Latest news and gossips of Top Tamil Actresses

Top homely actresses of Tamil Cinema

1. Sandhya

Revathi or Sandhya born 27 September 1988, in Kerala, India. She is an Indian film actress who acts primarily in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She made her debut as an actress in the 2004 Tamil film Kaadhal (2004), her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award. In 2006, for her role in the Tamil film Dishyum she got a Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actress, and she earned a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her debut Telugu film Annavaram. Sandhya was studying when she starred in the critically acclaimed Tamil love story Kaadhal. Initially, this role was offered to actress Gopika, however, due to date problems, this role went on to Sandhya. However, due to her rising fame, especially after the blockbuster film Dishyum, her second Tamil film, she had to discontinue her studies before even passing her 10th class.

2. Poornitha

Kalyani (born 23 November 1990) is a South Indian actress. She started acting as a child in a number of television series and rose to fame with her first major role in Alli Thandha Vaanam, a film of the Tamil cinema. She changed her name as "Poornitha", then turned heroine with the film Prathi Gnayiru 9.30 to 10.00 and went on to act in Malayalam and Telugu films as well. She was also the anchor of Vijay TV Super Mom. After entering Vijay Tv, she has changed her name to her original name "Kalyani". She is currently acting in a television series called Pirivom Santhipom on Vijay TV and also hosting Super Singer Junior.

3. Rukmini Vijayakumar

Rukmini Vijayakumar is a prominent South Indian Bharatanatyam dancer. Along with her performances on stage, she has appeared in two Tamil language films. Rukmini Vijayakumar began her dance training at the age of eight, studying Bharatanatyam under Guru Narmada, Guru Padmini Rao and Guru Sundari Santhanam and then practiced the Karanas for several years under Guru Sundari Santhanam. Rukmini holds a BFA degree from the Boston Conservatory in Ballet and Modern Dance, while she has also been trained in jazz, tap, African, choreography, laban movement analysis, Stagecraft and Human Anatomy at the Boston Conservatory. Furthermore, she has studied acting at the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles while also learning under director Prakash Belawadi during her stay in India. She is the Artistic Director of her dance company Raadha Kalpa, where she teaches, choreographs and creates new Bharatanatyam, Modern and experimental theater work. She is currently pursuing a Fitness Training Certification at UCLA, and a professional dancer's MFA program in Bharatanatyam at the Shastra University, Chennai under Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam.

4. Shammu

Shammu born on 14 June 1992, in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. She is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil films. She is best known for films such as Kanchivaram, Mayilu and Dasavathaaram. Shammu appeared in Dasavathaaram after receiving a call from the crew for the film, whilst they were searching for an Indian actress to play a short role. They had come to know of her following her Bharathanatyam performances, which were well acclaimed in the area. Her role was, that of a scientist, who panicked after seeing the bio weapon being exposed for the first time. Soon afterwards, whilst on holiday in India, Shammu attended an audition for Prakash Raj's home production Mayilu, and when she succeeded, Prakash Raj also suggested her name for another project that he was working in. She appeared in Kanchivaram, directed by Priyadarshan as Prakash Raj's daughter and was critically praised for her performance.

5. Sripriya

Sripriya is an actress who played leading roles in the 1970s and 1980s in South India. She has acted in Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam films, but her main contribution was in Tamil films, where she has acted in over 200 films. She first faced the camera on November 19, 1973 for the film Murugan Kaattiya Vazhi directed by P. Madhavan. She was awarded the Kalaimamani award in the early 1980s. She was in the jury of the National Awards committee and was a member of the State Awards committee. She is also a visual artist and the proceeds from her paintings are given to social causes, mainly for children. She is also a writer and has penned the dialogues for her TV serials and movies. She has acted with Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar. She was Rajinikanth's leading lady in most of his movies and the pair mainatined a perfect on-screen chemistry. She went on to act with Rajinikanth in 28 movies. From 1973, she has starred in more than 300 films in all the four South Indian languages, including 200 in Tamil. Sripriya was born in Chennai. She attended the Church Park convent school in Chennai. She is a trained classical dancer and hails from a professional music family.

