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Oviya
Oviya in 2018 atBehindwoodsYouTube channel for an interview
Born	Helen Nelson (1991-04-29)29 April 1991 (age 34)[1] Thrissur,Kerala, India
Alma mater	Vimala College, Thrissur
Occupations	Actress model
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Kalavani Kirataka Bigg Boss Tamil Season 1

Helen Nelson (born 29 April 1991) better known professionally by her stage nameOviya, is an Indian actress who works in theTamil andMalayalam films also appeared in fewKannada andTelugu films. She made her breakthrough as an actress inSarkunam's rural romantic comedyKalavani (2010), before appearing in other films includingPandiraj'sMarina (2012),Moodar Koodam (2013) andMadha Yaanai Koottam (2013). Oviya has also enjoyed box office success through her roles inSundar C'sKalakalappu (2012) and the horror comedyYaamirukka Bayamey (2014). In 2017, Oviya appeared on the reality seriesBigg Boss Tamil 1.^[2]

Oviya was born as Helen Nelson atThrissur,Kerala.^[3] She studied atVimala College, Thrissur.^[4]

Oviya began her career as an actress by portraying supporting roles in Malayalam films, notably working inKangaroo (2007) andPuthiya Mukham (2009) starringPrithviraj and as one of the lead characters in the college dramaApoorva (2008).^{[citation needed]} Oviya then worked towards completing aBA inFunctional English at Vimala College inThrissur, before director Sargunam approached her forKalavani (2010). Sarkunam cast her in the leading female role after seeing a picture of her online and was convinced that he had found the correct actress to portray the role despite reservations from the producer.^[5]

InKalavani, she was featured oppositeVimal, and the film subsequently gained positive reviews and became asleeper hit at the box office.^[6][7] Critics praised Oviya's performance of a village-based schoolgirl, with a critic from theHindustan Times stating "Oviya's marvellous expressions convey her gratitude, and she uses her eyes to say it all". Similarly, a reviewer fromThe Hindu stated "Oviya looks cute and emotes well, which is a rarity these days".^[8][9]

Following the success ofKalavani, Oviya signed several small-budget films includingJeevan'sAmara,Vengai,Mugam Nee Agam Naan,Sevanu andRasu Madhuravan'sMuthukku Muthaaga (2011), but only the latter had a theatrical release.^[10][11] While several films were stopped due to financial reasons, Oviya had to opt out of a few films after inadvertently muddling her dates.^{[citation needed]} Portraying the role of a college basketballer inMuthukku Muthaaga, Oviya worked through the pain barrier for the film after fainting on the sets following an illness. The film, however, opened to negative reviews with a critic from Behindwoods.com stating Oviya's character was "annoying".^[12][13] During the period, she was also seen in two further Malayalam filmsPuthumukhangal (2010) andManushyamrugam (2011), despite making claims that Malayalam films were "uninteresting and boring".^{[citation needed]} TheKannada remake ofKalavani titledKirataka (2011) won Oviya more critical acclaim, with a reviewer from Rediff.com stating she "charms her way through the film", though a proposed Telugu remake later fell through.^[14][15] Oviya was also seen in a guest appearance inK. S. Ravikumar's romantic comedy,Manmadhan Ambu (2010), where she featured alongsideKamal Haasan andMadhavan. Post-release, the actress revealed that she appreciated the opportunity to work alongside big actors but was disappointed that several of her scenes were edited out of the film.^[16]

Over the following three years, Oviya prioritised her work in Tamil films appearing in several small and mid-budget projects and alternated between performance-based and glamorous roles. InPandiraj's critically acclaimed drama filmMarina (2012), Oviya and her co-star debutantSivakarthikeyan portrayed a couple who frequentMarina Beach, with a critic describing their performance as "absolutely enjoyable and hilarious".^[17] Likewise, the black comedyMoodar Koodam (2014) and the thrillerMadha Yaanai Koottam (2014) also featured Oviya in performance-based roles and both won critical acclaim.^[18][19] She portrayed a glamorous role for the first time inSundar C's comedyKalakalappu (2012), where she worked alongside a star cast ofShiva,Vimal andAnjali. The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office, becoming her most profitable film to date.^[20] Following further glamorous roles in unsuccessful films such asSillunu Oru Sandhippu (2013) andPulivaal (2014), Oviya scored another success with her role as a dainty, hot girl in Deekay's horror comedyYaamirukka Bayamey (2014).^[21] Critics also praised her performance, with a reviewer from the Deccan Chronicle stating "as the girl-next-door-unafraid-of-her-sexuality, Oviya is perfect".^[22][23]

