She made her debut with Agnichakra.
At the age of 11, the actress participated in a Dandiya event, but her mother was not in favour of it.
Rakhi Sawant is the OG drama girl who has been embroiled in many controversies. From participating in the reality show, Bigg Boss to earning a name for herself in the entertainment industry, she has come a long way. However, her path to fame was not a cakewalk. From struggling as a waitress and scary surgeries to failed marriages, her journey in the industry is filled with obstacles which she faced bravely.
Neera Bheda, aka, Rakhi Sawant was born to Jaya Bheda. After her mother married a police constable from Worli Police Station named Anand Sawant, Rakhi adopted his surname. At the mere age of 10, she began working as a waitress. Rakhi Sawant shared in an interview, “When I was around 10 years of age I was working for a caterer to earn daily wages of 50 rupees and I served food at Tina Ambani and Anil Ambani’s wedding.”
At the age of 11, she participated in a Dandiya event, but her mother was not in favour of it. However, Rakhi Sawant was quite keen on getting into the industry and went against her parent’s wishes to become an actress. Her struggle to stardom had just begun.
Upon entering the entertainment industry, she allegedly faced rejection due to her dark complexion. She decided to “fix” that and went under the knife. In 1997, she secured a role in the movie Agnichakra, marking her debut in the industry. Later, she starred in other movies like Joru Ka Ghulam, Yeh Vashdi Hain Pyaar Ke, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain and many more. She also acted in small roles in Masti and Main Hoon Na.
It was in 2003, that Rakhi Sawant’s Mohabbat Hai Mirchi song became a huge hit. In 2004, she appeared in the music video Pardesiya which earned her fame. In 2006, she participated in Bigg Boss Season 1 hosted by Arshad Warsi. Her stint at the show earned her a massive reputation and made her a household name. She catapulted to immense fame and gained the limelight after Rakhi Ka Swayamvar, where Elesh Parujanwala was declared the suitor of the actress. She got engaged to him, but later they parted ways.
In 2019, Rakhi Sawant got married to Ritesh Singh in a private ceremony. The couple later appeared in a Bigg Boss season together. However, after exiting the show, the two parted ways.
Despite, two failed marriages, she gave love yet another chance and got hitched to Adil Khan Durrani secretly. However, she later made serious allegations against Adil for having extra-marital affairs.
As per reports, Rakhi Sawant’s net worth is Rs 37 crore. She earns money from shows, events and social media. She owns a house in Andheri, Mumbai and two bungalows in Juhu.