | Aalavandhan | Jayanthi | Tamil film | |
| 2002 | Nazarana | Ishita's mother | Television film | |
| 2004 | Kesar | Pam Mallya | TV series | |
| 2005 | Kasshish | Ratna | TV series | |
| 2006–2007 | Kulvaddhu | Antra Singh Rathod | TV series | |
| 2006 | Dil Diya Hai | Michelle | ||
| 2007 | Strangers | |||
| 2008 | Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na | Sheela Pariyar | ||
| 2008 | Fashion | Anisha Roy | ||
| 2009 | Phir Kabhi | Divya Singh | ||
| 2010 | Hello Zindagi | Dr. Sadhana | ||
| 2011 | Dhobi Ghat | Vatsala | ||
| 2011 | Monica | Pamela Garewal | [17] | |
| 2012 | Student of the Year | Manini Banerjee | ||
| 2013 | Ek Bura Aadmi | Rukmi Devi | ||
| 2015 | Wedding Pullav | |||
| 2016 | Traffic | Rehan's mother | ||
| 2017 | Ok Jaanu | Tara's Mother | ||
| 2018 | Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai | Sameer's step paternal Grandmother | TV series | |
| 2019 | Fittrat | Pinky Kapoor | Web series released on ALTBalaji and ZEE5 | |
| 2020 | Ghost Stories | Dhruv's mother | ||
| 2023 | Hum Rahe Na Rahe Hum[18] | Damayanti Barot / "Rani Sahiba"/ Queen of Ranak Garh |