Anjali (born 16 June 1986) is an Indian actress and model who appears predominantly in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films. Following a stint in modelling, she was cast in starring roles in two Telugu productions; her debut film was the Telugu thriller film ''
Photo
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...
'' (2006), before bagging a role and gaining attention in the film ''
Kattradhu Thamizh
''Kattradhu Thamizh'' (; previously titled is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film written and directed by Ram, who directs his debut film. Produced by Salmara Mohammad Sharief, it stars Jiiva, Anjali and Karunas. The film ...
'' (2007) with
Jiiva
Amar Choudary (born 4 January 1984), known professionally as Jiiva, is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi films. He is the youngest son of film producer R. B. Choudary. He began his career as a ch ...
. In 2010 and 2011, she won the
Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972. Film world, p 43 The year indicates the year of ...
, for her performances in ''
Angaadi Theru
''Angadi Theru'' ( Market Street) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan, starring debutant Mahesh and Anjali. The title refers to the Ranganathan Street in Chennai where the story takes place. ...
'' and ''
Engaeyum Eppothum
''Engaeyum Eppothum'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic film, romantic comedy drama Road movie, road film written and directed by M. Saravanan (film director), M. Saravanan in his Tamil debut, he had earlier directed th ...
'' respectively and the
Tamil Nadu State Film Award
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
for ''
Angadi Theru
''Angadi Theru'' ( Market Street) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan, starring debutant Mahesh and Anjali. The title refers to the Ranganathan Street in Chennai where the story takes place. ...
'', subsequently becoming recognised as one of the "finest young actors" in Tamil cinema, and noted for mostly playing "performance-oriented roles"''.
''
In 2013, she returned to Telugu cinema and appeared in a string of successful films like ''
Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu
''Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'' (), also known by the initialism ''SVSC'', is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Srikanth Addala. It was produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, and stars V ...
'', ''
Balupu
''Balupu'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Gopichand Malineni. The film is produced by Prasad Vara Potluri under his PVP cinema banner. The film stars Ravi Teja, Anjali, and Shruti Haasan along with Praka ...
'', ''
Masala'', ''
Geethanjali'' and ''
Dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
.'' She also received two
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
for her performances in the films ''
Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu
''Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'' (), also known by the initialism ''SVSC'', is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Srikanth Addala. It was produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, and stars V ...
'' (2013) and ''
Geethanjali'' (2014).
Early life
Anjali was born on 16 June 1986 in
Razole,
East Godavari district
East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549.
In the Madras Pre ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. She has two brothers and a sister. She completed her schooling in Razole
and later moved to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
where she continued her studies, pursuing a degree in mathematics.
After completing her education, she began acting in short films, which paved the way for her entry into the film industry. Anjali remarked that her parents had aspirations to become an actor and that they "realised their dreams" through her.
Career
2006–2008: Debut and breakthrough
In 2002, Anjali was signed on to appear in director
Kalanjiyam
Mu. Kalanjiyam is an Indian film director who has made Tamil films. A winner of the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer, Kalanjiyam has also featured in the lead role in his films.
Career
Kalanjiyam's first film, '' Poomani'' (19 ...
's ''Sathamintri Muthamidu'' under the screen name of Sundhari, but the film later failed to materialise. The director also began two other films with Anjali, ''Valiba Desam'' and ''En Kanavu Thaanadi'', though those also failed to materialise. During one of her modelling assignments, she was spotted by director
Siva Nageswara Rao
Siva Nageswara Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is especially known for his work in comedy films. His notable films include ''Money'' (1993), ''Money Money'' (1994), '' Lucky Chance'' (1994), ''Sisi ...
, who offered her a starring role in his Telugu thriller film ''Photo'' (2006).
Anjali portrayed a ghost haunting her murderers in ''
Photo
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...
'', which co-starred two more newcomers,
Anand and
Bhanu Bhanu may be:
* an epithet of the deity Surya
*Eldest son of the Hindu deities-Shri Krishna and Devi Satyabhama
* the name of a place in Nepal:
** Bhanu Municipality, the current municipality
** Bhanu, Nepal, the former VDC
**
* a given name; nota ...
