Priyamani | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Priyamani in 2015 | |
| Born | Priyamani Vasudeva Iyer (1984-06-04)4 June 1984 (age 41) |
| Other names | Priyamani Raj |
| Alma mater | Bishop Cotton Women's Christian College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | |
Priyamani Raj[1][2][3] (néeIyer; born 4 June 1984[4][5]), knownmononymously asPriyamani, is an Indian actress who works inTelugu,Kannada,Tamil,Malayalam, andHindi films. She is the recipient of aNational Film Award, threeFilmfare Awards South and aTamil Nadu State Film Award.
Priyamani began her career with the 2003Telugu filmEvare Atagaadu. She went on to star inRaam (2009),Puthiya Mukham (2009),Raavanan (2010), andPranchiyettan & the Saint (2010). She gained praise for playing a rape victim in the Tamil romantic dramaParuthiveeran (2007), which won her theNational Film Award for Best Actress and theFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil. She also won theFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam forThirakkatha (2008) and theFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada forChaarulatha (2012). She has since starred inIdolle Ramayana (2016),Jawan (2023),Article 370 (2024), andOfficer on Duty (2025).
Priyamani was born and raised inBangalore,Karnataka,[6] to aTamil Palakkad Iyer family.[7] Her father, Vasudeva Iyer, owns a plantation business, and her mother, former national-level badminton player Lathamani Iyer, was a bank manager atUnion Bank of India.[8]
Priyamani modeled forKanchipuram Silk, Erode Bharani Silks, and Lakshmi Silks during her school years.[9] When she was in the 12th standard, Tamil film directorBharathiraja introduced her to the film industry.[10][11][12] While at school, she actively participated in extracurricular activities and in sports.[13] She is the granddaughter of Carnatic vocalist Kamala Kailas.[14] She is the cousin of film actressVidya Balan and the niece of playback singerMalgudi Shubha.[15]
Priyamani studied atSri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bengaluru. After completing her schooling, she modeled for print advertisements. She then completed her pre-university course and the degree from Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College, Bengaluru.[16] She can speak in English,Tamil,Malayalam,Kannada,Telugu, andHindi fluently. Film directorFazil had approached her for acting in a movie, and she rejected the offer prior to her board examinations and eventually made her film debut in a Tamil film.[17]
Priyamani made her debut with Telugu film,Evare Atagaadu. Although she began her acting career withBharathiraja's Tamil film,Kangalal Kaidhu Sei,[10][18] it wasEvare Atagaadu which was released first.
Priyamani then made her debut in Malayalam cinema withSathyam.[14] Then she was signed by Tamil film director and cinematographerBalu Mahendra to act in the 2005 dramaAdhu Oru Kana Kaalam. Before release, Babith said "Priyamani has come up with an excellent performance in the movie.Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam was critically acclaimed but failed at the box office.[19] However, she won acclaim for her performance in the film.[citation needed] In 2006, Priyamani starred in the Telugu filmPellaina Kothalo. The film was a hit and got her three Telugu films.[14][20][21]
Priyamani managed to prove her acting credentials and commercial appeal with 2007'sParuthiveeran, directed byAmeer, in which she was co-starred with debutantKarthi. A rural subject which told the story of a notorious young villager inMadurai, the film won critical acclaim and became a surprise box-office blockbuster.[22] She went on to win theNational Film Award,[23] followed bySouth Filmfare Award,[24][25]Tamil Nadu State Film Award and an award at theOsian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema.[26]
She had another commercially successful film in Telugu, in the 2007 filmYamadonga[27][28][29] and in the Tamil filmMalaikottai.[30][31] She again received critical acclaim in 2008 for her role in the Malayalam filmThirakkatha, in which she played a role based on the turbulent real-life story of late film actressSrividya.[32] She won another Filmfare Award for her performance.[33] In Tamil, she had a single release in 2008:Thotta.[34]
In 2009 she had two Tamil releases, themasala filmArumugam and the remake of the Malayalam blockbusterClassmates,[35][36] titledNinaithale Inikkum.[37] The former was a commercial failure:[38] Her Kannada debut filmRaam was also a commercial success.[39][40][41] All three of her Telugu releases that year, however, (Drona,Mitrudu,Pravarakhyudu) did not do well at the box office.[42][43][44] In 2010 she acted in the satirical filmPranchiyettan & the Saint which became the longest-running Malayalam film since 2005.[45] She won a Filmfare nomination for her role as a Mumbai-based interior decorator in the film.
