Twinkle Khanna

Twinkle Khanna is an Indian author, newspaper columnist and former Bollywood actress who has become one of the country's best-known and best-selling contemporary writers. Widely recognised by her pen persona "Mrs Funnybones," she is celebrated for a witty, observational writing style that blends humour with commentary on family life, gender and everyday Indian society. After stepping away from film acting in the early 2000s, she reinvented herself as a columnist and author, and is frequently cited among India's highest-selling female writers.

Born on 29 December 1973 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Twinkle Khanna comes from one of Hindi cinema's most prominent families — she is the daughter of the late superstar Rajesh Khanna and veteran actress Dimple Kapadia. She began her career as an actress in the mid-1990s before shifting her focus to interior design, film production and, most prominently, writing. In 2024 she completed a Master's degree in Fiction Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London, underlining her long-term commitment to a literary career.

As "Mrs Funnybones," Twinkle Khanna writes popular newspaper columns and has published a string of best-selling books. Her humour columns and books have earned a large readership across India, and she is regularly featured in coverage of Indian publishing and popular culture. Married to actor Akshay Kumar since 2001, she has largely built an identity independent of film stardom, positioning herself as a writer, commentator and entrepreneur rather than a performer.

Twinkle Khanna married actor Akshay Kumar on 17 January 2001, and the couple are among Bollywood's most established pairings. They have two children together. She is known for her candid, humorous take on marriage and family life in her writing, while otherwise maintaining a relatively private personal life.

No independently audited net-worth figure is available for Twinkle Khanna, and media estimates vary widely and should be treated as approximate. Her reported income is associated with book royalties, her newspaper columns, film-production and interior-design work, and business ventures, but no official figure has been confirmed by her.

Twinkle Khanna is widely regarded as a notable example of a Bollywood actress who successfully reinvented herself as a mainstream author and commentator. Her "Mrs Funnybones" persona has become a recognisable brand in Indian popular writing, and her consistent best-seller status has helped bring humorous, women-centred non-fiction and fiction to a broad Indian readership.

As a columnist and author she is frequently cited for her wit and for using humour to discuss social issues, and her decision to pursue a formal Master's in fiction writing later in life has been noted as a marker of her serious commitment to literature. She is often held up as an example of a public figure who has built a durable identity beyond film stardom.