. She played the female lead in another Telugu venture, the romance film ''Premalekha Raasa'' (2007), directed by lyricist Kulasekhar, opposite a debutant again; both films garnered negative response, and performed poorly at the box office, failing to propel her career in Telugu cinema.
She made her Tamil film début later that year in ''
Kattradhu Thamizh
''Kattradhu Thamizh'' (; previously titled is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film written and directed by Ram, who directs his debut film. Produced by Salmara Mohammad Sharief, it stars Jiiva, Anjali and Karunas. The film ...
'', directed by
Ram
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
Animals
* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
* ...
, which released to strong critical acclaim. Anjali won critical praise for her portrayal of Anandhi, the childhood friend and love interest of a young teacher-turned-psychopath (enacted by
Jeeva). A ''Behindwoods'' critic wrote that she was "a delight to watch and spellbinds the viewer with her beautiful fresh look and her performance", while Pavithra Srinivasan of ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' described her as "a breath of fresh air" and "the perfect foil to Jeeva's plethora of emotions". Her performance earned her the
Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress
The Vijay for Best Debut Actress is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil ( Kollywood) films.
The list
Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.
Nominations
*2007 Anjali – ...
for that year, and she grew in popularity, leading her to several more offers, albeit the film proved commercially unsuccessful.
She appeared in two films in 2008; ''
Honganasu
''Honganasu'' is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romance film written and directed by Ratnaja of '' Nenapirali'' fame. The film stars Prem Kumar in lead role whereas debutant Anjali and Anuradha Mehta play the female leads. Ananth Nag plays a ...
'', her first Kannada project and ''
Aayudham Seivom
''Aayudham Seivom'' is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Udhayan and produced by Pyramid Saimira. The film stars Sundar C and Anjali, while Vivek, Manivannan, Napoleon, and Vijayakumar play supporting roles. The ...
'' in Tamil. The latter, which featured her as the female lead opposite
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
, was panned by critics and she was criticised for accepting that role, with reviewers noting that she had nothing to do in the film, "except roll her eyes".
2010–2012: Critical acclaim
She next played Kani, a fiery, independent sales girl in a textile showroom in ''
Angadi Theru
''Angadi Theru'' ( Market Street) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan, starring debutant Mahesh and Anjali. The title refers to the Ranganathan Street in Chennai where the story takes place. ...
'' (2010) which was released two years after her last venture. The
Vasanthabalan
Vasanthabalan (sometimes credited as Vasantha Balan) is an Indian Tamil film director and screenwriter, known for his Tragedy Films in Tamil Cinema. He has made critically acclaimed films including ''Veyil'' (2006), ''Angadi Theru'' (2010) and ' ...
-directed tragedy drama focussed on the lives of young employees who work in retail
department stores
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appea ...
. The film was shot in real location at the
Ranganathan Street
Ranganathan Street is a major commercial street in the neighborhood of T. Nagar, located in Chennai, India. It is one of the most crowded streets in Chennai. The street houses several commercial establishments, primarily those involved in the ...
in
T Nagar
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the Ea ...
, Chennai with hidden cameras, with Anjali disclosing that they wore the uniform of a particular textile company, passing off as real sales-people and selling goods.
''Angadi Theru'' opened to rave reviews, whilst also fetching Anjali critical acclaim for her performance, which went on to win several accolades, including the
Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972. Film world, p 43 The year indicates the year of ...
. She subsequently appeared in two family drama films;
S Pictures
S Pictures is a film production company owned by film director S. Shankar. Many of the films produced by S Pictures are commercial hits with moderate budget.
Filmography Films produced
Films distributed
In addition to the films produced by ...
' ''
Rettaisuzhi
''Rettaisuzhi'' is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Thamira. It stars filmmakers K. Balachander and Bharathiraja along with Anjali, Aari Arujunan, Jayachitra, Karunas, Manobala, and Ilavarasu in supporting role ...
'', in which she shared screen with veteran directors
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
and
K Balachandar
Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of un ...
, and ''
Magizhchi
''Magizhchi'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language film directed by V. Gowthaman. It stars Gowthaman himself in the lead role with Anjali, Karthika, director Seeman and Prakash Raj playing important supporting roles. The film, based on accla ...
