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This list outlines the names of popular lead film actresses, who previously worked or are currently working in the Tamil film industry Kollywood, based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The list is ordered by the year of their debut as a leading actor or the year of their landmark film. Actresses who have starred in at least five films as lead are included in the list.
Year | Name | Debut film | Other notable films |
---|---|---|---|
1941 | T. R. Rajakumari | Kacha Devayani | Haridas (1944), Chandralekha (1948) |
1944 | Pandari Bai | Haridas | Vedhala Ulagam (1948), Marmayogi (1951), Parasakthi (1952), Andha Naal (1954) |
1944 | Pushpavalli | Dasi Aparanji | Miss Malini (1947), Chakra Dhari (1948), Samsaram (1951) |
1947 | Anjali Devi | Mahathma Udangar | Marmayogi (1951), Doctor Savithri (1955), Chakravarthi Thirumagal (1957) |
1947 | S. Varalakshmi | 1000 Thalai Vaangi Apoorva Chinthamani | Chakravarthi Thirumagal (1957), Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959), Poova Thalaiya (1969) |
1948 | Padmini | Vedhala Ulagam | Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959), Thillana Mohanambal (1968) |
1949 | Bhanumathi Ramakrishna | Ratnakumar | Malaikkallan (1954), Madurai Veeran (1956), Nadodi Mannan (1958), Annai (1962) |
1949 | Vyjayanthimala | Vaazhkai | Vanji Kottai Valipan (1958), Baghdad Thirudan (1960), Then Nilavu (1961) |
Year | Name | Debut film | Other notable films |
---|---|---|---|
1952 | Sowcar Janaki | Valayapathi | Bama Vijayam (1967), Iru Kodugal (1969) |
1952 | Savitri | Kalyanam Panni Paar | Missiamma (1955), Mayabazar (1957), Pasamalar (1961), Thiruvilaiyadal (1965) |
1953 | C.R. Vijayakumari | Naalvar | Kalyana Parisu (1959), Naanum Oru Penn (1963), Poompuhar (1964), Rajaraja Cholan (1973) |
1953 | Raja Sulochana | Gunasagari | Rangoon Radha (1956), Gulebakavali (1956), Allavudeenum Arputha Vilakkum (1957) |
1954 | Jamuna | Panam Paduthum Padu | Missiamma (1955), Tenali Raman (1956), Thangamalai Ragasiyam (1957), Nalla Theerpu (1959) |
1957 | B. Saroja Devi | Thangamalai Ragasiyam | Nadodi Mannan (1958), Puthiya Paravai (1964), Anbe Vaa (1966) |
1957 | Devika | Manamagan Thevai | Kalathur Kannamma (1960), Paava Mannippu (1957), Bale Pandiya (1962) |
1958 | Manorama | Kalathur Kannamma | Server Sundaram (1964), Thiruvilayadal (1965), Anbe Vaa (1966) |
Year | Name | Debut film | Notable films | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Don (2022), Etharkum Thunindhavan (2022), Captain Miller | |||
Abarnathi | Thaen | Jail (2021), Udanpaal (2022), Irugapatru (2023) | ||
2024 | Kriti Sanon | SK 25 | Singam Pettai , Adipurush |
Meena Durairaj, known professionally as Meena, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in South Indian films as well as Hindi cinema. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Meena has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films She is one of the most sought after actresses in the South Indian film industry. In addition to acting, Meena is also a playback singer, TV judge, and occasional dubbing artist. She has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Nandi Award for Best Actress and Cinema Express Awards. In 1998, she was honoured with the Kalaimamani Award by Government of Tamil Nadu.
Simran Bagga is an Indian actress and dancer who works predominantly in Tamil films. She has also appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is the recipient of numerous accolades including three Filmfare Awards South and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films. She gained prominence after winning the 1999 Miss Chennai pageant, which marked her entry into Cinema. Trisha is the recipient of several accolades. Trisha is often referred as the "Queen of South India" or "The South Queen" for her contributions to South Indian Cinema. She has been ranked among the top actresses in South Indian Cinema by The Times of India.