6. Srividya

Srividya (24 July 1953 - 19 October 2006) was a leading Indian film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s in the Tamil film Industry, in addition to being a good singer. Srividya was born to Tamil film comedian Krishnamurthy and Carnatic classical singer M. L. Vasanthakumari. Srividya launched her career as a child artist in the 1966 Tamil film Thiruvarutchelvar (1966) alongside legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan. Later she entered Malayalam films with a dance scene in Kumara Sambhavam (1969), directed by P.Subramanyan and in Telugu film Tata Manavadu (1972) directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. However, her first major role was that of a college student falling in love with her professor in the 1971 Tamil film Nootrukku Nooru, directed by K. Balachander. Her first film as heroine was Delhi to Madras (1972) in which she was paired opposite Jaishankar. In mid-1970s, she became busy in the Tamil film industry. She acted in films such as Velli Vizha, Sollathaan Ninaikkiren and Apoorva Raagangal, all directed by K. Balachander. She was Rajinikanth's first heroine in Apoorva Raagangal (1975). She played a heroine in the film Chattambikkavala opposite Sathyan. She gained public attention in Chenda, directed by A. Vincent. Actress Lakshmi was her very close friend.

7. Vijayalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She is an Indian actress who has predominantly appeared in Kannada films. Vijayalakshmi was born into a Tamil Saiva Vellala Pillai family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and did her studies in Karnataka. She has also acted in quite a few Tamil television serials. She also was an anchor of a Reality show Bangaarada Bete, produced by Radaan Media Works. After her move away from Tamil language films, Vijayalakshmi settled in Bangalore, where she had earlier pursued her studies. In 2006, it was reported that Vijayalakshmi attempted suicide by overdosing sleeping pills after being harassed by an assistant director who wanted to marry her. The decision came at the end of a difficult year for her in which her father also had died, but she was saved and recovered thereafter. However, in November 2006, she announced her engagement to actor Srujan Lokesh, with the wedding pencilled in for March 2007, after three years of dating. In a turn of events, the engagement was broken off, and Vijayalakshmi is still single.

8. Vijayalakshmi Agathiyan

Vijayalakshmi is a Tamil film actress. She is the daughter of the National Film Award-winning Tamil film director Agathiyan. Vijayalakshmi debuted in the 2007 film Chennai 600028 under the direction of Venkat Prabhu. The film was eventually a blockbuster and she later portrayed the female lead role in the film Anjathe which was also a critically acclaimed film. After making a special appearance in Venkat Prabhu's Saroja in 2008, she has been actively working in her next films Adhe Neram Adhe Idam and the animated film, Sultan The Warrior,a forthcoming Indian feature computer-animation film, for which she will be providing her voice for the lead female character. Vijayalakshmi is a Bachelor of Technology graduate from Easwari Engineering College. Her elder sister, Karthika Agathiyan, is a popular television anchor on Makkal TV. She also has a younger sister named Niranjani, who is an upcoming costume designer in Kollywood. Her sister Karthika's husband Thiru is the director of Vishal's Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai.

9. Vyjayanthimala

Vyjayanthimala Bali born on August 13, 1936, in Triplicane, Madras Presidency, British India. She is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian. Born in Triplicane situated near Parthasarathy Temple in a orthodox and religious Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family to M. D. Raman and Vasundhara Devi. Her mother was a leading actress in Tamil Cinema in 1940s where her film Mangama Sabatham was the first ever Tamil film to be declared a colossal hit at the box office. When director M. V. Raman was looking for a new face to cast in AVM Productions's Vazhkai, he saw Vyjayanthimala performing Bharata Natyam in Chennai Gokhale Hall. Then he tried to convince her grandmother, who was apprehensive about Vyjayanthimala in joining films as she felt it would come in the way of her education and dance. Vyjayanthimala played as college girl named Mohana Shivashankaralingam and acted along with senior actors SV Sahasranamam, MS. Draupadi, TR. Ramachandran and K Sankarapani. The movie was a big success and was remade in Telugu after one year as Jeevitham with the slightly different cast, namely C. H. Narayana Rao, S. Varalakshmi and CSR. Anjaneyulu, the latter also enjoyed great success upon release. For the Telugu version, Vyjayanthimala did her own voice dubbing with the assist of her father who knew Telugu well and coached her during the filming process. Vyjayanthimala also did a guest appearance in the 1950 film Vijayakumari which had actress TR. Rajakumari in dual role. She danced for the song "laalu... laalu... laalu" which was choreographed by Vedantam Raghavaiah.

