Ramya | |
---|---|
![]() Ramya Aka Divya Spandana | |
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
In office August 2013 –18 May 2014 | |
Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
Preceded by | N. Chaluvaraya Swamy |
Succeeded by | C. S. Puttaraju |
Constituency | Mandya |
Personal details | |
Born | Divya Spandana 29 November 1982 Bangalore,Karnataka,India |
Political party | Indian National Congress |
Profession |
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Divya Spandana (born 29 November 1982), better known by her screen name Ramya (in Kannada film industry), is an Indian actress, producer and politician. She served as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Mandya, Karnataka. She primarily works in Kannada, and Tamil language films. Ramya was the recipient of two Filmfare Awards South, an Udaya Award, and a Karnataka State Film Award.
Ramya made her acting debut in the 2003 Kannada-language film Abhi . Although she has sporadically worked in Tamil and Telugu films her work in Kannada film industry garnered her greater attention. [1] [2] She won the Udaya Award and Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the Amrithadhare (2005) and Tananam Tananam (2006) respectively. Her performance as the eponymous heroine in the 2011 romantic drama Sanju Weds Geetha garnered her further critical success and a Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress. Ramya has also starred in the 2011 blockbuster fantasy film Katari Veera Surasundarangi and other commercially successful films including the 2016 epic-fantasy Nagarahavu . After a brief hiatus from acting, she made a comeback to films by producing the film Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye in 2023 under the "AppleBox Studios" banner. [3]
Ramya joined the Indian National Congress in 2012 as a member of its youth wing; she later won a 2013 by-election to become a Member of Parliament for Mandya constituency in Karnataka, but was defeated in the general elections the following year.
Ramya was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, on 29 November 1982. [4] [5] [6] Her parents are from Mandya; mother Ranjitha is a senior member of the Congress Party in Karnataka while her foster father, R. T. Narayan, was an industrialist. [7] [8] He fostered her since she was five and died in 2013. [9] In 2004, Ramya claimed that she was the granddaughter of politician and former Chief minister of Karnataka S. M. Krishna.[ citation needed ] Ramya studied at St. Hilda's School, a residential school, in Ooty, and at Sacred Heart School (Church Park), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.[ citation needed ]
Ramya was pursuing a career in modeling and hoped to join Mumbai-based Sheetal Designer Studio after completing her graduation with a bachelor's degree in commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore. She had taken part in ramp shows and was crowned Miss Country Club in 2001. Around this time, film offers came her way, and was considered for Ninagagi , Dumbee and Appu , before being cast opposite Puneeth Rajkumar in Abhi . [10] It was here that she was given the screen name Ramya by the film's producer Parvathamma Rajkumar. [11] [12]
Ramya made her feature film debut with Puneeth Rajkumar's 2003 Kannada film Abhi. [13] [14] [15] She made her first appearance in the Tamil film industry with the stage name Ramya, with the 2004 film Kuththu . The film had a successful run at the box office, as did her next Tamil film, Giri . Her debut film, however, gave her the name 'Kuthu' Ramya, by which she was then popularly known in Tamil Nadu, she had major box-office success with three Kannada films – Aakash , Gowramma and Amrithadhare – garnering critical acclaim for her performances and establishing her as a leading actress. [16]
In 2006, she starred in Julie , a remake of the 1975 Hindi-language film, but it failed to attract audiences. [16] After her following release, Datta, her next Kannada release, Jothe Jotheyali , was a successful venture[ citation needed ] in spite of unfavorable reviews by critics. [17] [18] Her final 2006 release, Tananam Tananam , an average performer that released to mixed reviews, [19] [20] gained Ramya her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She had described her role in the film as "little complex" and "challenging". [21] In 2007, Ramya starred in three feature films; the first of these, Arasu , was a huge hit. [22] She then appeared as a sex worker in a film made to create awareness about AIDS as part of Mira Nair's AIDS Jaago project. [23] Her last 2007 film was Polladhavan , released during Deepavali; it was considered a commercial success and her breakthrough in Tamil.[ citation needed ] Rajinikanth was all praises for the entire crew of Polladhavan. [24]