Oviya's acting career began to decline after 2014 and she was primarily offered glamorous roles in low-profile films. She was cast opposite veteran actorSarathkumar in the unsuccessfulSandamarutham (2015) which garnered negative reviews, while her subsequent Tamil films,C. V. Kumar's heist comedy144 (2015) andSundar C's horror comedyHello Naan Pei Pesuren (2016) did not perform as well as anticipated at the box office.^{[citation needed]} Another project, the female-centricBhogi co-starringTrisha andPoonam Bajwa, was also stalled despite the shoot progressing. She subsequently moved on to portray a role in the low-budget Hindi filmYeh Ishq Sarfira (2015) and then the leading role of a city girl in the Kannada film,Mr. Mommaga (2016).^[24][25]

In 2017, Oviya took part in the Tamil reality television showBigg Boss hosted byKamal Haasan for theStar Vijay channel. Oviya gained instant popularity on the show through her charm and honesty, in comparison to other housemates. While enjoying friendship with contestantsBindu Madhavi,Raiza Wilson,Ganesh Venkatraman, and a cordial and one-sided romantic relationship with season winnerArav, she was repeatedly targeted and bullied by other housemates includingGayathri Raghuram,Namitha, Juliana andShakthi Vasudevan. Her clever responses and positive attitude to the bullying won over audiences.^[26] Voters repeatedly kept her in the show despite her being up for eviction at multiple instances, while she garnered a "cult following" on social media with phrases such as "Oviya Army" regularly trending.^{[citation needed]} Her behaviour and positive attitude on the show also attracted other celebrities to tweet in appreciation of her, with the likes ofPriya Anand,Nivetha Pethuraj,Sathish andKarunakaran amongst others praising her on social media.^[27] The popularity of Oviya reached such a high in late July 2017 that the makers of an unrelated Tamil film,Balloon (2017), included a song titled "Neenga Shut Up Pannunga" and dedicated it to the actress. Likewise, several other songwriters created their own "Oviya Anthems" and released them online.^[28]

In early August 2017, Oviya quit the show on medical grounds, following a week-long spat with Arav regarding her one-sided romantic feelings for him. Prior to her exit, she deliberately jumped into the swimming pool to force her departure, prompting the police to briefly investigate a potential suicide angle to the move.^[29][30] Despite widespread calls on social media for her to return to the show as awildcard entrant, Oviya released a video confirming that she had no interest in going back into the Bigg Boss House and would take an extended break and prioritise film opportunities. She also called for the public to forgive Shakthi and Julie for their behaviour towards her on the show.^[31]

Her acting career also saw positive developments following her stint on the show and her subsequent popularity. A long-delayed, small-budget film titledSeeni was renamed toOviyaava Vitta Yaaru to cash in on the actress's newfound fan following. Likewise, her Malayalam filmManushyamrugam from 2012, was dubbed into Tamil and prepared for release under the titlePolice Rajyam.^[32] Filmmakers includingSundar C,C. S. Amudhan and Santhosh Jayakumar announced their interest in signing the actress for roles in their filmKalakalappu 2,Tamil Padam 2 andIruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu, but she turned down the offers.^[33][34] Post herBigg Boss-fame, she signed on to appear in theMuni 4: Kanchana 3 byRaghava Lawrence,^[35] with critics quoting her role “as not making any difference to the film”. She appeared in a sequel to her breakthrough film,Kalavani, titledKalavani 2 and the female-orientated, controversial script,90ML, both releasing to negative reviews and poor box office collections.^[36][37][38] After a two-year hiatus, Oviya is currently acting withYogi Babu in an upcoming comedy entertainer titledContractor Nesamani.^[39]

• Oviya atIMDb

• Actresses in Tamil cinema
• Actresses from Thrissur
• Actresses in Malayalam cinema
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• 1991 births
• Actresses in Kannada cinema
• Indian film actresses
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• Actresses in Hindi cinema

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