'', co-starring and directed by Gowthaman. The latter released to favourable reviews,
and Anjali received positive feedback on her performance, being labelled as "impressive",
and "almost perfect as the young, a bit mischievous, village girl"; however both films failed to succeed at the box office.
In 2011, she first appeared in ''
Payyans'' alongside
Jayasurya
Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...
, which marked her début in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
cinema, followed by a lead female role in the
Cloud Nine Movies
Cloud Nine Movies was an Indian film production and distribution company, based in Chennai. It is owned by Dayanidhi Azhagiri and Vivek Rathinavel and was founded in 2008 until 2014. He founded another new production company in 2013, Meeka Ent ...
-production ''
Thoonga Nagaram
''Thoonga Nagaram'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by debutant Gaurav Narayanan, starring himself along with Vimal, Bharani, Nishanth, and Anjali. The film, produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri's Cloud N ...
'', in which she starred as an anchor in local television, and a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in a song in ''
Ko'' that also featured other lead actors from Tamil cinema. She was then seen in the small-budget drama film ''
Karungali
Karungali ( ta, கருங்காலி) is a suburb north of Chennai, a metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India.
Administration
It is a revenue village and a part of Thangalperumbulam village panchayat in Minjur block. It is administered ...
'', directed by
Kalanjiyam
Mu. Kalanjiyam is an Indian film director who has made Tamil films. A winner of the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer, Kalanjiyam has also featured in the lead role in his films.
Career
Kalanjiyam's first film, '' Poomani'' (19 ...
.
Kalanjiyam
Mu. Kalanjiyam is an Indian film director who has made Tamil films. A winner of the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer, Kalanjiyam has also featured in the lead role in his films.
Career
Kalanjiyam's first film, '' Poomani'' (19 ...
had signed up Anjali, rechristening her as Sundari then, for a film titled ''Sathamindri Muthamidu'', even prior to ''Kattradhu Thamizh'', followed by three more films, all of which were cancelled. Following her rise to fame post ''Angadi Theru'', Kalanjiyam revived one of the projects, namely ''Karungali'', with Anjali agreeing to be part of it, owing to her prior commitments. The film featured her as a childless housewife living in a bad relationship with her husband, and was a critical and commercial failure.
While starring in ''Thoonga Nagaram'', she was offered a minor supporting role in another project of the production studio, ''
Mankatha
''Mankatha'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action crime film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu. It stars Ajith Kumar in his 50th film, along with an ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali, Andrea Je ...
''.
The
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil films. To date, he has starred in over 60 films. His awards include four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil N ...
-starrer, directed by
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first ...
, was Anjali's first high-budget project and featured her as part of an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
. The film emerged a financial success and Anjali's highest-grossing film in her career, however her role in the film was small and not well received generally. Meanwhile, she was cast by director
AR Murugadoss
Murugadoss Arunasalam (born 25 September 1974), commonly known as A. R. Murugadoss, is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on ...
to perform a lead role in his maiden production ''
Engaeyum Eppothum
''Engaeyum Eppothum'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic film, romantic comedy drama Road movie, road film written and directed by M. Saravanan (film director), M. Saravanan in his Tamil debut, he had earlier directed th ...
'' alongside
Jai,
Sharwanand
Sharwanand Myneni (born 6 March 1984) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films alongside a few Tamil films. He made his acting debut in the year 2004 with the film ''Aidho Tareekhu.'' For ''Engeyum Eppodhum'' (2011), he received S ...
and
Ananya, directed by his assistant
M Saravanan. Anjali essayed the role of a bold and dominating nurse, with critics again heaping praise on her performance. ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' wrote that she "has given her best
ndsteals the show in the climax", while ''
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
''s Pavithra Srinivasan cited it was she "who clearly walks away with the honours", adding that "the extent of her feelings emerges only at the end, and carries you away" and calling it a "noteworthy performance". She had her only starring role in 2012 in
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
's ''
Kalakalappu
''Kalakalappu'' () () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Sundar C. and produced by his wife Khushbu. It stars Vimal, Shiva, Anjali, Oviya and Santhanam, with music composed by Vijay Ebenezer. It was originally t ...