Her first 2008 release, the Kannada film Mussanjemaatu , was a big hit, and gained her a nomination for a Best Actress Award at the 56th Filmfare Awards South. She followed this with the Tamil film Thoondil . Ramya later stated that she regretted accepting the film. [25] Later that year, she starred in the films Bombaat and Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu , the former performing well at the box office. [26] Her final release in 2008 was Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram , which also won that year's National Award for the best feature film in Tamil. She was credited as Divya in Vaaranam Aayiram.[ citation needed ] She dubbed her own voice for this film, which became a critical and commercial success. She did not have any releases in 2009, since both her films, Bhimoos Bang Bang Kids and Jothegaara, were delayed due to financial problems.[ citation needed ]
Her first release of 2010, Just Math Mathalli , received rave reviews, with appreciation for her role.[ citation needed ] She had two more releases that year, the long-delayed Jothegaara and Kiccha Huccha . Her next release was the Tamil film Singam Puli , followed by the romantic drama Sanju Weds Geetha . This film opened to positive reviews, with Ramya being praised by critics for her performance, which was considered among the best in her career. [27] [28]
Her first release in 2012 was a comedy drama, Sidlingu , in which she portrayed the role of a school teacher.[ citation needed ] This was followed by a light-comedy movie, Lucky . She appeared in the semi-mythological movie Katari Veera Surasundarangi . In August 2013, Ramya announced that she was considering quitting acting to pursue a career in politics. [29]
Following her brief political career, Ramya made her acting comeback in 2016 with Nagarahavu , a film which placed deceased actor Vishnuvardhan in the lead role through visual effects. The film received negative reviews upon the release and failed to attract an audience. [30]
After nearly 7 years of sabbatical, Ramya returned to the film industry with her own production company, AppleBox Studios. [31] As the first assignment, she produced the film Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye (2023) which was directed by Raj B. Shetty. Her goal with this venture is to showcase powerful narratives centered around strong women. [32]
Ramya joined the Indian Youth Congress in 2012. [33] [34] She became the Indian National Congress (INC) Member of Parliament from Mandya constituency in Karnataka by winning the by-election in 2013. In the 2014 Indian general election, she again contested from Mandya but was defeated by C. S. Puttaraju by a margin of 5,500 votes. [35] In March 2017, there was speculation that she might follow her political mentor S M Krishna and join BJP, but she continued with Congress. [36]
In May 2017 she was given the task of reviving INC's social media wing and was made national head of Congress's digital team at national level. [37] [38] She took over the social media team from Deepender Singh Hooda. According to various newspapers and media houses, she is instrumental in turning around Rahul Gandhi's and INC's social media image.[ citation needed ]
In August 2017, Ramya created the online campaign #AintNoCinderella to support Varnika Kundu, a woman who was "chased and almost kidnapped" [39] [ non-primary source needed ] one night in Chandigarh. Senior Haryana state BJP politician Ramveer Bhatti told press the attack was Kundu's fault for being out so late: "The girl should not have gone out at 12 in the night. Why was she driving so late in the night? The atmosphere is not right. We need to take care of ourselves." [40] [41]
The campaign started when Ramya and friends began posting photos of themselves out late at night with the hashtag #AintNoCinderella. "Why shouldn't women go out after midnight?" Ramya told the BBC. "I'm asking people like Mr Bhatti who are they to set curfew hours for us? I want to ask him who is he to question us? This is such a regressive mindset." [40] [42]
On 3 October 2018, there was a rumor that she was reportedly upset with Congress Party and there was a speculation that she had stepped down as its social media head. [43]
Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Abhi | Bhanu | Kannada | |
Excuse Me | Madhumitha | |||
Abhimanyu | Saira Banu | Telugu | ||
2004 | Kuththu | Anjali | Tamil | |
Ranga S. S. L. C. | Padma | Kannada | ||
Kanti | Reema | |||
Giri | Devaki | Tamil | ||
2005 | Aadi | Aishwarya | Kannada | |
Aakash | Nandini | |||
Gowramma | Gowri Chandan | |||
Amrithadhare | Amritha | |||
2006 | Sevanthi Sevanthi | Sevanthi | ||
Julie | Julie | |||
Dattha | ||||
Jothe Jotheyali | Divya | |||
Tananam Tananam | Vanaja | |||
2007 | Arasu | Shruthi | ||
Prarambha | Sex worker | Short film [44] | ||
Meera Madhava Raghava | Meera | |||
Polladhavan | Hema | Tamil | Credited as Divya Ramya | |
2008 | Thoondil | Pooja/Divya | ||
Mussanjemaatu | Tanu | Kannada | ||
Meravanige | Ramya | Kannada | Guest appearance | |
Bombaat | Shalini | |||
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu | Preethi | |||
Vaaranam Aayiram | Priya | Tamil | ||
2010 | Just Math Mathalli | Nandini Appaiah "Tanu" | Kannada | |
Jothegara | Priya | |||
Kiccha Huccha | Aishwarya | |||
