Roja Selvamani (born Sri Latha Reddy; 17 November 1972), also known as R. K. Roja or Lady Roja Selvamani, is an Indian politician and former actress. She is serving as the current Minister for Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement of

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 was a leading actress in

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 ...

and

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, na ...

films from 1991 to 2002. She has also acted in a few

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and

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 wa ...

-language films. She won three Nandi Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award. Roja began her political career in 1998 from the

Telugu Desam Party The Telugu Desam Party (; TDP) is an Indian regional political party operating in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at the state and central level. Since its founding by N. T. Rama Rao (often referred to as NTR) on 29 March 1982, the party has foc ...

and aligns with the

YSR Congress Party The Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP or YCP; ) is an Indian regional political party based in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Its president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy serves as the state's chief minister. It is currently the fifth l ...

since 2011. She was elected as an MLA from Nagari in

twice in the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. She also serves as the YSR Congress Party's state women president. Between 2019 and 2021, Roja served as the chairperson of APIIC

. In 2022, Roja announced she would be leaving the film industry to focus more on her political career as a politician. She also announced that she will no longer be acting in any films. Roja is married to Tamil film director

R. K. Selvamani R.K. Selvamani (born 21 October 1965) is an Indian film director. He was known to make films in the police or whodunit genres. Career Born in Chengalpattu, R. K. Selvamani, an assistant of Manivannan, narrated a story line to Vijayakanth who t ...

Early life

Roja was born as Sri Latha Reddy on 17 November 1974 to Nagaraja Reddy and Lalitha in

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. Tirupati ...

. She was the only girl with two brothers Kumaraswamy Reddy and Ramaprasad Reddy. Later, the family moved to Hyderabad. She got her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in Political Science from Sri Padmavathi Women's University, Tirupati. Roja learnt

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

and was performing in dance before she entered films.

Career

Film career

Roja entered the film industry with Telugu films. Her first movie was ''Prema Thapassu'' with

Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...

where the complete movie was shot in Tirupati. She was introduced to the

film industry by director

with ''

Chembaruthi ''Chembaruthi'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by R. K. Selvamani and produced by Kovai Thambi. The film stars Prashanth and Roja (in her Tamil debut), while Mansoor Ali Khan, Nassar, Radha Ravi, ...

'', along with actor

Prashanth Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam f ...

. The movie was a hit and paved way for role in another success, '' Suriyan'' with Sarath Kumar. Both the films established her in Tamil cinema. She became known for songs such as "Meloor Maman" in the film ''

Makkal Aatchi ''Makkal Aatchi'' () is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language political thriller film written by E. Ramdoss, directed by R. K. Selvamani and produced by Thirupur A. Selvaraj under Aarthi International. The film stars Mammootty, Roja and Ranjitha, whil ...

'' with

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 films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...

and "Mastana Mastana" in '' Raasaiyya'' with

Prabhu Deva Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...

. Her performance in films with actors such as

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

in '' Veera'',

Arjun Sarja Srinivasa "Arjun" Sarja is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry, in addition to Kannada and Telugu languages as well. Referred to by the media and his fans as " Action King" for his roles i ...

in '' Ayudha Poojai'' and

Prabhu ''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/ Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appen ...

in ''

Thirupathi Ezhumalai Venkatesa ''Thirupathi Ezhumalai Venkatesa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Rama Narayanan. The film stars Prabhu, S. Ve. Shekher, Vadivelu, Roja, Urvashi and Kovai Sarala. The film, produced by N. Radha, had musical score by ...

'' were praised. Roja's major career breakthrough was in the film ''

Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen ''Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vikraman. It stars Karthik and Roja, with Ajith Kumar in a guest appearance. Ramesh Khanna, Moulee, Sathyapriya, Fathima Babu, and M ...

'', directed by

Vikraman Vikraman is an Indian film director primarily working in Tamil cinema. Career 1990–1994 He worked as an assistant to actor and director R. Parthiban in '' Puthiya Pathai'' (1989), which was the latter's debut film as a director and an acto ...

. In

, she appeared in successful movies like '' Mutha Mestri'', '' Mugguru Monagallu'', ''

Bhairava Dweepam ''Bhairava Dweepam'' () is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language high fantasy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao who co-wrote the film with Raavi Kondala Rao. It is produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy under the Chandamama Vijaya Pictures banner. ...

'', ''

Bobbili Simham '' Bobbili Simham'' () is a 1994 Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Trivikram Rao under the Vijayalakshmi Art Pictures banner and directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Roja, Meena, and music composed b ...

'', ''

Annamayya Tallapaka Annamacharya (Telugu : తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య) (IAST: taḷḷapāka annamācārya; 22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a 15th-century Hindu saint and the ear ...

'', ''

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

'', ''

Peddannayya ''Peddannayya'' () is a 1997 Telugu-language drama film directed by Sarath and produced by Nandamuri Ramakrishna under Ramakrishna Horticultural Cine Studios. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Roja, Indraja, and music composed by Koti. The ...

