Lavanya Tripathi Konidela (néeTripathi; born 15 December 1990[1][2]) is an Indian actress who primarily works inTelugu andTamil films. Tripathi is a recipient of several accolades including nominations for twoSIIMA Awards and oneFilmfare Awards South.[3]
In addition to her acting career, Tripathi is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. She is married to actorVarun Tej with whom she has a son.
She stated that she "always wanted to be in showbiz," but her father wanted her to complete her education first. She then started modelling, appearing in commercials, while also being part of television shows.[7][8] She won the title ofMiss Uttarakhand in 2006 when still in school.[10] Tripathi's background in classical dancing,Bharatnatyam came in handy for her role in the filmBhale Bhale Magadivoy.[11][12]
Tripathi started her acting career with Hindi television, appearing in various episodes ofSsshhhh...Koi Hai from 2006 to 2009. She next appeared as a contestant onGet Gorgeous 5 in 2008 and stood at 9th place. Tripathi made her fiction debut withSony TV'sPyaar Ka Bandhan. She portrayed Mishti Das / Araina Rai from 2009 to 2010.[13] Her last appearance on television was in 2010, when she portrayed Sakshi, in an episode ofCID.[14]
Tripathi made her film debut with the 2012 Telugu filmAndala Rakshasi, after a friend suggested her to attend the audition for the role.[15] She played Midhuna, a young girl mourning her lover's death. Her performance earned her several accolades includingCineMAA Award for Best Female Debut and a nomination forSIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Telugu.[16][17] A critic of123telugu noted, "Lavanya is incredibly beautiful in the film. She acts well and add certain innocence and charm to the character."[18]
The following year in 2013, Tripathi played a doctor Alekhya oppositeVishnu Manchu, inDoosukeltha. The film became a box office success.[19] Jeevi fromIdlebrain.com stated that she suits the character well.[20] Tripathi expanded to Tamil films in 2014 withBramman. She played an aspiring journalist, Gayathri oppositeSasikumar. The film emerged a box office average.[21]Baradwaj Rangan was critical of the film and her character.[22] In the same year, she played Radha Mohan's friend inManam, alongsideNaga Chaitanya, in the film's song "Kanulanu Thaake".[23]
Tripathi had five film releases in 2017. She first appeared inMister oppositeVarun Tej, where she played Chandramukhi a shy village girl.[36] Ch Sowmya Sruthi ofThe Times of India felt her character falls "flat" due to poor writing.[37] She next played one of the titular character of a student Radha inRadha, oppositeSharwanand.[38][39] Later, Tripathi appeared inYuddham Sharanam. She played Anjali, a medical intern opposite Naga Chaitanya. Hemanth Kumar CR stated, "Chaitanya and Lavanya make a wonderful on-screen couple and their romantic sub-plot is a delight to watch."[40] All these films emerged as box office averages.[41] Following this, Tripathi portrayed Meghana a carefree wedding planner oppositeRam Pothineni, inVunnadhi Okate Zindagi.[42][43] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo noted, "Lavanya's character is a light-hearted one and the actor pulls it off well. It's a relief not to see her in those flowy lehengas she had become synonymous with."[44] The film emerged a moderate success at the box office.[45] In her last release of the year, she made her comeback to Tamil films withMaayavan. Tripathi played Dr. Aadhirai, a psychiatrist oppositeSundeep Kishan. The film emerged another moderate success.[46] Manoj Kumar R was appreciative of her for playing her character well.[47] All her 2017 performances earned her theZee Cine Award Telugu for Popular Face of the Year.[48]
Tripathi started 2018 withInttelligent oppositeSai Dharam Tej, where she played Shreya, a software engineer.[49] In her next releaseAntariksham 9000 KMPH, she reunited with Varun Tej and played Parvathi, a school teacher.[50] Neeshita Nyayapati opined that she delivers a "convincing performance".[51] Both films underperformed at the box office.[52] In 2019, Tripathi's only release wasArjun Suravaram. She played Kavya, an aspiring journalist oppositeNikhil Siddharth.[53] The film was a major commercial success.[54][55] Murali Krishna C H opined that she makes her presence felt through her performance.[56]
Tripathi had two film releases in 2021. Her first release wasA1 Express oppositeSundeep Kishan, where she played Lavanya, a hockey player.[57] Sashidhar Adivi ofDeccan Chronicle stated, "Lavanya is not the run-of-the-mill heroine and is an excellent choice for the role. Perhaps this is one of her best performances."[58] She next played Mallika, a widow oppositeKartikeya Gummakonda inChaavu Kaburu Challaga.[59] Gabbeta Ranjith Kumar ofThe New Indian Express noted that she exhibits "good screen presence".[60]
