Nandini Rai (నందిని రాయ్), real name Neelam Gouhrani, is an Indian actress and model born on 18 September 1988 in Secunderabad, Telangana, into a Sindhi family. Her father Manoj Kumar is a writer and her mother Rekha Gouhrani has been a constant support in her career; she has a brother Jeetu Gouhrani. She attended St. Albans High School and Army Public School in Hyderabad, then pursued a B.Com in Hyderabad before moving to London for an MBA in Finance from the University of London. She was an ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba and an avid dog lover with multiple pet dogs. She began her career as a child artist when the late actress Soundarya came to her school for an event and selected her to play her daughter in a commercial — an experience that inspired her to eventually become an actress. She subsequently modelled for 80+ national and international brands. In beauty pageants, she was crowned Miss Hyderabad 2008, Miss Pantaloons Fresh Face of AP 2009, Miss Andhra Pradesh 2010, and Miss Beautiful Eyes of AP 2010. Her acting debut came in the Bollywood film Login (2012), followed by Telugu films including 040 (2011), Maaya (2014, as Vaishali, a psychological thriller directed by Neelakanta), Mosagallaku Mosagadu (2015, as Janaki), Silly Fellows (2018), Khushi Khushiyagi (Kannada, 2014), Goodbye December (Malayalam, 2013), and Bhaag Saale (2023), Varisu (2023). She also appeared in the web series Ashtakarma and the film C.S.I. Sanatan (2023). She was originally scheduled to enter Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2 from Day 1 but suffered a facial injury in a road accident the night before the launch, causing her to miss the premiere. She entered in Week 2 as the first wildcard contestant. She was evicted in Week 8, finishing fourteenth overall.

Miss Hyderabad 2008, Miss Andhra Pradesh 2010, Miss Pantaloons Fresh Face of AP 2009, and Miss Beautiful Eyes of AP 2010; MBA in Finance from the University of London; appearing in 80+ national and international brand campaigns; Telugu films Maaya (2014, as Vaishali), Mosagallaku Mosagaadu (2015), and Silly Fellows (2018); entering Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2 as the first wildcard contestant (Week 2, 2018); finishing fourteenth overall.

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