Meenakshi (Malayalam actress)

Last updated

Meenakshi
Born
Maria Margaret Sharmilee [1]

Other namesSharmili, Sharmilee
Education Master of Computer Applications
Alma mater
Years active2002–2005

Meenakshi, also known as Sharmilee or Sharmili, is an Indian former actress, who worked in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. The Kerala Film Critics Association named her their 2005 debutante artist. In all of her Tamil-language films, she was credited as Sharmilee. [2] In Malayalam, she rechristened herself as Meenakshi, the character she played in Kakkakarumban (2004). [1]

Contents

Early life

Born in Coimbatore into a Catholic family, Meenakshi's mother hails from Ooty. Meenakshi left for Chennai to pursue higher studies. She graduated in Mathematics from the Stella Maris College, Chennai. [1] and received a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) degree from Loyola College, Chennai.

While in school, she received several acting offers, which she rejected so that she could concentrate on her studies. She did modelling and later hosted a popular phone-in programme, Kasumele on Jaya TV. [1] [3] People were instantly attracted by her cheerful and youthful approach to anchoring. After graduation, she started her career in films. [4]

Career

Her debut Tamil movie was Aasai Aasaiyai in 2003 with Jiiva, who also made his debut with this film. This movie was not very well received in the box office even though the story and Sharmeelee's acting got good reviews from critics. This was then followed by Anbe Anbe with Shaam was classified as a medium hit in the box office. Her third Tamil movie was Diwan with Sarathkumar. This movie won her rave reviews for her performance. It was followed by her Telugu entry through the movie Taarak in 2003.

In 2004, she made her debut in Malayalam industry with two movies - Vellinakshatram and Kaakkakarumban. Her first movie Vellinakshatram was a mega hit and her performance was appreciated by many. After that she established herself in Malayalam movies with a string of hit movies. The same year, Youth Festival and Black (cameo appearance) were also released. Later however, she tried her luck in other regional languages.

In 2005, she appeared in the movie Junior Senior , where she acted aside Mukesh and Kunchacko Boban. This movie was a remake of Hindi classic hit, Yes Boss , where Meenakshi reprised the role played by Juhi Chawla. Same year, Ponmudipuzhayorathu was also released. Most of the songs she acted in were hits. "Oru Chiri Kandaal" was one of the top songs of Malayalam in the year 2005. So was "Kalla Kalla Kochu Kalla".

Personal life

She got married and settled down in Bangalore. She is a very spiritual person and follower of Osho. In 2004, Meenakshi told an interviewer that "I love to act in more Malayalam films as the characters here have depth and the heroines have much more to do than just look good."

Filmography

YearTitleRoleLanguageNotes
2003 Aasai Aasaiyai Brindha Tamil
Anbe Anbe Vaishali
Diwan Aishwarya
Taarak Varsha Telugu
2004 Vellinakshathram Indu/Indumathy Devi Malayalam
KakkakarumbanMeenakshi
Youth FestivalAthira
Black Special appearance
2005PesuvomaThenmozhiTamil
Junior Senior AkhilaMalayalam
Ponmudipuzhayorathu Valsala
HridayangamamChandrika
Gafoor Ka DostFathima

Other work

She has acted in some advertisements including Kumarikalpam Tonic, Plaza Jewellery, Pooja Milk, Vanamala Washing Powder etc. She hosted Kaasu Mele, live show.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meena (actress)</span> Indian actress (born 1976)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trisha Krishnan</span> Indian actress (born 1983)

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. Often referred to as the "Queen of South India", Trisha has received numerous accolades, including five Filmfare Award South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award, one Nandi Award and eight SIIMA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramya Krishnan</span> Indian actress (born 1970)

Ramya Krishnan, also credited as Ramya Krishna, is an Indian actress. She has appeared in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ramya has won four Filmfare Awards, three Nandi Awards, and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneha (actress)</span> Indian actress (born 1981)

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.

