Bhumika Chawla, born as Rachna Chawla on 21 August 1978, hails from a Punjabi family in New Delhi, India. Her father is a retired Army officer. She has two siblings, an elder brother who serves in the Indian Army, and an elder sister.

Bhumika moved to Mumbai in 1997 and started her career with Ad films and Hindi music video albums. She made her acting debut with the Telugu film Yuvakudu in 2000. Her second release, Kushi (2001), in which she starred opposite Pawan Kalyan, was a box office success, winning her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu.

She established herself as a leading actress in Telugu cinema with successful films such as Kushi (2001), Vasu (2002), Okkadu (2003), Missamma (2003), for which she won Nandi Award for Best Actress, Simhadri (2003), Naa Autograph (2004), Satyabhama (2007) and Anasuya (2007).

Bhumika Chawla ventured into Hindi cinema with Tere Naam (2003), receiving a Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She would appear in many films; Gandhi, My Father (2007) and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), were successful.

Apart from her acting career, Bhumika Chawla is known for her hobbies, including dancing, traveling, and reading. Her non-vegetarian eating habits and expertise in cooking provide a glimpse into her off-screen personality.

Bhumika Chawla is married to her long-time boyfriend and yoga teacher Bharat Thakur. They tied the knot on 21 October 2007. The couple has a son born in February 2014.

Bhumika Chawla is a proud recipient of a Filmfare Award South, two Nandi Awards, a Zee Cine Award, a Santosham Film Award, a Zee Telugu Apsara Award, and a South Indian International Movie Award (SIIMA).