Nagra was born to Sikh immigrants from the Punjab region of northern India. Her middle name, meaning “Princess,” is traditionally given to Sikh women.
Nagra recalls her years growing up in the Belgrave district of Leicester as a “great childhood.”
Nagra attended Northfield House Primary School in Leicester, where as a six-year-old she was in her first play, War of the Worlds.
At the age of seven, Nagra suffered a burn that resulted in a scar on her leg ; the scar was later incorporated into the story line of her 2002 breakout film Bend It Like Beckham.