Kasthuri (actress)

Last updated

Kasthuri
Born (1973-05-01) 1 May 1973 (age 49)
Occupation
  • Actress
  • model
Years active1991-2001
2009-present

Kasthuri is an Indian actress, model and television presenter who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language films. She is playing the role of Tulasi in Intinti Gruhalakshmi. She had her schooling in Madras and started modelling while in high school. She won the Miss Madras title in 1992. [1] Kasthuri debuted in the Tamil film Aatha Un Koyilile (1991).

Contents

Personal life

She married Ravikumar, a doctor in 2000. [2] The couple have 2 children, a son and a daughter. Her daughter is a leukaemia survivor. [3]

Career

After graduation from Ethiraj College for Women, Kasthuri won Miss Chennai in 1992. Being a state-level hockey champion and an RD cadet in air force wing is one of her many accomplishments from her youth. ‘Beauty with brains’. Not only was she a successful model, but also, she was a finalist in the BBC's Mastermind India 2000 quiz. Her acting career began in 1991 with the film, Aatha Un Koyilile (1991). From working on small budget Tamil films, she went on to work into more mainstream movies alongside legends, such as Kamal Haasan in Indian (1996). A 30-minute documentary film, Kasthuri: A South Indian Film Star, was released as a tribute to her success in the film industry. She gained attention for her acting skills in Annamayya (1997) and dance performance in Kaadhal Kavithai (1998). After her marriage she took a break from her career and settled in the USA.

However, she decided to make a comeback as a supporting actress and television host. Her debut comeback film was Malai Malai (2009) and also worked on Vina Vidai Vettai (2013-2014) for Puthuyugam TV. Kasthuri raises her voice on social issues by writing a column in The Times of India newspaper occasionally. [4]

She also notably portrayed a key supporting role as an investigative agent in Adhik Ravichandran's Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (2017), appearing alongside Silambarasan. [5]

Other work

Television

Kasthuri works as quiz master at staged events and on television. She had taken an early interest during childhood in participating in quiz events, and later continued making competitive appearances, and notably appeared as a contestant on BBC's Mastermind India in 2000. She later made a comeback to hosting television-based quiz shows in the 2010s, and worked on Vina Vidai Vettai for Puthuyugam TV. [6]

After rejecting the opportunity to appear on the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil in 2018, she joined the third season of the show in 2019 as a wildcard entry contestant. [7]

After that, she made her comeback to Telugu audience in Intinti Gruhalakshmi serial which airs on Star Maa now. [8]

Columns

In the late 1990s, Kasthuri wrote a weekly column titled "Keep It Simple Stupid" in the Kumudham magazine. [9]

Topless photoshoot

In 2014, she was photographed topless and half-nude as a part of Jade Beall's book The Bodies of Mothers: A Beautiful Body Project. [10] [11] [12] The images from the shoot were later illegally shared by Indian websites, and Kasthuri announced that she would take legal action against the sites.

Comments and social issues

Kasthuri is an active commentator regarding social issues through an occasional column with the Times of India and via Twitter, and her tweets have sometimes elicited debate in the media. [13] In early 2017, she questioned Rajinikanth's ability as a potential politician, and her opinion garnered criticism from the actor's fans. [14] [15] In late 2018, she criticised Rajinikanth's ignorance over the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and engaged in a further exchange with Rajinikanth's supporters. [16] Kasthuri spoke out as a part of the Me Too movement in India, suggesting that her reluctance to give into patriarchal behaviour meant that she was removed from several film projects. She revealed that one male actor took a particular vengeance against her for her rebuff to his advances, and subsequently made it difficult for her to work on other projects. [3] [17] [18] She criticised directors Bharathiraja and S. Shankar in April 2019, she said director Bharathiraja and his son has black skin and they use North Indian girls with lighter skin in their movies while S. Shankar goes a long way and imports white skin foreign girls in his movies. [19]

A person, who claimed himself to be actor Ajith's fan, had allegedly made sexist comments against Kasturi Shankar in January 2020. A week after this, Kasthuri Shankar blasted him, by suggesting him to ask his mother or sister if he wants a woman for sex. She used the tag #dirtyajithfans, which started trending in India. Some fans of Ajith created #DirtyKasthuriAunty to counter this. A war of words continued and created a controversy. [20] [21]

