Her father is a bookkeeper and her mother works in a factory.

A portrait of Nagra painted by Stuart Pearson Wright hangs in London's National Portrait Gallery.

On 11 July 2007 she was awarded an Honorary DLitt (Doctor of Letters) from Leicester University. Leicester is her home town.

She has three younger siblings.

Her breakthrough crossover role in America and the United Kingdom was Bend It Like Beckham (2002), which was a big box-office hit.

She speaks fluent Punjabi.

In Bend It Like Beckham (2002), her character Jess' scar was actually not part of the original script. It was added in based on a real scar Nagra has on her leg. Her pants caught fire when she was young, she was placed in a tub of water so the fabric stuck to the skin. When the fabric was removed it pulled a great deal of skin with it, causing the scarring.

Her parents emigrated from India to the UK in the '60s.

Born the same day and year as Kate Winslet.