''. A critic from
Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...
wrote that "Anjali scores well with her natural performance".
2013–2014: Continued success
In 2013, she starred in the Telugu multi-starrer ''
Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu
''Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'' (), also known by the initialism ''SVSC'', is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Srikanth Addala. It was produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, and stars V ...
'' along with
Venkatesh Venkatesh is a given name and family name from the Indian subcontinent derived from Venkateswara, a Hindu deity.
Notable persons with the name include:
* A. Venkatesh Naik (born 1936), member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India
* A. Venkatesh (directo ...
,
Mahesh Babu
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist who works mainly in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Award ...
and
Samantha
Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain.
Specu ...
. The film went on to be a critical and commercial success, with many applauses for Anjali from the critics. Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran of DNA India commented that Anjali "as the innocent Seetha...gives an easy breezy but endearing performance". She later starred in
AR Murugadoss
Murugadoss Arunasalam (born 25 September 1974), commonly known as A. R. Murugadoss, is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on ...
' next production venture ''
Vathikuchi
''Vathikuchi'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by newcomer Kinslin and produced by A. R. Murugadoss in association with Fox Star Studios. The film stars Dileepan, the younger brother of Murugadoss, in ...
'' opposite Dhileban. The film received mixed reviews as did her performance. IndiaGlitz commented "Anjali's character though is sugary; it's a reminiscent of so many of her characters in the past and leaves you with a sense of wanting variation". Her next release was ''
Settai'', the Tamil remake of ''
Delhi Belly'', in which she starred opposite
Arya
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
. The film received mixed reviews, along with her performance. After an
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Be ...
in
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
's ''
Singam II
''Singam II'' is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari. A sequel to the 2010 film ''Singam'' and the second installment in the ''Singam'' film series, the film stars Suriya, Hansika Motwani, Anushka Shetty, Da ...
'', her first in her career, she starred in two Telugu films,
Gopichand Malineni
Gopichand Malineni (born 13 March 1980) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. After working as an assistant director in many films, Malineni made his directional debut in 2010 with the action comedy film ''Don ...
's ''
Balupu
''Balupu'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Gopichand Malineni. The film is produced by Prasad Vara Potluri under his PVP cinema banner. The film stars Ravi Teja, Anjali, and Shruti Haasan along with Praka ...
'' opposite
Ravi Teja
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian film actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his roles in action comedy films. He is one of the highest- ...
and ''
Masala'', the Telugu remake of ''
Bol Bachchan
''Bol Bachchan'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Ajay Devgn & Dhillin Mehta under Ajay Devgn FFilms and Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Limited respectively, with Fox Star Studios ser ...
'', opposite Venkatesh, for the second time in her career. In 2014, she appeared in a horror comedy women-centric film titled ''
Geethanjali'' for which she received
Nandi Award for Best Actress
The Nandi Award for Best Actress was commissioned in 1977. The winner is awarded a "Silver Nandi" and a cash award of 30,000.
Most Awards were received by Vijayashanti and Jayasudha (4 awards each).
List of winners of Nandi Awards for Best Act ...
, SICA Award for Best Telugu Actress.
2015–present: Brief setback and comeback
In early 2015, Anjali returned to
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
and starred opposite
Puneeth Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajk ...
in ''
Rana Vikrama
''Rana Vikrama'' is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film directed by Pavan Wadeyar featuring Puneeth Rajkumar in a dual role, Anjali and Adah Sharma. The film released on 10 April 2015. The soundtrack of the film was released on 2 ...
''. Her début film in Kannada was ''
Honganasu
''Honganasu'' is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romance film written and directed by Ratnaja of '' Nenapirali'' fame. The film stars Prem Kumar in lead role whereas debutant Anjali and Anuradha Mehta play the female leads. Ananth Nag plays a ...
