Yana Gupta – Famous item girl of ‘Babujee Zara Deere Chalo’ fame

Yana Gupta is a Czech model and item girl of Indian films, who shot to fame with her debut chartbuster song, ‘Babujee Zara Deere Chalo’ of 2003 movie Dum. Later she did the popular ‘Remo’ song of Tamil hit film Anniyan two years later. She was also seen in the sizzling ‘Aa Zara’ song of Murder 2. She also played the brief role of a victim of a psychopathic murderer in the film. Though Yana has done item songs for Bollywood flicks such as Chalo Dilli, Rakht, Kaisay Kahein etc, she is still known for her 5-minute debut song which she did 16 years back. She also owns a few hit south Indian item songs to her credit. She mostly appears in special appearances for films.

Yana Gupta was born in Brno, Czech Republic in 1979. Her birth name is Jana Synkova. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she along with her sister was brought up by her mother. She started her modelling career at the age of 16 in the mid-1990s. After completing her graduation she turned a full-time model. She reached India for the first time when she got attracted to spirituality and also spent a few years at Osho’s ashram in Pune. She married an Indian artist Satyakam Gupta in 2001 and took his surname.

She turned a successful model post her marriage, and same year she became the brand ambassador of Lakme. In 2003 she accepted her first Bollywood project, Dum, and turned a star overnight. Tamil film Manmadhan (2004) was her south Indian project, followed by Aniyan, Jogi, Shankardada Zindabad, Gharsana etc. She divorced her Indian husband in 2005, yet retained the surname. She loves India and supports Indian cricket team, and stays here.

Yana Gupta – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. Her modelling days began in Japan.

2. She holds a graduation in Park Architecture and Gardening.

3. She played a brief role of herself in the highly acclaimed Bollywood film, Manorama Six Feet Under.

4. She is also a writer who published a book on health, ‘How to Love Your Body and Get the Body You Love?’ in 2009.

5. She has appeared as a contestant in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi season 1 and a few more shows. She was one of the three finalists in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

6. She had a relationship with Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani after her divorce. But the relationship ended.

7. Amitabh Bachchan And Yana Gupta Voted ‘Hottest Vegetarians Alive’ in 2003 by PETA.

8. She faced a wardrobe malfunction in 2010 when she ‘forgot to wear’ underwear for a kids’ public event and had to face criticism. She received a whole load of underwear as New Year gift in 2011.

9. She was featured in India’s most-viewed fashion calendar for three consecutive years and also known as a calendar girl.

10. Her song ‘Aadatanama’ for Gharshana as an item dancer was a huge chartbuster.

11. She has anchored musical countdown show on Zoom TV.

12. She plays piano and flute, and loves dancing and aerobics. She is known for her physical fitness even at the age of 40+.