Chitrangada Singh was born in Meerut in a Jat family to an officer with the Indian Army. She was named after Chitrāngadā, a character in the Mahabharata, by her mother. As a girl, she was known for looking like the late actress, Smita Patil.

When she was a Class IX student, she was approached by a filmmaker to play the young Smita Patil, in a documentary on the actor. She received training in Kathak (a classical dance) and enjoyed acting. She passed out from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi in 1997.