Ayesha Takia was born and raised in Mumbai. She comes from a mixed family. Her father is Gujarati, and her mother is half British and half Maharashtrian. She has said in interviews that she grew up speaking English at home and had to learn Hindi and Telugu for her film roles.
According to Ayesha, she has been a model since she was four years old. She appeared in a music video, Falguni Pathak’s Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye, when she was only fifteen. She then appeared in the video, Shake It Daddy, which brought her to the attention of the movie industry, and a few film offers followed.
She signed a contract for Socha Na Tha, then for Taarzan: The Wonder Car. However, delays in making Socha Na Tha meant that Taarzan released first and was therefore her “debut” film. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award in 2004 for her performance in Taarzan.
She has appeared in a number of films that have done poorly at the box office. However, she has been highly praised for her work in the 2006 Dor, an art film in which she plays an unglamorous role: a young but widowed Rajasthani woman living in a traditional joint family.