Ayesha Takia was born on April 10, 1986 in Mumbai and grew up there. Her father Nishit is a Gujarati and mother Faridah, an anglo-Indian Muslim, she is the elder among two daughters. Ayesha attended St. Anthony's High School but never went to college because she entered the world of entertainment at very young age. Ayesha grew up speaking English at home and she worked hard to learn Hindi and Telugu for her roles in movies.

Ayesha's favorite actors from childhood are Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan. Her favorite actresses are Sridevi and Rani Mukherji. She finds that there are many good directors but she has always liked Sanjay Leela Bhansali.