Priyamani

Priya Vasudevan Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South and a Filmfare OTT Award. Priyamani made her acting debut with the 2003 Telugu film Evare Atagaadu. She gained widespread recognition for her role as a village girl in the Tamil romantic drama Paruthiveeran in 2007, receiving a National Film Award for Best Actress and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Tamil. Her other notable works include Raam (2009), Raavan (2010), Raavanan (2010), Pranchiyettan & the Saint (2010), Chaarulatha (2012) and Idolle Ramayana (2016). She began starring in the black comedy series The Family Man in 2019, and has since played a supporting role in the action film Jawan (2023). Early life Priyamani was born and raised in Bangalore, Karnataka belonging to a Tamil Palakkad Iyer family. Her father, Vasudevan Mani Iyer, owns a plantation business and her mother, former national level badminton player, Lathamani Iyer, was a bank manager at Union Bank of India. She modelled for Kanchipuram Silk, Erode Bharani Silks and Lakshmi silks during her school years. When she was in the 12th Standard, Tamil director Bharathiraja introduced her to the film industry. While at school, she actively participated in extracurricular activities and in sports. She is the granddaughter of Carnatic vocalist, Kamala Kailas. She is the cousin of film actress, Vidya Balan and the niece of playback singer, Malgudi Shubha.