'', ''

Kshemamga Velli Labhamga Randi ''Kshemamga Velli Labhamga Randi'' () is a 2000 Telugu-language comedy film directed by Raja Vannem Reddy. The film features an ensemble cast of Srikanth, Rajendra Prasad, Brahmanandam, Ramya Krishna, Roja, Preethi and Kovai Sarala, with m ...

'', ''

Subhalagnam ''Subhalagnam'' () is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language film co-written, directed, and scored by S. V. Krishna Reddy. It stars Jagapathi Babu, Aamani, and Roja. The film was produced by K. Venkateswara Rao under the Sri Priyanka Pictures banner ...

'', ''

Sri Krishnarjuna Vijayam ''Sri Krishnarjuna Vijayam'' is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language mythological film, produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy under the Chandamama Vijaya Combines banner and directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Roja a ...

'' and '' Kalavida''. Her 100th movie was '' Pottu Amman''. Roja later appeared in supporting roles in films like '' Arasu'' (2003), '' Parijatham'' (2006), ''

Shambo Shiva Shambo ''Sambho Siva Sambho'' is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Samuthirakani. It stars Ravi Teja, Allari Naresh, Siva Balaji, Priyamani, Abhinaya, and Surya Teja. This film is a remake of the director's 2009 film ''Naa ...

'' (2010), '' Golimar'' (2010), '' Mogudu'' (2011), ''Kodipunju'' (2011), '' Veera'' (2011), '' Kaavalan'' (2011) and '' Saguni'' (2012).

Political career

Roja joined

Telugu Desam The Telugu Desam Party (; TDP) is an Indian regional political party operating in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at the state and central level. Since its founding by N. T. Rama Rao (often referred to as NTR) on 29 March 1982, the party has foc ...

in 1999 and was the president of the Telugu Mahila wing of the Party. She lost the 2009 AP State Elections. In August 2009, she quit TDP and joined

when the party was established. In 2014 general elections, she won as an MLA from Nagari assembly constituency. She contested once again from Nagari assembly constituency in 2019 election. The results are announced and she won the seat again. She was appointed Chairperson of APIIC in 2020. Despite Roja being an active speaker among women MLA's she was suspended from attending the legislative assembly for one year. The decision was taken by majority in the legislative house, on 18 December 2015, and by the approval of the Speaker. Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, leader of the opposition, opposed the suspension. There were several concerns on the procedure followed while suspending Roja. Such doubts made the opposition to move no-trust motion against the speaker. An issue was raised by the opposition party on how the media clipping, property of the house, released and published on social media without the speaker's approval and the speaker also noted their concern and set up an inquiry to probe the issue further and submit a report by next meeting.

Other work

Roja played anchor in a show named ''Modern Mahalakshmi'' before getting replaced by Anasuya. This show was telecasted on

MAA TV Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, reali ...

. She is one of the judges for the comedy shows '' Jabardasth'' and '' Extra Jabardasth''. This show telecasts on E TV. She hosted one show for

Zee Tamizh Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai, ...

called ''lucka kicka'', which was a huge hit in Tamil Nadu.

Personal life

Roja married Tamil film director

on 21 August 2002. The couple have a daughter and a son. Roja had a penchant for hairdressing and it was evident as whenever she was on the sets she was seen hairdressing her peers like

Devayani Devayani ( sa, देवयानी, translit=Devayānī) is a character in Hindu literature. She is described to be the daughter of Shukra, the acharya (preceptor) of the asuras, and his wife Jayanti, the daughter of Indra. She marries Kin ...

, Khushbu,

Ranjitha Ranjitha (born Sri Valli) is an Indian actress. She has acted in a number of Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. Career In 1991, Ranjita, did her first Telugu film, under the screen name Madhu Bala ''Kadapa Reddemma''. It was written ...

and Mumtaz to name a few. According to Ramya Krishna, her friend and co-star, Roja is one of the few artists who can do their makeup themselves. Actress Mumtaz in an interview praised Roja's willingness and egoless attitude when she did her hair and make-up during a Singapore Film Show in 2003.

Filmography

Tamil cinema

Telugu cinema

Kannada cinema

Malayalam cinema

Television

Political statistics

Awards

; Nandi Awards * Special Jury Award – '' Sarpayagam'' (1991) * Best Supporting Actress – ''

'' (1994) * Best Actress – Swarnakka (1998) ;

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 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 ...

* 1998 – Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress – ''

'' ; Cinema Express Awards * 1998 – Cinema Express Award for Best Actress – Tamil – ''

'' ; Filmfare Award South * 2010 – Nominated –

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Telugu The Telugu Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Telugu films. The award was introduced and first given at the 50th Filmfare Awards South in 2002. Superlatives * ...

– '' Golimaar''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roja Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Indian film actresses Telugu actresses Living people 1972 births Actresses in Malayalam cinema Telugu Desam Party politicians YSR Congress Party politicians Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Nandi Award winners People from Tirupati Women members of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Indian actor-politicians Andhra Pradesh MLAs 2014–2019 Andhra Pradesh MLAs 2019–2024 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Indian television actresses Actresses in Telugu television Actresses in Kannada television Actresses in Tamil television Deputy Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh