Vinodhini Vaidyanathan

Vinodhini Vaidyanathan is an Indian actress and writer who has mainly worked in Tamil cinema and theatre. She made her debut in A. R. Murugadoss's Engaeyum Eppothum portraying Ananya's sister. She is best known for her performances in OK Kanmani (2015), Appa (2016), Aandavan Kattalai (2016), Ratsasan (2018), Comali (2019), Game Over (2019), Ponmagal Vandhal (2020) and Soorarai Pottru (2020), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023). Career Vinodhini made her first film appearance in Priyadarshan's Kanchivaram (2009), after being selected by the director to be a part of the film after he watched her during a performance with the Tamil theatre troupe, Koothu-P-Pattarai. The film won critical acclaim and recognition at the National Film Awards. In early 2010, director Saravanan had watched Vinodhini's solo performance titled Saami Aattam, in which Vinodhini played multiple characters in a 45-minute monologue, and was impressed enough to cast her in his first Tamil film, Engeyum Eppodhum (2011), produced by AR Murugadoss. Her performance in the film as the character of Ananya's sister, was well received. Since 2011, Vinodhini has appeared in several other films including the comedy Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013), the horror film Pisaasu (2014) and two collaborations with Mani Ratnam in Kadal (2013) and O Kadhal Kanmani (2015). She also played a significant supporting role as the wife of a gangster in Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda (2014) and in a leading role in Balu Mahendra's Thalaimuraigal (2013), where she played his daughter. By 2016, Vinodhini started to be recognized for her performances, going on to win Best Performance in a Comedy Role (Female) 2016 at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for her role in Aandavan Kattalai, as a junior lawyer.