Asha Kelunni Nair(born 8 July 1966), better known by herstage nameRevathi,is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly inTamilandMalayalamcinema - in addition toTelugu,HindiandKannadafilms.[1][5][6]
Revathi | |
|---|---|
 Revathi at the screening ofMasaalaat PVR | |
| Born | Asha Kelunni Nair[1] 8 July 1966 |
| Occupations |
|
| 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) |
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 Awardfor her performance inBhoothakaalam(2022).[8]
Early life
editRevathi was born as Asha Kelunni Nair to Kelunni, a major in theIndian Army,and Lalitha Kelunni inKochi,Kerala.[1][2][9]
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.[10][11]
Career
editShe made her acting debut with the Tamil filmMann Vasanaiin 1983.[12]The film was a silver jubilee hit and she was rewarded with aFilmfare Special Award – South.[13]She then made her Malayalam film debut with the movie titledKattathe Kilikkooduin 1983. This film too hit the gold at the box office and was among her biggest hits of the 1980s..[14][15]She was introduced to Telugu film industry with 1984 films,Seethamma Pelliby director Bapu andManasa Veena.[10][11]Revathy went on to play a blind, rape-survivor Seetha in Tamil inMahendran’sKai Kodukkum Kai(1984) oppositeRajinikanth.[16][17]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 awomanthrough the course of the movie, inMani Ratnam’sMouna Ragam(1986).[18]
She was cast oppositeKamal HaasaninPunnagai Mannanin 1986. Revathi won several accolades for her role in the film.[19]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 Awardfor her splendid performance in the Malayalam filmKakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikalin 1988. She won herBest Actress Awardfor Tamil film industry with the film titledKizhakku Vaasalin 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 Awardunder the category ofBest Supporting Actressfor her Tamil filmThevar Maganin 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 AwardinBalu 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 PrizeforThalaimuraiin 1998.[20]
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.[21]
In addition to acting, Revathi has directed two features (Mitr, My FriendandPhir Milenge) and contributed an episode each to the anthology filmsKerala Cafeand the unreleasedMumbai Cutting.[22]
She wonKerala State Film Award for Best ActressandFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – MalayalaminBhoothakaalam(2022).[23][24]
Personal life
editRevathi married cinematographer and directorSuresh Chandra Menonin 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[25]by Chennai Additional Family Court.[26]
In 2018, she revealed that she has a five-year old biological daughter throughin vitro fertilisation.[27]
In the media
edit
Revathi is a trainedBharatanatyamdancer, having studied since the age of seven and performed herarangetraminChennaiin 1979.[28]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 festivalsincluding theChennai International Film Festivaland theInternational Film Festival of India.[29]
Awards
editReferences
edit- ^abc"Revathi Birthday: Love to Mouna Ragam, Popular Movies of the Evergreen Actress".News18.
- ^ab"malayalamcinema.com, Official website of AMMA, Malayalam Film news, Malayalam Movie Actors & Actress, Upcoming Malayalam movies".www.malayalamcinema.com.Retrieved29 August2024.
- ^"Court grants divorce to actor Revathi".The Times of India.23 April 2013.Retrieved6 September2015.
- ^"Films, a family affair!".Deccan Chronicle.29 April 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2017.
- ^name= "The Times of India" >"Happy Birthday Revathi: Interesting facts about the actress".The Times of India.8 July 2021.
- ^"From demure to daring, actor Revathy's multi-faceted film career".8 January 2018.
- ^"40th National Film Awards – 1993"(PDF).Directorate of Film Festivals – 1993.Retrieved5 July2013.
- ^"It took her 40 years to reach me, I want to dedicate the state award to myself: Revathi".Onmanorama.25 September 2022.Retrieved25 September2022.
- ^"Happy Birthday Revathi: Interesting facts about the actress".The Times of India.8 July 2021.
- ^abSaravanan, T. (9 January 2011)."Always in reckoning".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2020.Retrieved12 February2018.
- ^abShekar, Anjana (8 January 2018)."From demure to daring, actor Revathy's multi-faceted film career".The News Minute.Archivedfrom the original on 8 August 2018.Retrieved12 February2018.
- ^Ramesh, Neeraja (16 August 2019)."Make way for women of substance on screen".The Times of India.Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2019.Retrieved19 October2019.
- ^"Demure-daring-actor-revathy-s-multi-faceted-film-career".The News minute.8 January 2018.
- ^Aravind, C. V. (20 February 2017)."Nedumudi Venu: Malayalam cinema's man for all seasons".The News Minute.Retrieved19 November2019.
- ^Kurup, Aradhya (17 November 2019)."'Kattathe Kilikkoode': Bharathan's film is a commentary on the yin and yang of marriage ".The News Minute.Retrieved19 November2019.
- ^Rangan, Baradwaj(2 April 2019)."Tribute: J Mahendran, Who Began His Directing Career With The Rajinikanth-starring 'Mullum Malarum'".Film Companion.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2020.Retrieved18 May2019.
- ^"கன்னடத்தில் இருந்து தமிழுக்கு வந்த கை கொடுக்கும் கை".Maalai Malar(in Tamil). 29 November 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2014.Retrieved4 March2014.
- ^"From demure to daring, actor Revathy's multi-faceted film career".8 January 2018.
- ^"32 years of 'Punnagai Mannan': Why the Kamal Haasan film is still in our hearts".November 2018.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 30 April 2003.Retrieved20 October2009.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Major movie review: Adivi Sesh's homage to the 26/11 hero is flawed but effective".The Indian Express.2 June 2022.Retrieved2 June2022.
- ^"Revathi's in the movie. Enough said".23 September 2021.
- ^"Here's why Revathy said yes to 'Bhoothakaalam', which won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress".The Times of India.8 July 2022.
- ^"Winners of the 68th Filmfare Awards South (Malayalam) 2023".
- ^"Poco Solar".Poco Solar.11 October 2022.
- ^Deccan Chroniclehttp://www.deccanchronicle.com/130423/entertainment-mollywood/article/revathi-suresh-granted-divorceArchived27 May 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^"சோதனை குழாய் மூலம் குழந்தை பெற்றேன்.. மனம் திறந்த நடிகை ரேவதி..!".Puthiya Thalaimurai.2 November 2023.
- ^Harsha Koda (www.jalakara.com)."revathy.com".revathy.com.Retrieved12 July2012.
- ^"59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced".Press Information Bureau (PIB), India.Retrieved7 March2012.
External links
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