2011 | Singam Puli | Swetha | Tamil | |
Sanju Weds Geetha | Geetha | Kannada | ||
Dandam Dashagunam | Maya | |||
Johny Mera Naam Preethi Mera Kaam | Priya | |||
2012 | Sidlingu | Mangala | ||
Lucky | Gowri | |||
Katari Veera Surasundarangi | Indraja | |||
Crazy Loka | Herself | Special appearance | ||
2014 | Aryan | Shwetha | ||
2016 | Nagarahavu | Manasa / Nagakanika | ||
2023 | Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare | Divya | Cameo appearance [45] |
Year | Film | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye | Kannada |
Sowmya Sathyanarayana, better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Telugu cinema. She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She also acted in a few Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam films. She has received three Nandi Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards South. In 2002, she received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film as a producer for the Kannada film Dweepa.
Sampath Kumar, known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Kannada cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Vishnuvardhan has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 220 films. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, and holds the status of a matinée idol among the Kannada diaspora. He is popularly called as Sahasa Simha, Dada and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema. Vishnuvardhan's contributions to Kannada cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of Karnataka honoured him with the Rajyothsava Prashasthi in 1990 and the Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his contributions to Kannada cinema. He was called The Phoenix of Indian Cinema. In 2008, a poll conducted by CNN-IBN listed Vishnuvardhan as the most popular star in the Kannada film industry.
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian film actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath, known by his screen name Ambareesh, was an Indian actor, media personality, politician from the state of Karnataka. Alongside Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, he is counted in Kannada cinema's "triumvirate" as its most celebrated actor.
Shweta, known by her stage name Rakshita, is an Indian television personality, film producer and former actress known for her work in Kannada films, addition to a few Telugu and Tamil films.
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Radhika Pandit is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Kannada films. Considered as one of the most popular and highest-paid Kannada actress, Pandit is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South, one Karnataka State Film Award and one South Indian International Movie Award.
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films (Sandalwood). The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972.The year indicates the year of release of the film.
Just Maath Maathalli is a 2010 Indian Kannada romance film written and directed by Sudeep starring himself, Ramya and Rajesh Nataranga in the lead roles. The film follows Siddharth's search for Tanu to confess his love for her.
Nithya Menen is an Indian actress and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She has acted in few Kannada movies also. Noted for her versatility and strong portrayals, Menen is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards South, two South Indian International Movie Awards and two Nandi Awards.
Kiran Kumar, known by his screen name Prem, is an Indian film director in Kannada cinema.
Sanju Weds Geetha is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Nagashekar and produced by Pramod Narayan and Murali Mohan. The film stars Srinagar Kitty and Ramya in the lead roles. Jassie Gift composed the soundtrack, while Sadhu Kokila composed the background score.
Hudugaru is a 2011 Kannada-language drama film directed by K. Madesh, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Srinagar Kitty, Yogesh and Radhika Pandit in the lead roles. The film, which is a remake of the successful 2010 Tamil film Naadodigal, was produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar, with V. Harikrishna having composed the soundtrack and Satya Hegde was the cinematographer. The film released on 5 May 2011 and performed well at the box office similar to Puneeth's previous film Jackie.
Yelandur Narayan Ravindra, known mononymously by his stage name Avinash, is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films. He has been working in films for more than three decades and has acted in over 200 films. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought actors in the supporting category. He is one of the few actors to enjoy both critical and commercial success.
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Sruthi Hariharan is an Indian actress and producer who primarily appears in Kannada language films. Sruthi is a recipient of a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South and one Karnataka State Film Awards.