Ramya Krishnan(I)

Ramya Krishnan is a versatile Indian actress who has appeared in over 260 Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi films. She is the niece of the Late Cho Ramaswamy, a Tamil film actor and former member of the Rajya Sabha.

In her early years, Krishnan received formal training in western, Bharathanatyam, and Kuchipudi dance forms and appeared in several stage performances.

She got her first acting break in 1983 in the Malayalam film Neram Pularumbol (1986) when she was only 13. However, the film's release was delayed. This made Vellai Manasu (1985), a Tamil film starring Y.G. Mahendran her first official movie appearance in 1985.

Krishnan continued working in Tamil cinema and was featured in supporting roles in films like Padikkathavan (1985) with Rajinikanth in the lead role and Per Sollum Pillai (1987) with Kamal Haasan as the lead.

Some of her notable Telugu performances include films like Madana Gopaludu (1987), Aasthulu Anthasthulu (1988), BhamaKalapam (2022), and Bava Marudula Sawal (1988).

Krishnan appeared in various Malayalam movies, like Orkkappurathu (1988), Aryan (1988), and Anuragi (1988), in 1988. That year, she also featured in some successful Kannada movies, like Krishna Rukmini (1988). She made her debut in Hindi movies by playing a small role in the film Dayavan (1988), featuring actors Feroze Khan and Vinod Khanna.

Krishnan enjoyed her first blockbuster in 1990, with K. Viswanath's Sutradhaarulu (1990), which fetched the movie a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. After the film's success, she was offered lead roles in the Telugu film industry.

Krishnan's subsequent hit performances and box-office successes included Alludugaru (1990), Allari Mogudu (1992), Major Chandrakanth (1993), and Allari Priyudu (1993).

Her next major blockbuster was with Nagarjuna in the movie Annamayya (1997). She also gave another stellar performance as the lead in Kante Koothurne Kanu (1998), for which she was awarded the Nandi Award for Best Actress.

During this time, Krishnan essayed some supporting role performances in famous Hindi movies like Parampara (1993), Khalnayak (1993), Chaahat (1996), Banarasi Babu (1997), and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998).

She took a break from Tamil cinema for four years, after which she returned in 1999, playing an antagonist in Padaiyappa (1999), starring Rajinikanth. She has also been applauded for her performances in devotional films like Ammoru (1995) and Annai Kaligambal (2003).

Krishnan married Telugu film director Krishna Vamsi in 2003. They have a son together.

Besides movies, Krishnan has appeared in TV serials like Thangam (2009), Rajakumari (2013), and Vamsam (2013) on Sun TV. She served as the host of Big Boss Telugu Season 3 after Nagarjuna Akkineni, the main host, had to fly to Spain. In November 2021, when host Kamal Haasan was diagnosed with COVID, Krishnan took over Bigg Boss Tamil Season 5, becoming the first woman to host the show.

One of Krishnan's biggest box-office successes, highest-grossing movies, and most critically acclaimed performances came from her role as Rajamata Sivagami Devi in S.S. Rajamouli's movies, Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). After Bahubali, she went on to give solid performances in Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu (2015) and Soggade Chinni Nayana (2016).

Krishnan was felicitated with a special award by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at the 30th Ugadi Celebrations & Puraskar Presentation in 2018.

She ventured into the realm of web series in 2019 with Queen (2019), playing Jayalalithaa, the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. She also made her OTT debut in 2022 as a judge for the show Dance Ikon, streaming on AHA.