Meenakshi, also known as Sharmilee or Sharmili (in Tamil/Telugu), is a

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 ...

actress. She made her debut in

films. The Kerala Film Critics Association named her their 2005 debutante artist. In all of her Tamil-language films, she was credited as Sharmilee. In Malayalam, she rechristened herself as Meenakshi, the character she played in ''Kakkakarumbam''.

Early life

Meenakshi was born and raised in Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta district. Growing up in Kozhencherry, Sharmily speaks Hindi, English, Malayalam and Tamil. But Meenakshi left for Chennai to pursue higher studies. Meenakshi graduated in Mathematics from the Stella Maris College, Chennai. and received a

Master of Computer Applications A Master of Science in Information Technology (abbreviated M.Sc.IT, MScIT or MSIT) is a master's degree in the field of information technology awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. The MSIT degree is de ...

(MCA) in India. While in school, she received several acting offers, which she rejected so that she could concentrate on her studies. She did modelling and later hosted a popular phone-in programme, ''Kasumele'' on Jaya TV.''Kalki'' magazine
/ref> People were instantly attracted by her cheerful and youthful approach to anchoring. After graduation, she started her career in films.

Career

Her debut Tamil movie was ''

Aasai Aasaiyai ''Aasai Aasaiyai'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by Ravi Mariya. This film was the debut of famous producer R. B. Choudary's fourth son, Jiiva. The female lead role was done by Sharmelee. The music was composed by Mani Sh ...

'' in 2003 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 ...

, who also made his debut with this film. This movie was not very well received in the box office even though the story and Sharmeelee's acting got good reviews from critics. This was then followed by ''

Anbe Anbe ''Anbe Anbe'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Mani Bharathi. The film stars Shaam and Sharmili, while an ensemble supporting cast includes Vivek, Yugendran, M. N. Nambiar, Manorama, and Santhoshi. The musi ...

'' with

Shaam Syria (Hieroglyphic Luwian: 𔒂𔒠 ''Sura/i''; gr, Συρία) or Sham ( ar, ٱلشَّام, ash-Shām) is the name of a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. Other s ...

was classified as a medium hit in the box office. Her third Tamil movie was Diwan with

Sarathkumar Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards S ...

. This movie won her rave reviews for her performance. It was followed by her Telugu entry through the movie ''

Taarak ''Taarak'' is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Balasekaran and starring Taraka Ratna, Sharmili and Krishna. Cast * Nandamuri Taraka Ratna as Taraka "Taarak" Ram * Sharmili as Varsha *Krishna as Jagadish Prasad ...

'' in 2003. In 2004, she made her debut in Malayalam Industry with two movies - Vellinakshatram and Kaakkakarumban. Her first movie Vellinakshatram was a mega hit and her performance was appreciated by many. After that she established herself in Malayalam movies with a string of hit movies. The same year, Youth festival and

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

(cameo appearance) were also released. Later however, she failed to sustain in Malayalam film industry and tried her luck in other regional languages. In 2005, she appeared in the movie

Junior Senior Junior Senior were a Danish pop duo. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion) (born 7 February 1977) and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen (vocals, programming) (born 25 December 1975). T ...

, where she acted aside

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...

and

Kunchacko Boban Kunchacko Boban (born 2 November 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer. Sometimes referred to as Chackochan, he works in the Malayalam film industry and has acted in more than 90 films in more than two decades. He is a member of the List ...

. This movie was a remake of Hindi classic hit, Yes Boss, where Meenakshi reprised the role played by

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

. Same year,

Ponmudipuzhayorathu ''Ponmudipuzhayorathu'' is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Johnson Esthappan, starring Sheela, Nedumudi Venu, Kalabhavan Mani, Madhu Warrier, Mala Aravindan and Indrans. Plot Bhaskaran is in love with Snehalatha and wishes ...

was also released. Most of the songs she acted in were hits. "''Oru chri kandaal"'' was one of the top songs of Malayalam in the year 2005. So was " ''Kalla Kalla Kochu Kalla''". Later, Meenakshi faded away from the films.

Personal life

In 2004, Meenakshi told an interviewer that "I love to act in more Malayalam films as the characters here have depth and the heroines have much more to do than just look good."

Filmography

Other Work

She has acted in some

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including Kumarikalpam Tonic, Plaza Jewellery, Pooja Milk, Vanamala Washing Powder etc. She hosted Kaasu Mele, live show.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meenakshi Living people Actresses from Kozhikode University of Calicut alumni Actresses in Malayalam cinema Indian film actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Telugu cinema Stella Maris College, Chennai alumni Actresses in Tamil cinema 1985 births