Urvashi (actress)


Kavitha Ranjini, known by the stage name Urvashi is an Indian film actress, television host and producer.
Urvashi was a prominent lead actress of the 1980s and 1990s, primarily in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has written the films Ulsavamelam and Pidakkozhi Koovunna Noottandu, the latter was also produced by her. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Achuvinte Amma. She has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress a record five times, which includes three consecutive wins from 1989 to 1991. She has also won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Early and personal life

Urvashi was born on 25 January 1969, at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala to actor Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. Her elder sisters are actresses Kalaranjini and Kalpana. Her two brothers, Kamal Roy and late Prince had also acted in few Malayalam movies. Prince committed suicide at the age of 26. She had her primary education from Fort Girl's Mission High School, Thiruvananthapuram, until fourth grade and later at Corporation Higher Secondary School, Kodambakkam until ninth grade, when the family shifted to Chennai. She couldn't continue her studies since she had become busy with her movie career by then. Firstly, Urvashi was acting in three films, Bhagyaraj saw the rush and booked her in Munthanai Mudichi. Those three directors helped Urvashi to get preference in Munthanai Mudichi call-sheets. They calculated that the film would become a hit, then they could release their films with much profit.
Urvashi married film actor Manoj K. Jayan on 2 May 2000. They have a daughter, born in November 2001. After divorce from her first husband Manoj K. Jayan in 2008, Urvashi married Chennai based builder Sivaprasad in November 2013. The couple had a boy in August 2014.

Career

She acted in around 500 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. She started her acting career as a child artist, at the age of 8, in a Malayalam movie Vidarunna Mottukal, released in 1977, her sister Kalpana also debuted in the same movie. She then acted in Kathirmandapam, released in 1979, as Jayabharathi's daughter. She acted as Srividya's dance student in the movie Digvijayam, released in 1980, she plays Krishna in the song sequence Madhumaasa Nikunjathil, where her sister Kalpana plays Radha. She has also acted as a child artist in Ninaivukal Maraivathillai, a Tamil movie, in 1983, but it was never released. Then she acted as a heroine, at the age of 13, to Karthik in the movie Thodarum Uravu, which completed shooting in 1983, but released in 1986.
Her first released film as heroine was Munthanai Mudichchu in 1983, making her debut movie. Ethirppukal was one of her earlier films in Malayalam. During the peak of her career, she starred in M. P. Sukumaran Nair's award-winning film Kazhakam in 1995, without taking a single penny as remuneration. She was awarded Best Actress for this role. She has acted in some advertisements, and has participated in many stage shows also.
She has acted in successful movies in Kannada such as Shravana Bantu, E Jeeva Ninagagi, Nanu Nanna Hendthi and Rama Shama Bhama and she became one of the best actresses in Kannada cinema, She has acted with Dr. Rajkumar, Ravichandran, Vishnuvardhan, Kamal Haasan and Ramesh Arvind in Kannada.
Urvashi is an actress who has performed multifaceted roles in her career. She is considered as an acting encyclopedia. Her dialogue delivery, subtlety and fine nuances, handling of characters with great poise and ease and above all the natural feel is commendable. No other actresses must have performed the number of characters as she has. Whether it is from her first film until her latest most successful film Ente Ummante Peru, the naturalness of her acting brings tears to the audience. There is so much to learn and understand from the characters which she performed. Even dubbing artists also have mentioned that doing dubbing for Urvashi is the most challenging and exciting one where you get so much to learn.She is known as Lady Super Star based on her talent

Awards

National Film Awards
;Kerala State Film Awards
;Filmfare Awards South
;Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
; Kerala Film Critics Association Awards
;Vanitha Film Awards
;Asianet Film Awards
;10th Vijay Awards
;8th South Indian International Movie Awards
; Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil
;Amrita Film Awards
;Nana Film Weekly Awards
;Other Film Awards
;Television Awards

As actress

Malayalam films

Tamil films

Kannada films

Telugu films

Hindi films

Voice credit

In other roles

Television career

Other Shows