Filmography

YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1991 Aatha Un Koyilile Kasthuri Tamil
Chakravarthy Praseetha Malayalam
Rasathi Varum Naal RadhaTamil
1992 Government Mappillai Mallaria
Chinnavar Meena
Urimai Oonjaladugiradhu Uma
Senthamizh Pattu Shanmathi
Abhirami Dhanam
Gang WarKaveri Telugu
1993 Rakkayi Koyil VellaiyammaTamil
Pudhiya Mugam Raja's first wife
Pass Mark Shanthi
Aathma Uma
Udan Pirappu Sumathi
Nippu Ravva BharathiTelugu
Enga Muthalali KalyaniTamil
1994 Amaidhi Padai Thayamma
Watchman Vadivel Radha
Raja Pandi Ponnuthaayi
Thendral Varum Theru Nalini
Jaana Kasturi Kannada
1995 Sindhu Bath ShobanaTamil
Chinna Mani Chinna Mani
Kolangal Uma
Aakaya PookalKamakshi
God FatherArunaTelugu
Agrajan SreedeviMalayalam
RadholsavamChempakam
Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava Ammu
1996 Ibbara Naduve Muddina Aata Kannada
Indian KasthuriTamil
Krishna Lizy
Soggadi Pellam Telugu
Merupu Prema
Rendu Kutumbala KathaHema
1997 Chilakkottudu Kasturi
Ratha YatraGanga
Annamayya Akkalamma
Maa Ayana Bangaram
1998 Mangalya Pallakku SeethalakshmiMalayalam
Thutta Mutta Dr. SeemaKannada
One Man ArmyKasthoori
Sneham RadhikaMalayalam
Kaadhal Kavidhai SwapnaTamil
1999 Habba AnuKannada
Suyamvaram UmaTamil
PanchapaandavarNandiniMalayalam
2001 Engalukkum Kaalam Varum PoojaTamil
Dosth Special appearance in the song "Hey Sal Sal"
Akasa Veedhilo PadmaTelugu
Premakke Sai VedhaKannada
2002AdheenaPrincess AdheenaMalayalam
2009 Malai Malai LakshmiTamil
2010 Thamizh Padam Special appearance in the song "Kuthuvilakku"
Gudu Gudu Gunjam MalleeshwariTelugu
Don Seenu Lakshmi
2011 Pathinaaru IlavarasiTamilGuest appearance
Thoonga Nagaram Special appearance
2012 Naanga Chithra
2013Azhagan AzhagiSpecial appearance in the song "Ethuvarai Vaanam"
Naan Rajavaga Pogiren Bharathi
2014 Vadacurry Satish's sister in law
Naan Ponnu Ondru KandenSpecial appearance in the song "Othaya Retaya"
2017 Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan Ruby
Samanthakamani Krishna's motherTelugu
2018 Traffic Ramasamy Witness in courtTamilGuest appearance
Thamizh Padam 2 Special appearance in the song "Vaa Vaa Kaama"
2020 Velvet Nagaram Gauri
2021EPCO 302
2022 Thamilarasan Filming
Un Kadhal IrundhalFilming
SimbaTeluguFilming
Mr PregnantTeluguFilming
Garuda SutruSri Vanaja IASTamilFilming
Television
YearTitleRoleLanguageChannelNotes
EshtadanamMalayalam DD Malayalam Serial
1995Kaiyalavu ManasuVaniTamil Sun TV Serial
2000 Mastermind India ContestantTamil BBC
2010 Sun Kudumbam Awards 2010 Host Sun TV
2013-14 Vina Vidai Vettai Host Puthuyugam TV
2014 Vina Vidai Vettai Juniors HostPuthuyugam TV
2019 Bigg Boss Tamil 3 Contestant Star Vijay Evicted
Day 63
2020 – present Intinti Gruhalakshmi TulasiTelugu Star Maa Serial
2020CashParticipantTelugu ETV Reality Show
2020 Agni Natchathiram RudraTamil Sun TV Serial
2021 Parampara IndiraTelugu Disney+ Hotstar Web series
2022 Aruvi HerselfTamil Sun TV Serial

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References

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  3. 1 2 "Casting couch in filmdom isn't a myth, it does exist - Times of India". The Times of India.
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  6. "In the limelight again". www.journeyline.in.
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  13. "The Word View: Ek Gaon Mein Ek Kisan Raghuthatha! - Times of India". The Times of India.
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  15. "Kasthuri Says She's A "True Fan" Of Rajinikanth". 23 May 2017.
  16. "Rajinikanth, actress Kasthuri engage in war of words over Rajiv Gandhi assassination case". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd.
  17. "Kasthuri: "People Think Women Can't Climb Up The Ladder Without The Favours of a Man!"". 12 March 2017.
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  19. Rajkumar (17 April 2019). "பொது மேடையில் பாரதி ராஜாவின் நிறம் குறித்து கேலி செய்த கஸ்தூரி.! இதே வேல தானா.!". Tamil Behind Talkies. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  20. "'Avvai Shanmughi' Kamal's kutty daughter is now grown up - Red hot pics - Tamil News". IndiaGlitz.com. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  21. Hooli, Shekhar H. (19 January 2020). "Kasturi Shankar faces backlash for shutting down sexist Ajith fans; #DirtyKasthuriAunty trends on Twitter". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 25 June 2021.