Meera Jasmine
Born	Jasmine Mary Joseph (1982-02-15)15 February 1982 (age 43) Thiruvalla,Kerala, India
Occupation	Film actress
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	John Titus ​ (m. 2014)​
Awards	National Film Award for Best Actress Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress
Honours	Kalaimamani (2009)

Jasmine Mary Joseph,^[1] known professionally asMeera Jasmine, is an Indian actress who appears primarily inMalayalam,Tamil,Telugu andKannada films. Jasmine made her debut in 2001 with theLohithadas filmSoothradharan. She went on to star in various commercial and critically successful films in south Indian languages making her one of the successful actresses of the 2000s.

She won theNational Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her role inPaadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, and is a two-time recipient of theKerala State Film Award for Best Actress and aTamil Nadu State Film Award.^{[citation needed]} She also received theKalaimamani award from theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.^[2]

Meera Jasmine was born 15 February 1982^[3] in Kuttapuzha village,Thiruvalla,^[1][4]Kerala to Joseph and Aleyamma.^[5] She was the fourth of five children.^[6] She has two sisters, Jiby Sara Joseph and Jeny Susan Joseph,^[7] who has also acted in films,^[8] and two brothers, one of them, George worked as an assistant cinematographer.^{[citation needed]}

She completed her schooling in Bala Vihar, Thiruvalla andMarthoma Residential School, Thiruvalla. She appeared for her Higher Secondary Exams in March 2000. She had enrolled for a BSc degree in Zoology atAssumption College,Changanassery and completed nearly three months when she was spotted by directorBlessy (who was then an assistant director to directorLohithadas) and offered a role inSoothradharan.^{[citation needed]}

Meera had initially wanted to study and become a doctor and never had dreamed of becoming a film star.^[1] She stated, "I was just an ordinary girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being in films. I had not acted even in school plays. I never was the artistic type, I never thought I could dance, and I had not even thought of myself as being beautiful".^[9] She also said that Lohithadas "is like a father figure and my guru. He initiated me into films withSoothradharan and I owe it all to him".^[4]

Meera Jasmine made her debut in the Malayalam filmSoothradharan.^[10] Her second film wasGramophone, directed byKamal, in which she appeared alongsideNavya Nair andDileep.^[10] Her role as aJewish girl was appreciated by Malayalam critics. Her third film wasSwapnakkoodu, a romantic comedy alongsidePrithviraj Sukumaran,Kunchako Boban,Jayasurya, andBhavana under director Kamal. Her performance was appreciated and the film was a high commercial success.^[1] Among the five main characters, the one who scored the most was again Meera.^[11]

She rose to fame in Malayalam cinema with the filmKasthooriman directed by her mentorLohithadas,^[12] where she played a happy go lucky yet emotionally complex character. She received her first Filmfare award for her performance inKasthooriman. The film was a success at the box office, running for 100 days.^{[citation needed]} The same year, she acted inT. V. Chandran's acclaimedPadam Onnu Oru Vilapam. She played a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was forced to marry an older man, for which she was awarded a State Award and the National Award in addition with several other awards.^[13] It was followed by her performance as Raziya inPerumazhakkalam alongsideKavya Madhavan.

In the filmAchuvinte Amma (2005), she enacted the young, adorable character Achu.^[14] She then paired withMohanlal inRasathanthram (2006). She played as a girl pretending to be a boy due to the pressure of circumstances in the first half of the film . The film went on to become a commercial success. Her next film with Dileep –Vinodayathra, which again was directed bySathyan Anthikkad. She was next featured oppositeMammootty in the critically acclaimed filmOre Kadal. The film was showcased in film festivals and won awards. Her performance as an innocent middle-class woman won praise from audiences. Media quoted her as, "Matching step with the megastar in this histrionic race is Meera Jasmine, who amazes you with a stunning delineation of her difficult role" .^{[citation needed]} Her next film wasCalcutta News with Dileep.Blessy, who introduced her to film field, was the director ofCalcutta News. More than a year later, she played the role of a playback singer inRajeev Anchal'sPaattinte Palazhy.^[15]