'' seven years ago. She broke the seven-year hiatus with that film. In Tamil, she appeared opposite
Jayam Ravi
Mohan Ravi (born 10 September 1980), better known by his stage name Jayam Ravi, is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil film industry. He has won a Filmfare Award and three SIIMA Awards. The son of veteran film editor A. Mohan, Ravi made his ...
alongside
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
,
Soori in ''
Sakalakala Vallavan''. In Telugu, she played a special cameo role of a lady don in ''
Sankarabharanam'', a Telugu film which has
Nikhil Siddhartha
Nikhil Siddhartha (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian actor of the Telugu film industry. He played minor roles in various films before being cast in ''Happy Days'' (2007) as one of the four male leads. The film was successful and became his breakt ...
in lead. In 2016, her first release was in Telugu opposite Balayya Balakrishna titled ''
Dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
'' which was declared a super-hit. Her role was well received by the audience. In Tamil, she starred in Karthik Subbaraj's
Iraivi
''Iraivi'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by C. V. Kumar, K. E. Gnanavel Raja and Abinesh Elangovan under their banners Thirukumaran Entertainment, Studio Green and Abi ...
where her performance as the happy go lucky girl turned long suffering wife of
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
gave her critical acclaim and audience appreciation. Though the film had an average return at the box office, she garned a nomination for Best Performance in a Leading Role- Female (Tamil) at the
2nd IIFA Utsavam
The 2nd IIFA Utsavam ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2016 was an event held on 28 and 29 March 2017 at the Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The event, which is the second edition of the IIFA Utsavam, ...
.
Later, she signed a psycho action thriller Telugu film ''
Chitrangada'' (2017). In December 2017, her film with
Jai &
Janani Iyer
Janani (formerly known as Janani Iyer) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil and Malayalam movies. She made her cinematic debut with the Tamil feature film '' Avan Ivan'' (2011). Her notable films including ''Thegidi'' (2014) ...
titled ''
Balloon
A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...
'' directed by newcomer Sinish had a moderate-average performance at the box office. She signed a Tamil film ''
Peranbu
''Peranbu'' (; released internationally as ''Resurrection''), is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Ram and produced by P. L. Thenappan under Shree Rajalakshmi Films. It stars Mammootty, and Anjali. The film's score a ...
'' (2019) opposite
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
directed by Ram, where her performance was overshadowed by
Mammooty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...
and Baby Sandhana. She acted in the horror flick, ''
Lisaa
''Lisaa'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil stereoscopic horror film written and directed by Raju Viswanath on his directorial debut. The film stars Anjali, Sam Jones and Makarand Deshpande. (in his Tamil debut). This film is India's first ever stereosc ...
'' (2019) as a lead character, which got below average reviews and collections. Anjali acted as lesbian in the web series ''
Paava Kadhaigal
''Paava Kadhaigal'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language anthology drama film consisting of four short films directed by Sudha Kongara, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vetrimaaran and Vignesh Shivan. Through four unique stories, the film explores how prid ...
'' (2020) directed by
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
. The next year she played the role Zarina in the film ''
Vakeel Saab
''Vakeel Saab'' () is a 2021 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Action film, action legal drama film written and directed by Venu Sriram. The film was produced by Dil Raju, Sirish and Boney Kapoor under their banners Sri Venkateswara Creat ...
'' (2021), directed by
Venu Sriram
Venu Sriram is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with ''Oh My Friend''. He went on to direct films such as '' MCA (Middle Class Abbayi)'' (2017) and ''Vakeel Saab'' (2021) ...
. The film was successful at the box-office, grossing over 137.65 crore worldwide, despite the
COVID-19 pandemic in India
The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...
. The film became her comeback success. Following the success, she signed up for a role in the film
''F3'', produced by
Sri Venkateswara Creations
Sri Venkateswara Creations is an Indian film production company based in Hyderabad. It is established by Dil Raju in 2003. Raju has produced several Telugu films on this banner. The company also has a subsidiary film distribution business name ...
. However, she was replaced by
Sonal Chauhan
Sonal Chauhan (born 16 May 1987) is an Indian actress, singer and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Hindi language films.
She made her acting debut with Hindi film '' Jannat'' and her Telugu film debut with ''Rainbow'', both in 200 ...
.
Filmography
Films
Music videos
Television
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anjali
21st-century Indian actresses
Actresses from Andhra Pradesh
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Filmfare Awards South winners
Indian film actresses
Living people
People from East Godavari district
Telugu actresses
1986 births