Samir Soni is a prominent Indian film and television actor and a former model. Dashing looks and powerhouse performances is what describes Samir Soni to the hilt. He created waves in the television industry by his character portrayal of `Purab` in the daily Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, which used to be aired on Sony Television sometime back. He describes this role as the major turning point in his career graph.

Early Life of Samir Soni
Samir Soni was born on 29th September 1968 in Delhi. He completed his schooling from St. Xavier`s School and then graduated in Economics from University of California in Los Angelos. Before stepping into the entertainment world Samir used to work in New York as an investment banker. Later he returned to India and began modelling. He also attended acting courses in Los Angeles and New York.

Career of Samir Soni
Samir Soni made his debut as an actor in the year 1995 with the Hindi serial Samandar based on Navy officers. He made his mark in television as the cunning but slick Ashok Gupta in A Mouthful of Sky in Doordarshan in the year 1996. He also did cameos in Rajkumar Santoshi`s China Gate and Lajja both of which had quite powerful star cast. He also appeared in brief roles in other Bollywood flicks like Basti, Kaha Ho Tum and Baghbaan and also the cross over movie Dance Like a Man. But none of his roles could make a great impact on the audience. However he was lucky enough to play the role of the son of Amitabh Bachhan`s son in B. R. Chopra`s Baghbaan. But the major turning point of his career came with the role of `Purab` in `Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin`, which made a huge impact on the viewers all across the globe. He was first approached to play the male lead in the same serial but he had refused because that time his whole focus was on films and he did not want to be a part of the telly industry.

He has also played the head of the anti-terrorist organization Astra in the serial titled Saakshi. But this role also failed to attract viewers on a large scale. In one of the K-soaps of the afternoon slots, Kumkum he played the character of the lawyer Yash Thakur. In another soap Dil Kya Chahta Hai he played the character of Ram who was a suave, debonair, rich, handsome and a metro sexual male. In the serial he was a man confident of himself and a part of the group of four friends set in urban Mumbai.

Greater recognition came into the way of Samir Soni in theatres, a medium which is much closer to his heart. It is because of his extreme professionalism that he never settles for a less-than-ideal working environment. He would rather sit down at home reading books than getting into projects that does not enthuse him. In the serial `Jassi` his character underwent a few changes and when his suggestion faced resistance he decided to walk out of the serial. He shared a good rapport with the entire cast of the serial but with the family of Jassi he shared a good bonding both on-screen and off-screen. He also played supporting role in the Bollywood movies I Hate Luv Storys, Fashion and Vivah. In the year 2010, Samir Soni participated in the reality television show Bigg Boss, season 4. In the following year he essayed the lead role of lawyer Kunal Chopra in TV serial Parichay which was aired on Colors TV. The serial once again rendered him huge success in the television industry.

Achievements of Samir Soni
Samir Soni won a number of awards for his television show Parichay. In 2011 he won Colors Golden Petal Award for Most Lokpriya Personality (Male). In the following year he received 11th Indian Telly Award for Best Actor (Popular). He won 5th Boroplus Gold Awards for Best Actor (Jury) and 12th Indian Television Academy Awards for Best Actor (Popular) in 2012. In 2013 he won Kalakar Awards for Best Actor (Popular).

Personal Life of Samir Soni
Samir Soni was previously married to Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar whom he met during his modelling days. However their marriage dissolved in six months. Later on 24th January 2011 he married former actress Neelam Kothari. In his personal front he is a very determined individual. In his own small way he likes to get involved in any welfare program.

Filmography of Samir Soni