After a brief hiatus, she began committing films by late 2012. She was keen in choosing more women-centric roles and inBabu Janardhanan'sLisammayude Veedu, a sequel to the 2006 filmAchanurangatha Veedu, her role was that of a serial rape victim. She acted oppositeMohanlal inSiddique's comedy filmLadies and Gentleman. Her latest project is Shajiyem'sMs. Lekha Tharoor Kanunnathu, a fantasy film.^[16] In 2014, she starred oppositeJayaram inSugeeth's family film,Onnum Mindathe, but the film failed at the box office. She signed up forIthinumappuram, a period film based in the 1970s, in which she plays a highly orthodox and rich Nair woman who falls in love with someone from a lower caste and gets married against her parents' will.^[17]

After that, she acted in the movieMazhaneerthullikal directed byV. K. Prakash but the movie was not released. In 2016, she co-starred withAnoop Menon,Joju George andKaniha in thecrime thriller10 Kalpanakal directed byDon Max, but the film was not a theatrical success. However, the film received rave reviews from critics and was praised for its script, direction and cast.

In 2018, Meera made a comeback after a gap of two years with a guest appearance inKalidas Jayaram starrerPoomaram directed byAbrid Shine. After a long hiatus, in 2022 Meera joined hands withSathyan Anthikad for a family entertainer 'Makal' alongsideJayaram. The film received decent reviews and Meera was praised for her subtle act.

Meera Jasmine'sTamil debut wasRun, directed by Lingusamy, which became a high success in Tamil Nadu and made her a sought-after actress.^[1] The success ofRun and gave her the chance to work with the established actors of the Tamil film industry.Though her successive films did not fare as well,^[1] she was noticed by directorMani Ratnam who gave her a role inAayutha Ezhuthu.^[1] She later appeared inN. Lingusamy'sSandakozhi and SS Stanley'sMercury Pookkal.^[18] Her latest Tamil film,Mambattiyan got released in December 2011.^[19][20]

Meera Jasmine became noted in theTelugu film industry withRun, the dubbed version of the same-titled Tamil film. She was seen in the Telugu films in 2004 withAmmayi Bagundi andGudumba Shankar, also enteredKannada cinema by co-starring withPuneet Rajkumar inMaurya. HerKannada filmArasu again withPuneet Rajkumar andRamya was a hit. Her other Kannada films includeDevaru Kotta Thangi andIjjodu.Ijjodu, in which she played Chenni, a Basavi woman, who ends up becoming a sex worker, was screened at four prestigious domestic film festivals and garnered critical acclaim.^[21]

Meera Jasmine's biggest commercial success in Telugu remainsBhadra withRavi Teja in the male lead. Her other Telugu films areRaraju,Maharadhi,Yamagola Malli Modalayindi,Gorintaku andMaa Ayana Chanti Pilladu, in which she is paired for a second time with Sivaji.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, she said in an interview that she will be marryingMandolin Rajesh, "but not for the next two or three years".^[22] Meera married to Anil John Titus on 9 February 2014 who works as an engineer inDubai.^[23]

In 2006, she offered prayers atRajarajeshwara Temple atTaliparamba inKerala where the entry of non-Hindus is prohibited. This led to a controversy and sparked off a protest byHindu devotees. Later, she paid₹10,000 (US$120) as penalty to the temple authorities to conduct the purification rituals.^[24][25]

In 2008, she faced an unofficial ban in the Malayalam film industry issued by theAssociation of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), after she refused to shoot forTwenty:20, a film distributed by actorDileep for AMMA.^[26][27] Meera however said that she was not aware of a ban and that she was continuing shooting forMalayalam films.^[22]

• Meera Jasmine atIMDb

• Indian film actresses
• Living people
• Actresses from Kerala
• Kerala State Film Award winners
• Best Actress National Film Award winners
• People from Thiruvalla
• Filmfare Awards South winners
• 21st-century Indian actresses
• Actresses in Tamil cinema
• Actresses in Telugu cinema
• Actresses in Malayalam cinema
• Actresses in Kannada cinema
• Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award
• 1982 births
• Women artists from Kerala
• Kerala Film Critics Awards winners

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