Vidya Pradeep (born 13 April 1990) is an Indian actress and scientist. She is currently working as a scientist in the United States. Her films include ''

Saivam ''Saivam'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language drama film written, directed and produced by A. L. Vijay. The film features Nassar in the lead role and child actress Sara Arjun plays another pivotal role. The film's cinematography was handled by ...

'' (2014), ''

Pasanga 2 ''Pasanga 2 : Haiku'' is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language children's film written, co produced and directed by Pandiraj. A thematic sequel to ''Pasanga'' (2009), the film focuses on the issue of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) amongst ...

'' (2015), and '' Thadam'' (2019)

Career

After completing her Master of Science degree in Biotechnology, Vidya Pradeep completed her PhD in Stem Cell Biology at an eye hospital in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. She works on ocular stem cells, and her works are published in "International Journal of Cornea" and "International Journal of Cell Therapy". She practiced

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...

during her childhood. While pursuing her PhD, Vidya worked as a model and appeared in several print and television advertisements. Vidya says that her break in to the world of Ads and movies were accidental. She also appeared in the music video for

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

's "Aa Bhi Jaa" from his studio album

Raunaq ''Raunaq'' is a 1944 Bollywood film directed by Dwarka Khosla and starring Chandraprabha, Noor Mohammad Charlie (billed as Charlie), Chandra Mohan, Motilal and Subarnalata Subarnalata. It was released in 1944 Events Below, the events ...

alongside

Yami Gautam Yami Gautam Dhar (born 28 November 1988) is an Indian actress known predominantly for her work in Hindi films. She sprang into prominence after doing some commercials for Glow & Lovely and began her acting career in television shows, followed ...

and several other models. Vidya was signed to play a role in a film by

Lohithadas Ambazhathil Karunakaran Lohithadas (10 May 1955 – 28 June 2009) was an Indian screenwriter, playwright, film maker, and producer who worked in the Malayalam film industry. In a career spanning over two decades, his films have won a National ...

, but the film didn't materialise. She was subsequently signed to play a supporting role in ''

Aval Peyar Thamizharasi ''Aval Peyar Thamizharasi'' () is a 2010 Tamil romantic drama film directed and written by Meera Kathiravan and starring Jai, Nandhagi, Dhiyana, S. Theodore Baskaran and Ganja Karuppu in lead roles. The film failed commercially. Plot Siva R ...

'' (2010) and debuted under the name Dhyana. Her next film was '' Virunthali'' (2010), where she played the heroine. She was spotted by director

A. L. Vijay A. L. Vijay, known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. An assistant director with Priyadarshan, he debuted as director with films such as '' Kireedam'' and the critically acclaimed ''Madr ...

, who cast her in his successful family drama film, ''

'' (2014) to portray

Sara Arjun Sara Arjun (born ) is an Indian child actress who mainly appears in Tamil and Hindi films and commercials. Sara had appeared in a series of commercials and a short Hindi film before the age of six. In 2010, she was signed on to portray a lea ...

's mother. For the film, she reverted to her original name and put on weight to portray a middle-aged woman. The film and the ensemble cast won positive reviews for its portrayal of a family. She then featured in the action drama, ''

Adhibar ''Adhibar'' ( Proprietor) is a 2015 Tamil-language action film directed by Surya Prakash. The film stars Jeevan and Vidya Pradeep with Nandha, Samuthirakani, Richard Rishi, and Ranjith playing supporting roles. The film was produced by T. Siv ...

'' (2015) as the lead actress opposite Jeevan. Pradeep then worked on Pandiraj's ''

'' (2015) portraying the mother of a small child. Critics noted that Pradeep added "solidity to the film by coming up with a credible performance" and that she did "commendably well". She worked on the psychological thriller ''Onnume Puriyala'' (2016), which made the headlines for becoming the first Tamil film to be remade in German, and played a cameo in ''

Achamindri ''Achamindri'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil language action thriller film directed by Ennamo Nadakkudhu fame Rajapandi. It stars Vijay Vasanth, Samuthirakani, Srushti Dange, Vidya Pradeep, Saranya Ponvannan, and Radha Ravi. The dialogues are written ...

'' (2016). Pradeep made her debut in Kannada with '' Bangara s/o Bangarada Manushya'' (2017) opposite

Shivarajkumar Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, predominantly works in Kannada cinema.

, and the film opened to very positive reviews. Vidya was highly appreciated by the critics for her acting skills and screen presence. The New Indian Express noted that "Vidya Pradeep doesn’t stay a glam doll instead proves her talent in acting when called for", while the Deccan Herald says that it is a "fortuitous debut for Vidya Pradeep". In March 2019, she appeared in '' Thadam'' with Arun Vijay. ''Times of India'' said "Vidya's performance stands out" and ''The Indian Express'' stated that "Vidya Pradeep needs a special mention and manages to hold your attention undivided right through as Malar".

Filmography

Web series

Television series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pradeep, Vidya Indian film actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema Living people Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema 1992 births