Kalyani was born on 5 April 1993 inChennai, in aMalayali family,[5][6] to filmmakerPriyadarshan and actressLissy.[7] She is the elder of the two children and has a younger brother named Siddharth.[8]
Kalyani began her film career in 2013 as an assistantproduction designer underSabu Cyril in the Hindi filmKrrish 3 (2013). In 2016 she worked as an assistantart director in the Tamil filmIru Mugan (2016).[1] Kalyani made her acting debut with the 2017 Telugu filmHello, oppositeAkhil Akkineni.[12] The film received positive response but turned out to be a below-average grosser at the box-office.[13] Srivathsan Nadadhur ofThe Hindu noted, "Kalyani's entry happens a little late into the film but it's a commendable debut complementing and sharing good chemistry with Akhil."[14] Her performance earned her several awards including theFilmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South.[15]
Kalyani had three releases in 2019. She first appeared oppositeSai Dharam Tej in the Telugu filmChitralahari. The film opened to mixed to positive reviews and became a commercial success.[16][17] Hemanth Kumar ofFirstpost stated, "Kalyani does a fine job as an innocent, naive girl; however, her romantic track with Sai Dharam Tej is too superficial."[18] Her other two releases of the year were box office failures, where she appeared oppositeSharwanand in the Telugu filmRanarangam and oppositeSivakarthikeyan in the Tamil filmHero, which also marked her Tamil debut.[19][20]
In 2020, Kalyani expanded to Malayalam films withVarane Avashyamund oppositeDulquer Salmaan.[21] Cris ofThe News Minute stated, "Kalyani easily carries off her role as the young woman. Interestingly, she is the more conventional one between the mother and daughter."[22] A commercial success, it was one of the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year and earned her theSIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Malayalam.[23] In the same year, she playedUrvashi's younger version in a segment of the Tamil filmPutham Pudhu Kaalai.[24]Saibal Chatterjee stated, "Kalyani capture the present and the past in a seamless flow and is perfectly cast."[25]
Commercial success and career progression (2021–present)
In her first film of 2021, Kalyani appeared in the Tamil filmMaanaadu oppositeSilambarasan, where she played a modern woman.[26] It received positive reviews from critics and was successful at the box office.[27] Haricharan Pudipeddi noted, "Kalyani is good and shines in the limited screen space she gets."[28] Her next release in the same year was the Malayalam filmMarakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea oppositePranav Mohanlal, where she played a Muslim warrior's wife. The film received mixed to negative reviews and failed at the box office.[29][30]
The year 2022 marked a turning point in Kalyani's career. All her three Malayalam releases were successful and gained her positive reviews. She first appeared as an engineer inHridayam opposite Pranav Mohanlal.[31] Sajin Shrijith stated, "Kalyani is aptly cast andHridayam is her finest hour." A critic fromManorama Online noted, "Kalyani was effective as Nithya and her chemistry with Pranav is one of the high points of the film."[32][33] A major commercial success, it was one of the highest-grossing film of the year.[34] She next played an IT professional inBro Daddy oppositePrithviraj Sukumaran.[35] The film was directly released onDisney+ Hotstar.[36] Janani K. opined: "Kalyani as Anna is a revelation. She is a natural and her expressions are apt for every situation."[37] In her final film of the year, she appeared oppositeTovino Thomas inThallumaala, playing a vlogger.[38] A box office success, it became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.[39][40] Nirmal Jovial ofThe Week noted, "Kalyani's BeEPathu is a strong swag character who claims a huge social media following. Pathu is safe in Kalyani's hands."[41]
Kalyani had two releases in 2023. She first played a Muslim woman who aspires to become a football commentator inSesham Mike-il Fathima.[42] Athira M noted, "Kalyani has put up an earnest performance with her screen presence. There is an ease with which she plays Fathima but does seem weighed down by the heavy dialogues in some scenes, thus restricting her as an actor."[43] It was a moderate success at the box office.[44] She then played an aggressive college student and a trainedboxer alongsideJoju George inAntony. AThe New Indian Express critic stated, "Kalyani gets some amazing fight scenes in the first half. But, the one-dimensional portrayal of her character doesn't help and it loses connection."[45][46] The film turned out to be a box office average.[47] In her only release of 2024, Kalyani reunited with Pranav Mohanlal for the Malayalam filmVarshangalkku Shesham, where she played a college student and his ex-lover.[48] Latha Srinivasan stated that Kalyani hardly had anything to do.[49] The film was a commercial success and emerged asone of the highest grossing Malayalam films of all time.[50][51]
Kalyani started 2025 withLokah Chapter 1: Chandra, oppositeNaslen, where she played as Chandra, who is secretlyKalliyankattu Neeli, ayakshi, and in the film, a superheroine.[52][53]Lokah made the landmark as the first superheroine film in Malayalam and Indian cinema.[54][55] Lokah received positive reviews and became thehighest grossing Malayalam film of all time and one of the highest grossing Indian films featuring a female lead, grossing over ₹300 crore.[56] Hariprasad Sadanandan fromThe Week noted, "Kalyani is terrific as Chandra, both in terms of her body language and in the action set-pieces. Her performance act as the film's backbone."[57] She then played a girl whose weird demand leave her lover jilted at their wedding inOdum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira oppositeFahadh Faasil.[58] Both films released a day apart. The latter film received negative reviews and was a box-office failure. Her chemistry with Fahadh was criticised. Anandu Suresh ofThe Indian Express considered her performance as "struggling in a character that clearly demanded far more than what exists in her artistic tapestry" and stated that she needs to refine her diction and develop "more vocal elasticity" soon, or her current limitations will restrict her to a "narrow range of roles."[59] Kalyani will next appear in the Tamil filmGenie oppositeRavi Mohan.[60]
Kalyani is considered as one of the highest paid Malayalam actresses.[61][62] She received critical acclaim for her film debutHello. She termed the film as "the best film" that has happened to her career.[63]123telugu placed her in its "Top Actresses" list of 2017, for "Hello".[64] On her film career, Subhash K. Jha fromRediff.com opined: "Kalyani has become a name to reckon with in Malayalam cinema. Pretty and immensely gifted, she has proved herself to be much more than her prolific father Priyadarshan's daughter."[65]
