Monisha Unni (24 January 1970 – 5 December 1992) was an Indian actress, known for her works in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
,
Tamil cinema
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 ''Kollywo ...
.
Monisha was 16 when she became the youngest actress ever to receive the
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
for ''
Nakhakshathangal
''Nakhakshathangal'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and starring Monisha, Vineeth and Saleema. Monisha, won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role, making her ...
'' (1986), her debut feature film. Along with
Sharada,
Shobhana
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu and Tamil films with few Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Fil ...
,
Meera Jasmine
Jasmine Mary Joseph, known professionally as Meera Jasmine, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films.
Meera Jasmine won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her role in ...
,
Surabhi Lakshmi and
Shobha, Monisha Unni is one of six Malayalam actresses who have won the National Film Award for Best Actress.
In her short career, Monisha collaborated with directors such as
M. T. Vasudevan Nair,
Hariharan,
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in ...
,
Ajayan,
Kamal and
Sibi Malayil
Sibi (Sindhi: سيوي ur, ) is a city situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name.
Etymology
The origin of the town's name is attributed to Rani Sewi, a Hindu lad ...
.
Early life
Monisha Unni was born in
Panniyankara
Panniyankara has its origin in the 18th century situated in Calicut district in Kerala, India. The main features are police station, Government Homeo Dispensary, Sathram Bus Stop and Southern Railway. Government Homeo Dispensary was previou ...
,
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...
in 1971 to Narayanan Unni and
Sreedevi Unni
Sreedevi Unni is an Indian Mohiniyattam dancer and actress best known for her work in the Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The fi ...
. She completed her schooling at St. Charles High School, Bangalore and
Bishop Cotton Girls School, Bangalore. She completed her graduation in psychology at
Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
Mount Carmel College (MCC) is an autonomous college located in Bangalore, India, affiliated to Bengaluru City University. It is one of the first women’s colleges established in 1944 in Trichur as 'Carmel College' under the Madras University ...
.
[Weblokam Profile of Monisha]
. Weblokam.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-20. She had an elder brother, Sajith Unni.
Death
Monisha Unni was working on the Malayalam film ''
Cheppadividya'' when she died in a car accident. On 5 December 1992, a car carrying Monisha and her mother Sreedevi Unni met with an accident near
Cherthala
Cherthala, , (formerly Shertalai, Shertallai or Shertallay) is a Municipal town and a Taluk located at National highway 66 in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Cherthala is the satellite town and industrial hub of Al ...
in
Alappuzha. While her mother escaped with fractures and bruises, Monisha succumbed to her injuries.
Career
Malayalam novelist
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, who is also a screenwriter and film director, was a family friend of Monisha. M. T. was responsible for Monisha's entry into films. She made her debut in ''
Nakhakshathangal
''Nakhakshathangal'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and starring Monisha, Vineeth and Saleema. Monisha, won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role, making her ...
'' (1986), which was written by M. T. and directed by
Hariharan. The film portrayed a love triangle involving three teenagers. Monisha's portrayal of Gowri, the film's female protagonist, won her the
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
in 1987.
Filmography
References
External links
Monisha at MSI*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unni, Monisha
Indian film actresses
People from Kozhikode district
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
1971 births
1992 deaths
Actresses from Kerala
Best Actress National Film Award winners
Road incident deaths in India
20th-century Indian actresses
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Mount Carmel College, Bangalore alumni