Prema (Kannada actress)


Prema is an Indian film actress. She has worked as a lead actress in numerous Kannada films besides Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She has appeared in many commercially successful and critically acclaimed feature films. She was a top Kannada heroine at the turn of the century and has received the Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Best Actress awards for her performances in Kannada films. She has featured in Om and Yajamana, which are the two major blockbuster and highest-grossing films of their time in Kannada Cinema.
She has shared screen space with stalwarts like Vishnuvardhan, Shivrajkumar, V. Ravichandran, Upendra, Saikumar, Ramesh Aravind, Mohanlal, Vikram, Venkatesh, Jagapati Babu and Mohan Babu. She has also starred opposite many newer actors in her career.

Personal life

Prema was born on 6 January 1977 into Neravanda family, of the Kodava community to Chetticha and Kavery, in military hospital, Bangalore. She received high school education in Mahila Seva Samaja High School and completed her Pre-university course in Murnad junior college, Kodagu. As a student she was involved actively in sports and represented her school and college in high jump and volleyball events at the national level. Her younger brother Neravanda Aiyappa is a cricket player who represents Karnataka in Ranji Trophy. Her younger sister Indu NC lives in Dubai. Prema is married to Jeevan Appacchu. She recently filed a divorce petition against him in the Family Court, Bangalore in March 2016.

Film career

Prema began her career in the Rajkumar camp in 1995 starring opposite Shivarajkumar in Savyasachi and Raghavendra Rajkumar with Aata Hudugaata respectively. Though both films did not perform well at the box-office, she was given the lead role in yet another Shivarajkumar starrer Om directed by Upendra. The film turned out to be a blockbuster and also got her the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress.
In 1996 she acted in the Sunil Kumar Desai directed Nammoora Mandara Hoove co-starring Shivarajkumar and Ramesh Aravind. In the same year, she branched out to Malayalam and Telugu film industries. Her Malayalam debut in The Prince opposite Mohanlal. Dharma Chakram was her Telugu debut film.
In 1999 she starred in hit films which catapulted her to the top spot in Kannada movie. Chandramuki Pranasakhi, Upendra and V. Ravichandran's Naanu Nanna Hendthiru in Kannada and the Telugu language film, Devi which collected Rs. 18 crores at the box-office and was dubbed into Hindi as well.
2000 saw 6 releases of her films of which Yajamana opposite Vishnuvardhan was a runaway hit
2001 proved lucky again with the female-centric Kanasugara, the remake of Tamil film Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, which fetched her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She also won other awards for her portrayal of a simple girl who becomes a famous singer.
Her main release in 2002 was Sunil Kumar Desai's musical Parva co-starring Vishnuvardhan and Roja Selvamani. In 2003, she was praised by critics for her complex role in Singaaravva. In 2004, in Apthamitra, the remake of Malayalam Manichitrathazhu by P. Vasu, though her role was secondary to that of the legend star Soundarya, Prema played the leading lady of Vishnuvardhan.
She shared screen space with Vishnuvardhan in seven films - Yajamana, Apthamitra, Jamindaru, Kshana Kshanam, Ekadantha, Parva, Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda.
Post her marriage in 2006, Prema cut down her film assignments. Her last release was Shishira in 2009.
She has, thus far, acted in more than 70 movies in Kannada and more than 28 movies in Telugu. In 2017 she made her comeback in Upendra matte baa.

Awards

YearNoFilmRoleLanguageNotes
19951SavyasachiKannada
19952OmMadhuriKannadaKarnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
19953Aata HudugaataKannada
19954Police PowerKannada
19965Nammoora Mandara HooveSumaKannadaUdaya Film Award for Best Actress
19966Gaajina ManeKannada
19967The PrinceSwarnaMalayalam
19968Dharma ChakramSurekhaTelugu
19969Jagadeka VeeruduPremaTelugu
199610Adirindi GuruTelugu
199711Atta Nee Koduku JagrattaTelugu
199712Korukunna PriyuduTelugu
199713ChelikaaduLikhitaTelugu
199714OmkaramTelugu
199715Ellaranthalla Nanna GandaKannada
199816Thutta MuttaPoojaKannada
199817KauravaKannada
199818Shanti Shanti ShantiSuzyKannada
199819Maa Avida CollectorTelugu
199820Dheerga Sumnagali BhavaTelugu
199821Kangalin VaarthaigalTamil
199922Chandramukhi PranasakhiSahanaKannadaCinema Express Award for Best Actress
199923ChandrodayaDivyaKannada
199924Naanu Nanna HendthiruManishaKannada
199925UpendraKannada
199926ZPremaKannada
199927DeviDeviTeluguGemini Film award for Best Actress
199928Raghavayya Gari AbbayiTelugu
199929Eetharam NehruTelugu
200030Naga DevatheKannada
200031Maya BazaarKannada
200032Nuvve KavaliTeluguCameo appearance
200033Ammo Okato TaarikuTelugu
200034Rayalaseema Ramanna ChowdaryNagasulochanaTelugu
200035Nannavalu NannavaluKannadaAsianet Kaveri Film Award for Best Actress
200036Chiru NavvuthoTelugu
200037Uttara Dhruvadim Dakshina DhruvakuNandiniKannnada
200038YajamanaSangeethaKannadaETV Film Award for Best Actress
200039Daivathinte MakanAnjaliMalayalam
200140Anjali GeethanjaliAnjaliKannada
200141KanasugaraKannadaFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
200142Premi No.1Kannada
200143Kothigalu Saar KothigaluKannada
200144Grama DevatheKaveriKannada
200145NeelambariKannada
200146Prematho RaaSandhyaTelugu
200147Devi PutruduGoddessTelugu
200248BalaramaKannada
200249ChelviChelviKannada
200250TaporiKannada
200251JamindaruKannada
200252MarmaSudhaKannada
200253ParvaSumaKannada
200254KambalahalliKannada
200255MutthuKannada
200256PremaPremaKannada
200257SingaaravvaSingaravvaKannada
200358Mooru Manasu Nooru KanasuKannada
200359Ai Naan Bhishma KanoKannada
200360Sri Renuka DeviKannada
200361Ananda NilayaKannada
200362VijayadashamiKannada
200363Thaye BhuvaneshwariTamil
200364Lavve PasagaliKannada
200365Janaki Weds SriramTelugu
200466ApthamitraSoumyaKannada
200467AzhagesanNandhiniTamil
200568Inspector JhansiJhansiKannada
200569RanachandiKannada
200570Pandu Ranga VittalaKannada
200571Devi AbhayamTelugu
200572AyodhyaTelugu
200673A Aa E EeKannada
200774EkadanthaBhaktiKannada
200775Kshana KshanaPhalguniKannada
200776DheeTelugu
200877SundarakandaSeethaTelugu
200878Navashakthi VaibhavaKannada
200879KrishnarjunaTelugu
200980Anjani PutruduTelugu
200981ShishiraKannada
201782Upendra Matte BaaSathyabhamaKannada