She was subsequently signed by directorMani Ratnam for his bilingual film, titledRaavanan andRaavan in Tamil and Hindi respectively.[46] Soon after, she was hired by Bollywood director-producerRam Gopal Varma for his bilingual filmRakht Charitra. Varma decided to cast her after seeing her National Award-winning performance inParuthiveeran.[citation needed] Her Kannada filmVishnuvardhana became a blockbuster hit[47][48] and later she starred inAnna Bond.[49] Although the film was poorly received by critics and featured onRediff's "Most Disappointing Kannada Films of 2012" list,[50] it went on to become a successful venture at the box office.[citation needed] She appeared in anitem number in the Bollywood filmChennai Express.[51] She has completed shooting for a Malayalam film,The True Story and the Telugu film,Chandee, in which she plays Ganga the granddaughter of a freedom fighter, who seeks revenge for the problems her family had to face.[52] She was cast oppositeDarshan in the Kannada filmAmbareesha in (2014).[53][54] In 2014, she posed for aPETA ad campaign, asking the public to boycott zoos that feature caged tigers.[55][56][57] In 2024, she was cast in the Hindi filmArticle 370
BesidesThe Family Man, Priyamani was also inZEE5'sHis Storyy,Narappa, andVirata Parvam.[citation needed]
Priyamani announced her engagement to Mustafa Raj, an event organiser, in 2016,[58] and the couple married in Bengaluru in 2017.[59] Priyamani isHindu, while her husband is a Muslim; she has spoken about receiving negativetext messages and online comments due to their interfaith marriage.[59]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Evare Atagaadu | Rekha | Telugu | credited as Priya | [60] |
| 2004 | Kangalal Kaidhu Sei | Vidhya | Tamil | ||
| Sathyam | Sona | Malayalam | |||
| 2005 | Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam | Thulasi | Tamil | ||
| Otta Nanayam | Reshma | Malayalam | |||
| 2006 | Pellaina Kothalo | Lakshmi | Telugu | ||
| Madhu | Mercy | Tamil | |||
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran | Muthazhagu | |||
| Toss | Naina | Telugu | |||
| Yamadonga | Maheswari | ||||
| Nava Vasantham | Anjali | ||||
| Malaikottai | Malar | Tamil | |||
| 2008 | Thotta | Nalina | |||
| Thirakkatha | Malavika | Malayalam | |||
| Hare Ram | Anjali | Telugu | |||
| King | Dancer | Special appearance in the song "Nuvvu Ready Nenu Ready" | |||
| 2009 | Drona | Indhu | |||
| Mitrudu | Indu | ||||
| Puthiya Mukham | Anjana | Malayalam | |||
| Arumugam | Yamini | Tamil | |||
| Ninaithale Inikkum | Meera | ||||
| Pravarakhyudu | Sailaja | Telugu | |||
| Raam | Pooja | Kannada | |||
| 2010 | Shambo Shiva Shambo | Munimma | Telugu | ||
| Sadhyam | Suhani | ||||
| Golimaar | Pavithra | ||||
| Raavan | Jamuni | Hindi | Simultaneously shot in Hindi and Tamil | ||
| Raavanan | Vennila | Tamil | |||
| Pranchiyettan and the Saint | Padmashree | Malayalam | |||
| Eno Onthara | Madhumathi | Kannada | |||
| Rakht Charitra II | Bhavani | Hindi Telugu | Bilingual film (also partially reshot in Tamil) | ||
| Ragada | Priya/Ashtalakshmi | Telugu | |||
| 2011 | Raaj | Mythili | |||
| Kshetram | Naga Penchalamma/ Sohini Aggarwal | ||||
| Vishnuvardhana | Meera | Kannada | |||
| 2012 | Ko Ko | Cauvery | |||
| Anna Bond | Meera | ||||
| Grandmaster | Deepthi | Malayalam | |||
| Chaarulatha | Chaaru and Latha | Kannada | |||
| 2013 | Lakshmi | Priya | |||
| Chennai Express | Dancer | Hindi | Special appearance in the song "1-2-3-4 Get on the Dance Floor" | ||
| Chandee | Ganga/Chandee | Telugu | |||
| 2014 | Alice: A True Story | Alice/Uma | Malayalam | ||
| Njangalude Veettile Athidhikal | Bhavana | ||||
| Ambareesha | Smitha | Kannada | |||
| 2015 | Ranna | Dancer | Special appearance in the song "What to do" | ||
