Dhivyadharshini "DD" Neelakandan is an Indian television host and actress who prominently works in

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

industry. Initially making her debut as an actress, she featured in supporting roles in films including

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

's production ''

Nala Damayanthi Nala Damayanthi may refer to: * Nala and Damayanti ''Damayanti'' (Sanskrit: दमयंती) is a character in a love story found in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of Bhima (not the Pandava one) and a princess ...

'' (2003), before going on to work in television serials, drawing attention for her performances in the Raadan Media ventures ''Selvi'' and ''Arasi''. Since 2007, she has regularly been a host for shows on

Vijay TV Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay change ...

and in 2014, began hosting ''

Koffee with DD Koffee with DD is an Indian Tamil-language talk show aired on Star Vijay Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communi ...

'', her own show.

Early life

Dhivyadharshini was born to K. Neelakandan and N. Srilatha. Her sister Priyadarshini is also a television host, while her younger brother is an airline pilot. She attended Our Lady's Matriculation Higher Secondary School and has since has continued part-time education at Anna Adarsh College, Chennai.

Career

Dhivyadharshini made her debut as a television anchor in 1999, when she successfully auditioned to be the child anchor for

's ''Ungal Theerpu''. She made a breakthrough as an actress, portraying a serious character in

K. Balachander 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 ...

's television serial ''Rekkai Kattiya Manasu'', shown on

Raj TV Raj TV is a Tamil language Indian general entertainment channel based in Chennai, India, which was launched on 14 October 1994. Rajtv became as the second most popular channel in Tamil. It is available through digital and mobile entertainment ...

, and subsequently, her performance helped her to popularity and gain further acting assignments. After a few more cameo appearances in films, Dhivyadharshini moved back to television, where she played notable roles in the Raadan Media ventures '' Selvi'' and '' Arase''. She has also contributed as a dubbing artiste in films, notably voicing

Vega Tamotia Vega Tamotia (born 7 May 1985 in Chhattisgarh, India) is an Indian actress and producer, who has appeared in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is probably best known for her performances as Saroja in the film of the same name, and Sobikannu i ...

in '' Saroja'' (2008) and

Piaa Bajpai Pia Bajpiee is an Indian actress and model who appears primarily in Bollywood and Kollywood films. She is best known for her performances as Roshini in Venkat Prabhu's comedy ''Goa'' and Saro in K. V. Anand's political thriller '' Ko''. Early li ...

in ''

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

'' (2010). Since 2007, Dhivyadharshini has become one amongst the leading TV anchors as featured on Tamil television and has notably continued to host several reality TV shows on Vijay TV. She hosted the initial seasons of ''

Jodi Number One ''Jodi Number One'' is an Indian Tamil-language dance competition reality television show broadcast on Star Vijay and from the year 2006. Its contestants are couples who are generally television stars in their own right, often from the televi ...

'' alongside Deepak and

Aravind Akash Aravind Akash is an Indian actor and dancer who predominantly works in the South Indian film industry. He rose to fame through 2002 Malayalam film ''Nandanam'' portraying the role of Lord Krishna. He has also been a judge for a few TV shows in ...

, as well being the initial host of ''Boys Vs. Girls''.

Personal life

She married her long time friend & assistant director Srikanth Ravichandran. But the couple announced their split in 2017.now they have filed for divorce in a family court in Chennai. Dhivyadharshini has

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

, which prevents her from long-distance walking.

Filmography

Voice Artist

Television

Shows

Series

Awards

Vikatan Award

Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History and profile ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...

, one of the leading weeklies of Tamil Nadu has been awarding the films, actors and technicians on various criteria.http://kollywoodz.com/exclusive-results-of-ananda-vikatan-awards-2010/

References

External links

* * {{authority control Living people Television personalities from Tamil Nadu Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian women television presenters Indian television talk show hosts Indian television presenters Actresses from Chennai 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Tamil television Indian television actresses Child actresses in Malayalam cinema Indian VJs (media personalities) Year of birth missing (living people)