Rai was born into a Tulu-speaking Bunt[10] family in Mangaluru, Karnataka.[11] Her father, Krishnaraj, was an Army biologist, while her mother, Brinda, is a homemaker.[12] She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. Rai's movie Dil Ka Rishta (2003) was co-produced by her brother and co-written by her mother.[13][14] The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School.[12] Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year,[15] and then joined DG Ruparel College[16] in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams.