Gopishantha, better known by her stage name Manorama, also called Aachi, was an Indian actress, playback singer and comedian who had appeared in more than 1000 films and 5000 stage performances and several television series predomninantely in the Tamil language Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Sinhala until 2015. She was a recipient of the Kalaimamani award. In 2002, Government of India awarded Manorama the Padma Shri for her contribution to the arts. She received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Pudhiya Padhai (1989) and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South (1995).
Suhasini Rajaram Naidu, known professionally as Sneha, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films in lead roles to supporting roles.
Jyothika Saravanan is an Indian actress and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil films in addition to Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. Jyothika has received several accolades including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and the Kalaimamani Award Jyothika is regarded as one of the most prolific actresses in Tamil cinema, and has been ranked among the best actresses of South India by the media.
Bangalore Saroja Devi is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films over seven decades. She is known by the epithets "Abhinaya Saraswathi" in Kannada and "Kannadathu Paingili" in Tamil. She is one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema.
Nayanthara is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she was the only South Indian actress to be featured in the Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list of 2018. She has acted in more than 75 films in a career spanning over two decades and has won numerous awards, including five Filmfare Awards South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and a Andra Pradesh State Nandi Film Award.
Vyjayanthimala is an Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. Regarded as one of Indian cinema's finest actresses and dancers, she is the recipient of several accolades, including five Filmfare Awards and two BFJA Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of 16 with the Tamil film Vaazhkai (1949), and followed this with a role in the Telugu film Jeevitham (1950). Her first work in Hindi cinema was the social guidance film Bahar (1951), which she headlined, and achieved her breakthrough with the romance Nagin (1954).
Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in the South Indian film industry. She has also acted in some Hindi films. Her debut as a full fledged actress happened with the Tamil film Jeevanaamsam in 1968. In the same year, she acted in the Kannada film Goa Dalli CID 999 and Telugu film Bandhavyalu.
Sumathi Josephine, better known by her stage name Rekha Harris, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Malayalam films. She also starred in a few Telugu and Kannada films.She was one of the contestants of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4.
Kajal A Kitchlu is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil language films alongside Hindi language films.
Anjali is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Following a stint in modelling, she was cast in starring roles in two Telugu productions; her debut film was the Telugu thriller film Photo (2006). She then bagged a role and gained attention in the film Kattradhu Thamizh (2007) with Jiiva. In 2010 and 2011, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil, for her performances in Angaadi Theru and Engaeyum Eppothum, respectively, and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Angadi Theru, subsequently recognised as one of the "finest young actors" in Tamil cinema, and noted for mostly playing "performance-oriented roles".
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian actress who works primarily in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards South.
Saranya Ponvannan is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam and a few Kannada language films. She also acted in 1 Hindi movie Chup: Revenge of the Artist in 2022. Saranya made her acting debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987) and went on to play lead roles from 1987 to 1996. Following an eight-year sabbatical, she returned to films in 2003 as a character actor roles. In her career spanning around over 25 years she had won a number of accolades including 1 National Film Award, 2 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a record of 5 Filmfare Award South among other film awards.
Nazriya Nazim is an Indian actress, producer and former television presenter who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil language films. She has won One Filmfare Award South, Two Kerala State Film Awards, and One Tamil Nadu State Film Award respectively.
Lakshmi Menon is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil films. After making her acting debut in a supporting role in the Malayalam film Raghuvinte Swantham Raziya (2011), she played the female lead in her Tamil debut film Sundara Pandian in 2012.
Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan is an Indian actress and dancer who primarily works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi language films. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Filmfare Awards South and two South Indian International Movie Awards. She was featured by Forbes magazine as one of India's 30 under 30 in 2020.
Vani Bhojan is an Indian actress, who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her Telugu film debut with Meeku Maathrame Cheptha in 2019 and her Tamil film debut with Oh My Kadavule in 2020.
Dharsha Gupta is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in the Tamil film and television industry. She is best known for her roles in TV shows telecasted on Star Vijay channel the comedy reality TV show Cooku with Comali where she rose to fame. Her movies were Rudra Thandavam, Oh My Ghost, Medical Miracle