Meena (actress)

Meena Sagar (néeDurairaj; born 16 September 1976) is an Indian actress known for her works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films in addition to a few Kannada and Hindi films. Widely regarded as one of South Indian cinema's most successful and accomplished actresses, Meena is known for natural acting, expressive eyes, and successful collaborations with superstars. She became one of the most sought-after actresses in the South Indian film industry in the '90s. She has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Nandi Awards and two Cinema Express Awards. In 1998, she was honoured with the Kalaimamani Award by Government of Tamil Nadu.

Starting her career as a child artist, Meena's first appearance was in the Tamil film, Nenjangal (1982). She rose to fame as a child actor through the films Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984), Illalu Priyuralu (1984), Manasariyathe (1984) and Lakshmi Vanthachu (1986). Her first notable leading role came at 15, with Kasthuri Raja's Tamil film, En Rasavin Manasile (1991), which emerged as a highly successful film. The same year gave Meena her biggest breakthrough in Telugu cinema with the social drama, Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu and its Malayalam remake, Sandhwanam. The former fetched her numerous awards including the Cinema Express Award. She went on to win numerous State awards for her performances in Rajeswari Kalyanam (1992) and Yejaman (1993). Her successful collaborations resulted in several commercial blockbusters throughout the 1990s and early 2000s with the films including Muta Mesthri (1993), Allari Alludu (1993), Sethupathi IPS (1994), Veera (1994), Nattamai (1994), Putnanja (1995), Muthu (1995), Avvai Shanmugi (1996), Muddula Mogudu (1997), Suryavamsam (1998), Friends (1999), Sneham Kosam (1999) and Vaanathai Pola (2000). Her role was critically acclaimed in films such as Bharathi Kannamma (1997), Varnapakittu (1997), Porkkaalam (1997), Rhythm (2000), Citizen (2001), Swathi Muthu (2003) and Vengamamba (2009). Her highest grossing films include Drishyam film series (2013, 2021) and Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (2017).

Apart from acting, Meena has worked as a playback singer, TV show judge, and voice artist. She is also a classical dancer.