Revathi | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Revathi at the screening ofMasaala at PVR | |
| Born | Asha Kelunni Nair[1] (1966-07-08)8 July 1966 (age 58) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | [3] |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Geetha Vijayan (cousin) Niranjana Anoop (niece)[4] |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours | Kalaimamani (1993) |
Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by herstage nameRevathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly inTamil andMalayalam cinema - in addition toTelugu,Hindi andKannada films.[1][5][6]
She was one of the most successful leading actresses of South Indian cinema and has won several accolades, including threeNational Film Awards, and sevenFilmfare Awards South.[7] She also won theKerala State Film Award for her performance inBhoothakaalam (2022).[8]
Revathi was born as Asha Kelunni Nair to Kelunni, a major in theIndian Army, and Lalitha Kelunni inKochi, Kerala.[1][2][5]
When she was in school, she took part in a fashion show. Group photos were taken during the show and a photo was chosen to be the cover of a popular Tamil magazine. This happened to be her photo, which was seen by the directorBharathiraja, who at that time was on the lookout for a new heroine for his latest venture,Mann Vasanai.[9][10]
She made her acting debut with the Tamil filmMann Vasanai in 1983.[11] The film was a silver jubilee hit and she was rewarded with aFilmfare Special Award – South.[12] She then made her Malayalam film debut with the movie titledKattathe Kilikkoodu in 1983. This film too hit the gold at the box office and was among her biggest hits of the 1980s. .[13][14] She was introduced to Telugu film industry with 1984 films,Seethamma Pelli by director Bapu andManasa Veena.[9][10] Revathy went on to play a blind, rape-survivor Seetha in Tamil inMahendran’sKai Kodukkum Kai (1984) oppositeRajinikanth.[15][16] Revathy went on to play Seetha inPudhumai Penn (1984) directed byBharathiraja. The same year she also didVaidehi Kathirunthal, directed byR. Sundarrajan.
She was versatile in her choice of roles and often played strong, relatable women characters. Her big break, the one that put her name high on the charts, was her portrayal of Divya, a very spirited and headstrong girl who transforms into awoman through the course of the movie, inMani Ratnam’sMouna Ragam (1986).[17]
She was cast oppositeKamal Haasan inPunnagai Mannan in 1986. Revathi won several accolades for her role in the film.[18] The film too was a huge hit and established her as one of the most sought after actress of Tamil film industry. She finally won her firstBest Actress Award for her splendid performance in the Malayalam filmKakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal in 1988. She won herBest Actress Award for Tamil film industry with the film titledKizhakku Vaasal in 1990. She gave hits after hits and gave one of her finest performance inPriyadarshan’s Malayalam filmKilukkam (1991). She made her debut in Hindi withSuresh Krissna’sLove (1991), co-starringSalman Khan. She then won aNational Film Award under the category ofBest Supporting Actress for her Tamil filmThevar Magan in 1992. She was at the peak of her career in the early 1990s. She also gave occasional appearance in Telugu and Kannada films as well. Revathy again won theFilmfare Award inBalu Mahendra’sMarupadiyum (1993). The golden run lasted until the end of the 1990s, after appearing in some of her most well-regarded films in that decadeAnjali (1990),Thevar Magan (1992),Magalir Mattum (1994) were already behind her. She has also won theTamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize forThalaimurai in 1998.[19]
Hindi audiences have savoured Revathi inMargarita with a Straw (2014) and2 States (2014). She has appeared in the Tamil filmsPa Paandi (2017),Jackpot (2019), and in the MalayalamVirus (2019).
She was seen in the bilingual Telugu and Hindi filmMajor (2022), where she portrayedMajor Sandeep Unnikrishnan's mother, Dhanalakshmi.[20]
In addition to acting, Revathi has directed two features (Mitr, My Friend andPhir Milenge) and contributed an episode each to the anthology filmsKerala Cafe and the unreleasedMumbai Cutting.[21]
She wonKerala State Film Award for Best Actress andFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Malayalam inBhoothakaalam (2022).[22][23]
Revathi married cinematographer and directorSuresh Chandra Menon in 1986. The couple did not have any children. However, following differences between them, they started living separately from 2002 and were granted divorce on 23 April 2013[24] by Chennai Additional Family Court.[25]
In 2018, she revealed that she has a five-year old biological daughter throughin vitro fertilisation.[26]
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Revathi is a trainedBharatanatyam dancer, having studied since the age of seven and performed herarangetram inChennai in 1979.[27] She has been considered one of the all-time top actresses of Tamil cinema and South Indian cinema. She was one of the most successful leading actresses of South Indian cinema. Revathi was the only South Indian actress of 80s and 90s to win the Filmfare best actress award in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, including three consecutive wins in Tamil. Apart from films, Revathi has been involved in a variety of social organisations, the most notable being the Banyan, Ability foundation, Tanker foundation and Vidyasagar, and has also served as a member of severalfilm festivals including theChennai International Film Festival and theInternational Film Festival of India.[28]
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