Born as Anupama Chandra in Calcutta, India to Chandra Parshad family, She has also lived in Badayun, a city in Uttar Pradesh. Her father Navin Chandra was the eldest of the brothers and sisters. Anupama's grandfather, originally from Delhi, was an executive with Union Carbide, Kolkata and her mother Kamna Chandra was a scriptwriter; she wrote dialogues for such films as Prem Rog (1982) and Chandni (1989). Chopra grew up with her brother and sister in Mumbai, where her family lived in Nepean Sea Road and then in Cuffe Parade. Her sister Tanuja Chandra is an Indian Film director and screenwriter; and her brother Vikram Chandra is a novelist, who splits his time between California and India. She also lived in Hong Kong for several years as a teenager. In 1987, she graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai with a BA in English Literature.