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Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 3 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth29 July 1953

Age70 (as of 2023)

BirthplaceNainital, Uttarakhand, India

ProfessionSinger, Producer, Actor, Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusWidower

SpouseMedha Gujral Jalota (died 2014); previous marriages to Sonali Sheth and Bina Bhatia

FamilySon - Aryaman Jalota; Father - Purshottam Das Jalota; Siblings - Anil, Promod, Ajay, Anjali Dhir, Anita Mehra

Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) Biography

Anup Jalota is an Indian singer, producer, actor and politician best known for devotional music and a long career in live performance, recordings and media

Early life and background
Anup Jalota was born on 29 July 1953 in Nainital, Uttarakhand, and grew up with a strong musical influence from his family. His father, Purshottam Das Jalota, was a bhajan singer and provided early musical training. Anup received further formal instruction at the Bhatkhande Music Institute in Lucknow and graduated from the University of Lucknow. He began singing as a child and developed skills in classical vocal music that shaped his later career.

Career
Jalota’s professional life spans singing, music production, acting and film production. He started by performing on stage and worked as a chorus singer for All India Radio in Mumbai. His breakthrough came when Manoj Kumar recorded four songs with him for the film Shirdi Ke Sai Baba, which helped raise his profile. Over the years he has performed thousands of live concerts worldwide and recorded extensively, with more than 2,000 bhajans, geets and ghazals to his name by 2017.

He has sung in nine different languages and built a large catalogue of devotional, ghazal and classical albums. His production credits include the Hindi films Hum Deewane Pyar Ke (2001) and Nishaan: The Target (2005), and he has produced many music albums across devotional and popular genres. Jalota has also appeared on television; he presented the program Dharam Aur Hum (2002–2005) and later acted in film projects, including portraying Satya Sai Baba in a 2015 film.

Jalota has collaborated and shared stages with major Indian and international artists across genres, including Zakir Hussain, Lata Mangeshkar, Pankaj Udhas, Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jagjit Singh and Hariharan. By 2017 he had performed in over 5,000 live shows and amassed more than 100 gold, platinum and multi-platinum discs. His recording achievements have been recognized as notable in international record listings.

Public profile
Often called “Bhajan Samrat,” Jalota is widely associated with devotional music. He has received numerous awards and honors through his career, including the Padma Shri in 2012 and a variety of state and institutional recognitions such as the British Parliament’s Globe Award in 2010. His public activities extend beyond performance: he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and is listed as a director of an airline called Prabhatam Fly Divine, which has been operating in Madhya Pradesh since 2017.

Jalota’s personal and public life has drawn media attention. He has been married three times; his third wife, Medha Gujral Jalota, who was related to former prime minister I. K. Gujral, died in 2014. He has one son, Aryaman Jalota.

Latest updates
In 2016 Jalota made a guest appearance with fellow ghazal singers on a popular comedy talk show. In 2018 he entered the reality television show Bigg Boss 12 as part of a pair with Jasleen Matharu, described on the show as a ‘vichitra jodi’ or unusual duo. He continues to write and publish blog posts about his life and career, and maintains an active presence in concert performance and devotional music production.

Personal notes
Physically, Jalota is listed at approximately 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) and around 80 kg. His listed hobbies include travelling, reading, writing and singing, and among his interests are multiple cuisines and travel destinations in India. He has a long-standing reputation for devotional repertoire and for mentoring students of music.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Bigg Boss 12

Contestant on the reality TV show as part of a paired entry with Jasleen Matharu (2018)

2018
Satya Sai Baba

Portrayed the spiritual leader Satya Sai Baba in a film (2015)

2015
Dharam Aur Hum

Presenter of the television program aired on Star Plus (2002-2005)

2002-2005
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Career Highlights

  1. Received the Padma Shri in 2012
  2. Awarded the British Parliament’s Annual Globe Award in 2010
  3. Has recorded over 2,000 bhajans, geets and ghazals
  4. Performed more than 5,000 live concerts by 2017
  5. Produced Hindi films including Hum Deewane Pyar Ke (2001) and Nishaan: The Target (2005)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) born?

Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) was born on 29 July 1953.

What is Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) known for?

Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) is known for singer, Producer, Actor, Politician.

What is Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12)’s marital status?

Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12)'s marital status is listed as Widower.

Who is Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) married to?

Anup Jalota (Bigg Boss 12) is publicly listed as married to Medha Gujral Jalota (died 2014); previous marriages to Sonali Sheth and Bina Bhatia.