Tripathi portrayed dual characters of Happy and Baby in her only release of 2022,Happy Birthday.[61][62] Mukesh Manjunath ofFilm Companion stated, "Lavanya is amazing and annoying as the protagonist but to even envision her in this role is a brave move. She relishes the part too even in the moments when she's not getting the comedy right."[63]
Tripathi marked her streaming debut withPuli Meka in 2023. She played Kiran, anIPS officer oppositeAadi.[64][65] Abhilasha Cherukuri was appreciative of her action sequences and added, "Lavanya takes the centre-stage inPuli Meka, something rare for mainstream Telugu cinema."[66][67]
In 2024, Tripathi had her second web release withMiss Perfect oppositeAbijeet. She played Lavanya, a management consultant obsessed with cleanliness and mistanken as a maid Laxmi.[68] Sonal Pandya ofTimes Now noted, "Despite the craziness of the plot, Lavanya adds some vulnerability to her character and makes the series watchable."[69]
In 2025, following an eight year hiatus, Tripathi returned to Tamil films withThanal oppositeAtharvaa. She played Anu, a police officer's lover.[70][71] A critic ofThe Times of India found her to be "stuck in utility mode".[72] She will next appear in the Telugu filmSathi Leelavathi oppositeDev Mohan.[73]
Tripathi met actorVarun Tej, on the sets of their filmMister (2017) and eventually started dating him. They went onto work together inAntariksham 9000 KMPH in 2018.[74] They got engaged on 9 June 2023 inHyderabad.[75] Tripathi married Tej on 1 November 2023 inTuscany,Italy in a traditional ceremony.[76][77] On 9 September 2025, Tripathi gave birth to their son Vaayuv.[78][79]
Tripathi has worked for a number of causes. She took up the role of "Shiksha Superheroe" forP&G Shiksha inHyderabad.[80] In 2018, she worked in an advertisement along with theTraffic Police Department ofTelangana, for which she did not take any remuneration.[81] Tripathi became the firstTollywood actress to donate forGovernment's Corona Crisis Charity, duringCOVID-19 in 2020. She stated that she felt "a sense of responsibility" and came forward to contribute to the country.[82]
Tripathi collaborated with designer Anitha Reddy to produce washable, reusable masks for their collaborative initiative "Redtri". It also promotedVocal for Local.[83] She has also decided to start a nature cafe inMussoorie.[84] Tripathi has ramp walked at events and has been thecover model for magazines covers including Provoke Magazine and You and I's June edition.[85][86] She is also known for her minimalistic and elegant fashion sense.[87][88]
Tripathi landed in controversy post her outspoken tweet slammingBrahmin pride. She tweeted, "As a Brahmin, I don't understand this whole superiority feeling among some of the Brahmins. You become superior or inferior because of what you do, not because of your caste." She later deleted the tweet and said, "Deleted bcz i didnt want to hurt anybody's feelings while putting my point forward, as tweets can be misleading sometimes.. but i do believe in good acts than caste."[89][90]
Tripathi made a promising debut withAndala Rakshasi.Times of India noted, "Lavanya has a author backed role and does a great job of it. She has a very versatile face and the filmmaker utilized it to the hilt."[91] Tripathi gained recognition with films,Bhale Bhale Magadivoy andSoggade Chinni Nayana. SureshKavirayani ofDeccan Chronicle stated her as "one of the bright talents to look out for in future".[92][26] Writer Pranitha Jonnalagedda compared her to actressSoundarya.[93]NDTV's Rinku Gupta has termed Tripathi a "pretty and charming" actress.[94]
Chiranjeevi praised her line of work in a 2019 event and said, "Lavanya Tripathi is a nice and cute girl. She looked very beautiful inBhale Bhale Magadivoy. I was shocked after watching her on the screen. I just saw her for a while without blinking. She has done a good job inArjun Suravaram as well. Lavanya has a bright future as she is well established in the South Indian film industry."[95]Allu Arjun had even termed her a "lucky mascot".[96] In a 2021 Interview with123telugu, Tripathi termedChaavu Kaburu Challaga as the "best script" of her career.[97] On her acting approach, she said,
"After listening to a script, if I instantly feel like doing the film, I take it up. I want to be challenged as an actress and even do roles that are physically demanding if need be. I hope to even play character with negative shades someday".[98]
Tripathi was placed 17th inHyderabad Times Most Desirable Woman list of 2016.[99] She is a celebrity endorser for several brands and products, including,Fair & Lovely andBinani Cement.[100] She has also endorsed Tripura Herbal hair oil and Gold Winner oil.[101] She collaborated withAmazon for their "Amazon Festive Stylebook" Episode 5 in 2021. Tripathi showedfour different elegant festive looks for women along with style tips.[102]
