Kavitha Ranjini, known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Urvashi Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' s ...

, is an Indian actress, dubbing artist, television host, scriptwriter and producer known for her works in the

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

film industry, predominantly 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 ...

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, nativ ...

films. She has acted in total 702+ films: Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films She started her acting career as a child artist, in a Malayalam movie '' Kathirmandapam'', released in 1979. Her first released film as heroine was ''

Mundhanai Mudichu ''Mundhanai Mudichu'' () is a 1983 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed and written by K. Bhagyaraj and also stars alongside Urvashi (actress), Urvashi (in her major Tamil debut). The film focuses on Parimala, a ...

'' (

, directed by

K. Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor, ...

) in 1983. She was a prominent

lead actress A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

of the 1980s and 1990s, primarily in

Films. She has written the films ''

Ulsavamelam ''Utsavamelam'' (The Sound of Festival) is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Suresh Unnithan and written by K. S. Bhasurachandran. The rivalry between two families and the unexpected middle man in these issues is the main them ...

'' and '' Pidakkozhi Koovunna Noottandu'', the latter was also produced by her. She won the

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasti ...

for her performance in ''

Achuvinte Amma ''Achuvinte Amma'' () is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Ranjan Pramod from a story by Rajesh Jayaraman. It stars Urvashi (actress), Urvashi, Meera Jasmine and Narain (actor), Narain. The ...

'' (2005), which was her comeback film after a hiatus of 6 years. She has won the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969 to an actress for the best performance within the Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards were managed direc ...

a record five times, which includes three consecutive wins from 1989 to 1991. She has also received two

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 ...

. Urvashi was born to popular drama actors Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi in

Sooranad Sooranad North is a village in Kollam district in the south west Indian state of Kerala. It is believed that Sooranad was ruled by King SOORAN and hence the name. The village is part of Kunnathur (Kerala), Kunnathur Taluk, which lies in Kera ...

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Laccadive Sea seaport and an in ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

.Her elder sisters are actors

Kalaranjini Kalaranjini is an Indian actress and classical dancer who started her career in the early 1980s. Personal life Kalaranjini was born to theatre artists Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. She is divorced and has a son, Prince. Partial film ...

and Kalpana. She married actor Manoj K. Jayan on 2 May 1998, which ended in divorce in 2008.

Filmography

As actress

Malayalam films

Tamil films

Kannada films

Telugu films

Hindi films

Voice credit

In other roles

Television career

See also

References