10. Vasundhara Das

Vasundhara Das born 1977, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. She is an Indian singer and actress. She has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. Vasundhara Das was born in a Tamil family from Bangalore. She studied at Cluny Convent High School, Bangalore, and Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, graduating in Economics and Mathematics. Vasundhara began acting with the Kamal Haasan film Hey Ram (1999) and started her playback singing career with AR Rahman's Tamil film Mudhalvan. She was considered for the role of heroine by Mani Ratnam in his movie Alaipayuthey opposite R. Madhavan. She played heroine alongside Mohanlal in the blockbuster Malayalam movie Raavanaprabhu, the female lead role opposite Ajith in the Tamil movie Citizen, and heroine opposite Dharshan Tugdeep in the Kannada movie Lankesh Pathrike. She also appeared in the Hindi T.V. serial Rab Ne Banadi Jodi and a popular Hindi movie Monsoon Wedding. She moved her base from Bangalore to Mumbai and founded a musical band named Arya with Roberto Narain. The band comprises musicians from various backgrounds in world music ranging from Hindustani and Carnatic classical music to Jazz, Latin, rock and pop. Roberto Narain plays the drums and Vasundhara provides Western and Indian vocals. Arya's music can be broadly classified as World Music. Arya's first performance was at the prestigious festival La Mar de Musicas in Spain in 2003. The band toured the United States in September 2004.

The best actresses of Tamil Cinema

The Tamil film industry, like cinema elsewhere in the world, is a male bastion. Old and weary they might be, but men get away with almost anything. The 60-year-old superstar can romance a 17-year-old newcomer, while his first-ever female lead would have graduated to play his mother.

Hollywood can take credit for stars like Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie, who could shoulder movies on their own and mark global hits. Bollywood can revel in the likes of Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, who had cult fan following. But it is for the Tamil industry alone that female stars can command the status of 'goddesses' - literally.

Amidst the cacophonous heroes and villains, some actresses do leave a mark - endearing themselves with power-packed performances or simply by being an effective prop and perfect foil to the antics of the heroes.

Here are the top 10 Tamil actresses of the decade.

Jyothika [ 2000 ]

Jyothika made her debut in 1998, with Priyadarshan's 'Doli Sajake Rakhna'. 'Vaali' was her first film in Tamil. Her claim to fame, initially, was that she was "Nagma's sister". If Nagma had scorched the screen with her glam shows, the rather chubby Jyothika wasn't expected to be the next hot sensation.

Jyothika's smile was an asset and she had a bubbly Preity Zinta-like charisma. With films such as 'Kushi', 'Little John', 'Mughavari', 'Rhythm', 'Snehithaye' and 'Thenali', Jyothika proved she could act and stand up to any hero.

Her star status was consolidated in 2000, and she will continue to rule the screen - up until 'Chandramukhi' (2005).

Laila [ 2001 ]

Now before you ask Laila who, realise that there is a certain tragedy associated with cinema. You could be out there drenched in fame and adulation one minute; you could be written off and forgotten the next.

Laila, like most Tamil super heroines, has been an "import" from up North but while she stayed in Tamil, she was part of a clutch of memorable movies.

In 2001, she paired with young actors Vikram and Ajith in two of the biggest grosser - 'Dheena' and 'Dhill'. In terms of sheer eyeball count, Laila could have been the most watched of heroines in 2001. She later took a hiatus from cinema and returned with 'Ullam Ketkumae'.

Simran [ 2002 ]

If there is one actress who has surprised the industry with the sort of acting prowess discovered much late into her career that has to be Simran. Having started her career in Bollywood, Simran made her Kollywood debut with 'Nerkuner' (1997).

After dabbling in run-of-the-mill flicks, Simran proved her mettle with 'Kannathil Muthamittal' and stood up to Kamal Hassan in 'Panchathanthiram' and 'Pammal K Sambandham'.

At the peak of her career, Simran is said to have commanded a pay package of up to Rs. 75 lakh per movie. While she maintains a low profile now, she can still command a strong following - much like Madhuri Dixit. And unlike Dixit, she ages gracefully on screen - watch 'Vaaranam Aaayiram'.

Sneha-Sada [ 2003 ]

Two faces made an impact, in 2003 - Sneha with her endearing take in 'Parthipan Kanavu' and Sada who was loveable in 'Jayam'.

Both will go on to define their territory in Tamil. Sneha, at one point, was poised to become the next big thing in Tamil screen; while Sada had the good fortune of being part of 'Anniyan'.

Sneha has proven her acting prowess; Sada is yet to get that clincher role but both command a solid fan following.

Sonia Agarwal-Reema Sen- Sandhya [ 2004 ]

Another no-show year, for heroines! Yet, three names made tongues wag - Sonia Agarwal, who shot to fame with 'Kadhal Kondein' and went on to bag some high-profile banner movies; Reema Sen, who broke the mould with 'Chellame' and Sandhya, who won high praise from none other than K Balachander for her performance in 'Kaathal'.

All three fit distinct niches; while Sonia is the loveable next-door girl, Reema is the Ramya Krishna in the making and Sandhya, well, demands niche roles.

Reema Sen indeed was poised to become "the star" although a series of bad choices pulled down her fortunes; she still commands a premium though, as proven by 'Aayirathil Oruvan'.

Asin [ 2005 ]

This could have been another year to remember for Jyothika but for two reasons: She was simply over the top in 'Chandramukhi' and nowhere a patch near Shobhana in the Malayalam original - and two, Asin stole the thunder from all others in 'Ghajini'.

Asin established her star status, reinvented her career and became the "star" with one movie, which also featured Nayantara, the other star in the making.

Asin also went on to enjoy the 'Ghajini' success spell up north but what next for her? We hope it is not just a series of ads!

Nayantara [ 2006 ]

Super-heroine status is not only about performance; it is not even about making hits. It is about being in the news and having cinegoers drool in sheer anticipation.

If any mainstream heroine does that in Tamil, it has to be Nayantara, who hit headlines with the raunchy posters for 'Vallavan' and the gossip mills working over time.

She returned to sizzle the screen again with 'Billa' and continues her dream run. If one needs a study class in the 'making of a star,' follow her story.

Shriya Saran [ 2007 ]

Tamil, Hindi and even English - that is Shriya Sharan's repertoire for you, and even if you forget all the rest of her movies, one will mark her for the rest of her career - the super-hit 'Sivaji' with none other than Rajnikanth.

Shriya Saran might not have done anything memorable in the Rajni flick - and honestly - we even forgot her role, but as star status goes, this movie made it for her. She is on an invincible high - at least for the moment.

Trisha Krishnan [ 2008 ]

Trisha is the perfect foil to most heroes; she has teamed with virtually all of the young generation of heroes, and it is hard to distinguish her roles from any of the movies (until 'Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya', of course).

But the star status of Trisha is unquestioned: She can command a price for the simple reason that she can stand up to the top heroes in terms of sheer charm. Don't trust her to act - she is not expected to; she is the proverbial pretty face that drives mainstream cinema with all its formula.

Tamannaah Bhatia [ 2009 ]

And thus begins the era of Tamannaah; in effect, just another pretty face, but endearing for today's Gen X, with YouTube comments on her videos ranging from outright adulation to total devotion.

Tamannaah's expressions seem to have charmed the Tamil audience, and she has won the right tickets to stardom with 'Ayan', the Surya super hit, being her big ticket to super stardom.

The best 20 actresses in Tamil Cinema

The actresses who have been the perfect foil for their leading men have done a good job in keeping us entertained. The common grouse that Tamil cinema heroines have little to do besides look pretty and scream in terror is changing as heroines are coming into their own with more author - backed roles written for them.

Here are the top 20 lead actresses in Tamil cinema.

20. Praneetha

Praneetha made a promising start with Udhayan opposite Arulnidhi. She is Karthi's heroine now and will be seen in the much awaited film, Saguni.

19. Sameera Reddy

Sameera Reddy is hugely popular in the South. Despite being considered a glam doll in Bollywood she has made a reputation for herself in the south as an actress with a gift for histrionics. Vaaranam Aayiram and Nadunisi Naaygal proved as much. She will be appearing in Vettai opposite Madhavan next.

18. Inia

Iniya's performance in Vaagai Sooda Va has received a lot of bouquets. She is considered a very promising actress.

17. Genelia

Velayudham proved to be Genelia's big comeback film in Tamil. Her performance was hugely appreciated and she is being flooded with offers. In Santhosh Sivan's Urumi her turn as Arakkal Ayesha has also been critically acclaimed.

16. Lakshmi Rai

Lakshmi Rai is sitting pretty as she had a meaty role in one of the biggest films of the year, Mankatha. She was also Raghava Lawrence's heroine in Kanchana. Things are looking good for this actress now.

15. Tapsee Pannu

As part of the cast of the National award winning team of Aadukalam, Tapasee made an impact with her character Irene. Later on in the year, she was seen in Vandhaan Vendraan with Jeeva.

14. Karthika Nair

Radha's daughter made a splashy entry with Ko, one of the most successful films of the year. She has been lying low for a while as she wants to be careful about her career choices. It is likely that she will be seen in Bharathiraja's next ambitious venture.

13. Asin

Asin has taken off for the greener pastures of Bollywood but she is still keen to be part of good projects in Tamil which resulted in her signing up for Kaavalan which went on to be a big hit and served to remind Tamil film viewers why she deserved a spot among the top heroines.

11. Anjali

Anjali has earned herself a reputation as an actress who does good, performance - oriented roles after films like Katradhu Tamil and Angadi Theru. This was a good year for her as she was a part of Thoonganagaram and Mankatha. In Engeyum Eppodhum she reestablished herself as a talented actress. Anjali has Aravaan and Masala Cafe in her kitty.

11. Amala Paul

Amala Paul's talent shone through in Myna and now there is a huge craze for her. In Deiva Thirumagal, she proved that she could hold her own against the likes of powerhouse performers like Vikram and Anushka. Now her stock value has gone right through the roof and she has films like Mupphozudhum Un Karpanaigal, Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi and Vettai to further consolidate her position.

10. Shriya Saran

As Rajini's heroine, Shriya got the biggest break of her career. This year, she was seen in Rowthiram with Jeeva and did an item number with Vikram in Rajapattai.

9. Shruti Hassan

Shruti Haasan had a dream debut in Tamil, with AR Murugadoss directed 7aum Arivu opposite Surya. The actress will be seen in 3 next opposite Dhanush.

8. Rich Gangopadhyay

Richa arrived with a bang opposite Dhanush in Mayakkam Enna. Her character, Yamini was much talked about and people loved Richa as Yamini. She could not have asked for a better launch. Richa followed this up with Osthe as a feisty village belle.

7. Tamannah

Tamannah did Siruthai and Venghai in Tamil this year. Both films did enough to keep her in the memory of fans and they are hoping to see more of her.

6. Ileana

After Kedi, Ileana is all set to return to Tamil cinema with Nanban. The remuneration she received for Nanban is reason enough to get her a spot among the top actresses in Tamil cinema it has been said.

5. Trisha Krishnan

Trisha will always be Tamil cinema's sweetheart even if she is making more films in Telugu. The actress made a big comeback with Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya and was the obvious choice for Ajith's heroine in Mankatha. She will be seen next in Samaran with Vishal.

4. Hansika Motwani

Hansika made her debut in Tamil cinema this year with Maapillai. She followed it up with Engeyum Kadhal and Velayudham. Already she is a firm favorite with her chirpy onscreen persona and tended to plumpness frame that is reminiscent of perennial favorites like Kushboo and Jyothika. She is doing Oru Kal Oru Kannadi and Vettai Mannan next.

3. Samantha

Samantha has done Moscovin Kaveri, Bana Kathadi and Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya in Tamil. Her next film is Neethane En Ponvasantham opposite Jeeva which is to be directed by Gautham Menon.

2. Kajal Agarwal

Kajal Agarwal was last seen in Naan Mahan Alla with Karthi. Following a hiatus she is back with a bang having landed films opposite two of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema - Thuppaki with Vijay and Maatraan with Surya.

1. Anushka

Tamil cinema fans have taken to Anushka in a big way ever since she exploded on the firmament with Arundhati which was dubbed and did phenomenal business in Tamil. After Vettaikaran with Vijay and Singam with Surya, Anushka had the fans begging for more of her. This year she was seen in Vaanam and Deiva Thirumagal. Now people cannot get enough of her and producers are willing to give her the earth and the moon in return for her callsheet. She will be seen in a film with Karthi, Thaandavam with Vikram, and Irandam Ulagam with Aarya.