Yashika Aanand (born 4 August 1999) is an Indian actress, model and television personality, who works predominantly in

Tamil films 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 ...

and

television shows A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

Early life

Yashika Aannand was born into a

Punjabi Hindu Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab regio ...

family on 4 August 1999 in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. After her family moved to

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 completed her schooling in Sherwood Hall school in Chetpet, Chennai.

Career

Aannand began acting after being an

Instagram model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though mo ...

. At 14, she was filmed for ''

Inimey Ippadithan Inimey Ippadithan () is a 2015 Indian Tamil language romantic comedy film written and directed by the duo Muruganand (Murugan and Prem Anand) of Lollu Sabha fame. Santhanam, who also produced the film, plays the lead role in it, alongside Ash ...

'' (2015) alongside

Santhanam Santhanam or Santanam ( te, సంతానం) is an Indian name that may refer to: People * K. Santhanam (1895–1980), Indian politician * Madabusi Santanam Raghunathan (born 1941), Indian mathematician * Maharajapuram Santhanam (1928–1992) ...

but her role was later deleted after she could not attend a song shoot. She then portrayed a swimming instructor in ''

Kavalai Vendam ''Kavalai Vendam'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Deekay. The film stars Jiiva and Kajal Aggarwal, while Bobby Simha and Sunaina play supporting roles. The film, which is said to be an urban r ...

'' (2016), which became her first theatrical release. Aannand's breakthrough was in the 2016 film, ''

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru ''Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru'' (), also known as ''D-16'', is a 2016 Indian neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Karthick Naren, and starring Rahman. Featuring a predominantly new cast and crew, the film features music composed by ...

''. Shot on a small budget, the film was successful and won recognition for its cast members. She then appeared in '' Paadam'' (2018) and

Thambi Ramaiah Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked occasionally as a lyricist. He directed three films, ''Manu Needhi'' (2000), '' Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan'' (2008) and '' Mani ...

's '' Maniyaar Kudumbam'' (2018). Aannand then appeared in ''

Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu ''Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuthu'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language adult horror comedy film written and directed by Santhosh P. Jayakumar and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja. The film stars Gautham Karthik and VJ Sha Ra, with Yashika Anand, ...

'' (2018), an adult comedy film. Shot in Thailand, the film featured her alongside other actresses such as

Vaibhavi Shandilya Vaibhavi Shandilya is an Indian actress who works in Tamil, Kannada and Marathi-language films. After making her debut in the Marathi film ''Janiva'' (2015), she has been in films including ''Ekk Albela'' (2015), '' Sakka Podu Podu Raja'' (201 ...

and

Chandrika Ravi Chandrika Ravi is an Australian actress, model and dancer of Indian origin. She was born and raised in Australia before moving to Los Angeles for her acting and modelling career. She became known for her role in the 2018 Indian film ''Iruttu A ...

and the film performed well at the box office. In 2018, Aannand appeared in the second season of the ''

Bigg Boss Tamil ''Bigg Boss'' also known as ''BB'' is an Indian Tamil-language version of the reality TV program ''Bigg Boss''. The program follows the '' Big Brother'' format developed by Endemol in the Netherlands. Over five years, Bigg Boss has rolled ou ...

'' reality show hosted by Kamal Haasan. She had earlier been approached to be in the inaugural season, but she refused the offer. She was evicted on day 98, finishing the show in fifth place. She also received the cash prize of 5 lakhs for winning certain tasks during the second season of the premiere program before getting evicted. She later appeared as a mentor in Star Vijay's ''Jodi Unlimited'' TV series, which aired in 2019. Aannand then appeared in the animated

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror ...

''Zombie'' as the lead actress. In 2018, she was listed by the ''

Chennai Times ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'' as the "most desirable woman on television." In 2021, she received the Best Actress Award at the ''Las Vegas Independent Film Festival 2021'' for the film ''Bestie.''

MeToo allegations

In 2018, Aannand identified herself as a victim during the MeToo campaign

in India IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Indepen ...

, where she alleged that a director had tried to abuse her by asking for sexual favors in order to gain a part in his film. She refused, and accused the director of harassing her.

Personal life

On 24 July 2021, Aannand was involved in a car crash in

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...

near

and was critically injured during the crash. She was traveling with friends when their car rammed into a divider and fell in the nearby pit. News reports state that one of her friends died on the spot. Onlookers reportedly said that the actor's SUV was speeding and lost control, thus causing the crash. Aannand has regularly raised awareness for

female empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...

in society.

Filmography

Film

Television

Short films

Web series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aannand, Yashika 1999 births Living people Indian people Indian women Punjabi people Punjabi Hindus Indian film actresses Female models from Delhi Actresses in Tamil cinema Tamil actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses from New Delhi 21st-century Indian child actresses Bigg Boss (Tamil TV series) contestants Actresses in Tamil television