Namitha | |
|---|---|
 Namitha in 2007 | |
| Born | Namitha Mukesh Vankawala (1981-05-10)10 May 1981 (age 44) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2001 – 2021 |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Namitha Vankawala (born 10 May 1981[1]) is a state executive member of theBhartiya Janata Party (BJP) inTamil Nadu.[2] She started her career initially as an actress and model who predominantly works inTamil andTelugu cinema along with a few films inKannada andMalayalam.[3]
Starting her career as a beauty pageant contestant, Namitha was crowned Miss Surat during the year of 1998 at the age of 17. She went on to participate in the 2001 Miss India pageant and ended up as the third runner-up, whileCelina Jaitley was crowned Miss India.[4] The publicity she garnered during the competition prompted her to move toMumbai and subsequently she did a number of TV commercials such as Himani cream and hand soap,Arun Ice Creams, Manikchand Gutka, and Nile Herbal Shampoo early in her career. Unable to make a breakthrough into the Hindi film industry, she enrolled in an English Literature course and then considered returning to Surat but chose to later accept an invitation to audition for a Telugu film. After being selected, she consequently made her acting debut inSreenu Vaitla's coming-of-age romantic film,Sontham (2002). Her next film,Saran's big budget action filmGemeni (2002) oppositeVenkatesh, garnered her further attention and her portrayal of a Marwardi girl won critical acclaim. She had also briefly given herself the stagename of "Bhairavi" for the film, but later reverted to her original name.[5][6]
In the mid-2000s, she quickly became popular in Tamil language films with her mature look and tall frame prompting film makers to cast her opposite ageing actors such asVijayakanth,Sathyaraj,Arjun,Parthiban,Sundar C andSarathkumar.[7] She appeared in a series of commercial action films opposite such actors, including roles inAai (2005),Chanakya (2005) andAanai (2005). Likewise, she was regularly cast in comedy films with senior actors too, making appearances inSiddique'sEngal Anna (2004) and six ofSakthi Chidambaram's comedy dramas. During the period, she appeared in her first Hindi filmLove Ke Chakkar Mein, worked on a Kannda film titledNamitha I Love You and shot for an English film,Maya, which was later released in 2008 asKamasutra Nights.[8] In 2007, she had the opportunity to work with two leading actors from Tamil cinema, respectively appearing withVijay in theA. R. Rahman-musicalAzhagiya Tamil Magan (2007) andAjith Kumar inVishnuvardhan's gangster filmBilla (2007). By the end of the period, Namitha had developed a "cult following" in Tamil Nadu as a result of her glamorous appearances in films, with the media regularly looking to feature her in reports and Behindwoods.com labelled her "omnipotent and omnipresent".[9][10][11]
However, by the turn of the decade, Namitha's popularity began to decline after several of her films failed to perform well and the South Indian film industry moved away from casting women in outright glamorous roles, a character that Namitha had become famed for performing. Film makers were also reluctant to cast Namitha opposite young male actors, as the older generation began to stop appearing in leading roles.[12] She was relegated to increasingly smaller roles and guest appearances, while the big-budget horror film,Jaganmohini (2009), where she played the title role performed poorly at the box office.[13] She briefly prioritized her work in Kannada films in the early 2010s, while several of her films endured production delays includingIlamai Oonjal (2016). After several years without any film releases, she announced plans of making a comeback in 2016.[14]
In 2017, Namitha appeared on the Tamil reality television show,Bigg Boss hosted byKamal Haasan. During her stint in the show, she was widely criticised for her harsh treatment of actressOviya.[15] She also seen in the Horror movies such asPottu (2019) andMiya (2020).[16] In 2021, she make a appearance in TV serialPudhu Pudhu Arthangal and then on the comedy showKanni Theevu Ullasa Ulagam 2.0 entertain the audience as a special guest.[17]
At the height of her success in 2008, Namitha's devotee built her a temple nearCoimbatore,Tamil Nadu. She became the second actress afterKhushbu in the state to be immortalised in such a fashion by her fan following.[18][19] In October 2010, there was an attempt to kidnap her by a fan atTrichy in Tamil Nadu.[20] She has been an advocate of safe driving and in June 2012, she and Tamil actor Bharat promoted awareness of safe driving.[21]
Namitha joinedAIADMK on 24 April 2016 in the presence of party general secretary and Tamil Nadu chief ministerJ Jayalalithaa in Trichy.[22] In 2019, Namitha along with actorRadha Ravi joined theBharatiya Janata Party in the presence of party's national presidentJ. P. Nadda inChennai.[23] In July 2020, after 8 months of joining the BJP, Namitha was appointed as one of the state executive member of the BJP in Tamil Nadu.[3]
Namitha married businessman Veerendra Chowdary in Tirupathi in November 2017.[24] The couple announced their pregnancy via Namitha's Instagram on her 41st birthday.[25] She delivered twin sons in August 2022.[26]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2015 | Maanada Mayilada | Main Judge | Dance Reality Show |
| 2017 | Bigg Boss Tamil (season 1) | Contestant | Evicted Day 28[61] |
| 2020 | Dance Jodi Dance 3.0 | Judge | Dance Show |
| 2021 | Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal | Herself | Guest Appearance |
| 2021 | Kanni Theevu Ullasa Ulagam 2.0 | Herself | Guest Appearance |
