Archana Puran Singh (born 26 September 1962) is an Indian actress and television personality. She is known for her comedy roles in several Hindi films and as a judge in the comedy shows The Kapil Sharma Show and Comedy Circus. She is widely remembered for her supporting roles in several films, best known for playing Miss Braganza in the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Archana Puran Singh has been featured in more than 100 films and television series.
Archana Puran Singh is a Rajput. She was born in Dehradun to Chaudhary Puran Singh, an affluent lawyer who owned Chevrolet Impala car and had represented Sanjay Gandhi in 1975-1977 Emergency in India related cases, but did not want his children to become lawyers as he believed this profession sometimes required compromise with own conscience while representing the clients. She is the third among the four siblings.
After she completed her 1st to 11th at Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun, she went on to Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi to study literature where she stayed in the college hostel. After she finished college, her father coincidentally connected to his old friends in Mumbai for reasons unrelated to movies, but series of events saw Archana moving to Mumbai in a paying guest house where she stayed for four years with Mitali Mukherjee - wife of singer Bhupinder Singh.
She made her film debut with Nikaah in 1982 at the age of 20. In 1987, she starred in Jalwa opposite Naseeruddin Shah. Later, she did roles in films like Agneepath (1990), Saudagar (1991), Shola aur Shabnam (1992), Aashiq Awara (1993), and Raja Hindustani (1996); she did item songs in films like the Govinda-starrer thriller Baaz and the Suniel Shetty starrer Judge Mujrim.
Thereafter, the industry has largely relegated her to supporting roles in Hindi films, often in comedies. Some of her films are Love Story 2050, Mohabbatein, Krrish, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Masti, De Dana Dan and Bol Bachchan.
She became a television anchor, with Wah, Kya Scene Hai on Zee TV in 1993 which was followed by Uncensored. She later acted in Shrimaan Shrimati, Junoon and hosted Archana Talkies on Sony Entertainment Television. She also acted in the TV show Zee Horror Show.
She also directed sitcoms like Jaane Bhi Do Paaro and Nehle Pe Dehla and produced Samne Wali Khidki.
In 2005, she was a contestant in the dance reality show Nach Baliye 1, in which she participated with her husband, Parmeet Sethi; they were eliminated in the sixth episode. In 2006, she and her husband hosted another dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (season 1).
Thereafter, she appeared as a judge on comedy shows, including Sony Entertainment Television's Comedy Circus. In 2015, she appeared in SAB TV's The Great Indian Family Drama as Begum Paro.
In 2019, she entered as the judge/permanent guest in The Kapil Sharma Show replacing Navjot Singh Sidhu, and reprised her role in The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix in 2024. In 2019, she acted as Lakhan's mother, Paramjeet, in SAB TV serial, My Name Ijj Lakhan opposite her real life husband, Parmeet Sethi.
Her first marriage with the model Gurinder Singh, also known as Sunny Reya who died accidentally in 1991, did not work and ended in a divorce. She later married actor Parmeet Sethi on 30 June 1992 after 4 year long cohabitation. They have two sons, Aaryamann and Ayushmaan. Her son Aaryamann got engaged to actress Yogita Bihani in August 2025.