Actress made 40 oiled braids, carried books in a bucket during DU’s Lady Irwin College ragging days. Chitrangda Singh reveals how it led her to Bollywood

Before Chitrangda Singh became a Bollywood name known for her grace, poise, and offbeat film choices, she was just another college student, one who went through the bizarre ragging traditions that many hostellers in India are aware of. And yes, it involves 40 braids, a bucket, and a whole lot of oil. The actress once appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show in 2021 with Abhishek Bachchan and had the audience in splits as she recalled her college ragging experience at Delhi’s Lady Irwin College, where she studied Home Science.

Chitrangda recalls ragging days in college

During the ragging period in her hostel, life was anything but normal. “We had to wear salwar-kameez, literally inside out,” she laughed, adding that handbags were banned, and all books had to be carried in a bucket, the same bucket you'd get for bathing in a hostel room.



And then came the infamous "40 chotis" rule. According to Chitrangda, every junior had to apply hair oil generously and make 40 tiny braids. Yes, forty. “If any senior stopped you and counted fewer than 40, you were in trouble,” she said with a chuckle. “And if they touched your braid, oil should come on their hands, only then it was acceptable. At least our hair got better from all that oiling!” she joked.

Later, she told Filmfare how these sessions led her to films. In college, when she wore her salwar kameez inside out, they asked to do a ramp walk, an unusual start that became her first modelling audition. She did well enough to join the college fashion team. Later, she learned about other girls modelling and decided to create her own portfolio, which circulated widely and helped her get noticed. Although she failed her first ad film audition, the legendary Gulzar saw it and offered her a chance to appear in a music video called Sunset Point, produced by his daughter Meghna. This exposure led to further attention, eventually earning her the audition for her breakthrough Bollywood film, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi.

About Chitrangda Singh and her professional front

Born in Jodhpur and raised across cities like Kota, Bareilly, and Meerut, thanks to her father’s job in the Indian Army, Chitrangda grew up in a disciplined but diverse environment. She studied at Sophia Girls’ School, Meerut, before moving to Delhi for college.

Chitrangda started her career as a model before making a powerful acting debut in Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005). After a brief break, she returned with Sorry Bhai! in 2008 and followed it up with popular titles like Desi Boyz, Inkaar, and Baazaar. She made her OTT debut with Bob Biswas in 2021 and was recently seen in Khakee: The Bengal Chapter (2025).

She even turned judge for Dance India Dance in 2018, bringing her charisma to television.