| 2016 | Kathe Chitrakathe Nirdeshana Puttanna | Geethanjali | |||
| Kalpana 2 | Kalpana | ||||
| Dana Kayonu | Jagadhamba (Jhummi) | ||||
| Idolle Ramayana | Susheela | Kannada | Bilingual film | ||
| Mana Oori Ramayanam | Telugu | ||||
| 2017 | Chowka | Mariea D Souza | Kannada | ||
| 2018 | Dhwaja | Ramya | |||
| Ashiq Vanna Divasam | Shyni | Malayalam | |||
| 2019 | Pathinettam Padi | Gowri Vasudev | Cameo appearance | ||
| Nanna Prakara | Dr. Amrutha | Kannada | [61] | ||
| 2020 | Ateet | Janvi | Hindi | ZEE5 film | [62] |
| 2021 | Naarappa | Sundaramma | Telugu | Amazon Prime film | [63] |
| 2022 | Bhamakalapam | Anupama Mohan | Aha film | [64] | |
| Virata Parvam | Comrade Bharatakka | [65] | |||
| Salaam Venky | Adv. Nanda Kumar | Hindi | Cameo appearance | ||
| Dr. 56 | Priya Krishna | Kannada | Bilingual film | [66] | |
| Priya Krishnan | Tamil | ||||
| 2023 | Custody | Chief Minister Dakshayani | Telugu Tamil | Bilingual film | [67] |
| Jawan | Lakshmi | Hindi | Partially reshot in Tamil | [68] | |
| Neru | Poornima Rajasekhar | Malayalam | [69] | ||
| 2024 | Bhamakalapam 2 | Anupama Mohan | Telugu | [70] | |
| Article 370 | Rajeshwari Swaminathan | Hindi | [71] | ||
| Maidaan | Saira Rahim | [72] | |||
| Quotation Gang: Part 1 | Shakuntala | Tamil | [73] | ||
| 2025 | Officer on Duty | Geetha Hari | Malayalam | [74] | |
| 2026 | Jana Nayagan† | TBA | Tamil | Filming | [75] |
| G.D.N† | TBA | Filming | [76] | ||
| Saraswathi† | TBA | Telugu | Filming | [77] |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | The Family Man | Suchitra Tiwari | Hindi | Amazon Prime Video | |
| 2021 | His Story | Sakshi | Alt Balaji,ZEE5 | [78] | |
| 2023 | Sarvam Shakthi Mayam | Priya | ZEE5 | ||
| 2025 | Good Wife | Tarunika Gunaseelan | Tamil | JioHotstar | [79] |
| Year | Program | Language | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | D 4 Dance | Malayalam | Mazhavil Manorama | |
| 2015 | D 2 – D 4 Dance | |||
| Dancing Star 2 | Kannada | ETV Kannada | ||
| 2016 | Dancing Star Juniors | |||
| Kings of Dance | Tamil | Star Vijay | ||
| D 3 – D 4 Dance | Malayalam | Mazhavil Manorama | Asiavision Television Award for Best Celebrity Judge | |
| Dancing Star 3 | Kannada | Colors Kannada | ||
| 2017 | D4 Junior Vs Seniors | Malayalam | Mazhavil Manorama | |
| Dance Jodi Dance 2 | Tamil | Zee Tamil | ||
| Dhee 10 | Telugu | ETV Telugu | ||
| 2018–2019 | Dhee 11 | ETV Telugu | ||
| 2018–2019 | Dance Kerala Dance | Malayalam | Zee Keralam | |
| 2019 | Teas Best Partner | Mazhavil Manorama | ||
| Kerala Dance League | Amrita TV | Celebrity judge | ||
| D5 Junior | Mazhavil Manorama | Grand finale jury | ||
| Famously Filmfare | Malayalam Kannada | MX Player | Host | |
| 2019–2020 | Comedy Stars | Malayalam | Asianet | Recurring Judge |
| 2019–2020 | Comedy Stars Weekend Challenge | Asianet | ||
| Dance Jodi Dance 3.0 | Tamil | Zee Tamizh | ||
| 2020 | Dhee Champions | Telugu | ETV Telugu | |
| 2021 | Dhee 13 | |||
| 2022 | Dhee 14 Dancing Icon |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Hand of God | Eleena | Malayalam | Mazhavil Manorama | |
| 2019 | White | Blind lady | English | YouTube | |
| 2025 | The Promise[80] | Chitra | Hindi | YouTube |
.jpg) The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Best Actress Award to Priyamani at the 54th National Film Awards function, in New Delhi on September 02, 2008. | ||||||||
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| Totals[a] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 10 | |||||||
| Nominations | 16 | |||||||
Note
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
| International | |
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| Artists | |