Saritha is an Indian actress who has acted in more than 500 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu languages. She was one of the popular and critically acclaimed lead actresses during the 1980s. She also appeared in a television serial, Selvi. She is also credited as a dubbing artist. She has dubbed her voice for Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu movies for actresses like Nagma, Vijayashanti, Tabu, Sushmita Sen, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya in 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambika (actress)</span> Indian film and television actress

Ambika is an Indian actress known for her work predominantly across the entire southern film industry and in several tele serials. She has also acted in an English film (Indian-American), to date. She was one of the top South Indian heroines for more than a decade from 1976 to 1989. Her younger sister Radha was also an actress. They acted together in a number of South Indian films during the peak of their career. The sisters runs a movie studio called 'ARS Studios', which they converted into a hotel complex in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padmapriya Janakiraman</span> Indian actress

Padmapriya Janakiraman, better known mononymously as Padmapriya, is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Malayalam films. Padmapriya made her acting debut in the Telugu film Seenu Vasanthi Lakshmi in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asin</span> Indian actress (born 1985)

Asin Thottumkal, known mononyomusly as Asin, is an Indian former actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. Asin is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award, two Filmfare Awards South and four South Indian International Movie Awards. In 2009, she was honoured with Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu, the Highest Civilian Honour of the State. Asin is considered as one of the leading South Indian actresses of the 2000s and is referred to as the "Queen of Kollywood".

Renuka Menon is a former Indian actress who has predominantly appeared in Malayalam and Telugu-language films as well as some Tamil-language and Kannada films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urvashi (actress)</span> Indian actress

Urvashi is an Indian actress, dubbing artist, television host, screenwriter and film producer known for her work in the Southern film industry, predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films, and also in Kannada and Telugu films. In a career spanning over four decades, she has won one National Film Award, six Kerala State Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Award South. Known for her distinct style of acting, she is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in Malayalam and Tamil cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devayani (actress)</span> Indian actress (born 1974)

Devayani is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Tamil films. She also appears in few Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmi (actress)</span> Indian actress (born 1952)

Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in all 4 Southern Indian language film industries. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijaya Nirmala</span> Indian film actress (1946–2019)

Vijaya Nirmala was an Indian actress, director, and producer known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with a few Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning over six decades, she acted in more than 200 films and directed 44 films. In 2002, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the female director who has directed the most number of films in the world. In 2008, she received the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for lifetime achievement in Telugu cinema.

Sangeetha Krish (née Santharam) is an Indian actress, dancer and television presenter who predominantly appears in Tamil-31 Movies, Telugu-26 movies and Malayalam films. She is known as "Rasika" in Malayalam cinema. Making her debut in the mid-1990s, Sangeetha is best known for her performances in the films Khadgam (2002), Pithamagan (2003), Uyir (2006), Dhanam (2008), Manmadan Ambu (2010), Masooda (2022) and Varisu (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priyamani</span> Indian actress (born 1984)

Priya Mani Raj, known professionally as Priyamani, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada films. She is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards South.

Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer and child actress who hails from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung more than 3500 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Sinhala, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Hindi films.

<i>Anbe Anbe</i> 2003 Indian film

Anbe Anbe is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Mani Bharathi. The film stars Shaam and Sharmili, while an ensemble supporting cast includes Vivek, Yugendran, M. N. Nambiar, Manorama, and Santhoshi. The music was composed by Bharadwaj. The film released on 1 May 2003 and opened to mixed reviews from critics. The film's plot is loosely based on the Hindi film Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakeela</span> Indian actress and politician

C. Shakeela, known mononymously as Shakeela, is an Indian actress and politician who has predominantly acted in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu language films. She is a member of Indian National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sujatha (actress)</span> Indian actress

Sujatha was an Indian actress who performed and starred in a variety of unique characters in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films- in addition to few in Kannada and Hindi languages as well. The actress was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. After starring in numerous Malayalam films in her mother-tongue, Sujatha later got introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander and producer P.R. Govindarajan as a protagonist in her first Tamil film, Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974). It was a critically acclaimed film and launched the actress's first commecrical breakthrough in her acting career. Whereas, her first Telugu picture happened to be a Telugu/Tamil bilingual titled as Guppedu Manasu (1979) in Telugu and was simultaneously shot as Nool Veli in Tamil of the same year. She died of a cardiac arrest on 6 April 2011 in Chennai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidyasagar (composer)</span> Indian music composer

Vidyasagar is an Indian composer, musician and singer who works predominantly in the Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu film industries. After working with several composers as assistant and conductor, Vidyasagar made his debut as a film composer in the 1989 Tamil film Poo Manam and is nicknamed as "Melody King". Working for over 225 feature films, he is the recipient of one National Award, multiple State Awards and five Filmfare Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the finest and most acclaimed composers in the history of Indian cinema.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Moviebuzz. ""I want to prove myself": Meenakshi". Sify . Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  2. George, Vijay (5 January 2004), "A thriller in the making", The Hindu, archived from the original on 28 March 2004, retrieved 22 January 2010
  3. Kalki magazine
  4. Poornima (19 April 2003), Dhool, the only real Tamil hit, Rediff India Abroad, retrieved 22 January 2010