Nithya Menon
Encyclopedia
Nithya Menen is an Indian film actress, who works mainly in the Malayalam film industry. She has also acted in Telugu
, Tamil
and Kannada films and tried playback singing.
, Karnataka
into a Malayali
family and studied journalism
at the Manipal Institute of Communication
. She also studied in Bangalore
. Her father's family is from Calicut and her mother's is from Palakkad
. She once said in an interview that she never wished to become an actress but a journalist as she was "an idealist", but felt journalism was "not what it used to be". She then decided to become a filmmaker as she could express her ideas "better through films", and enrolled for a course in cinematography
at the FTI Pune
. During the entrance examination
, she met Nandini Reddy, who "brainwashed" and convinced her to take up acting. Nandini Reddy would later turn director and sign Nithya for the lead female role in her first project.
when she was eight in the Indian English language film, Hanuman (1998), playing the younger sister to Tabu
's character. The 2008 off-beat film Aakasha Gopuram, directed by National Film Award-winning director K. P. Kumaran
, marked her debut in a leading role, in which she was paired with Mohanlal
. She was in the midst of her 12th class exams when she was offered the role, after Mohanlal had spotted her on the front cover of a tourism magazine. Her performance was well received, with critics writing that she shows "sparkle in her debut venture" and "makes her entry in an impressive role", though the film, based on the Norwegian play The Master Builder
, got mixed reviews and was a financial failure. She next made her Kannada debut with the film Josh. She essayed a supporting role in the film, which received rave reviews, and became a commercial success as well, with her performance garnering her a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 57th Filmfare Awards South
.
In 2011, her first release was Nandini Reddy's romantic comedy
Ala Modalaindi
, which was Nithya's maiden Telugu venture as well. The film opened to favorable reviews by critics and turned out to become a sleeper hit
, while Nithya received critical praise for her performance. Idlebrains Jeevi in his review cited that she "epitomized Nitya character with her fabulous performance", "looks beautiful in all kinds of dresses" and was "the best debut in recent years of Telugu cinema after Samantha
in YMC
", while another critic wrote that she was a "charming find" and "...quite the Genelia
replacement that our cinema so badly needs right now." She eventually won the Nandi Award for Best Actress
for her performance. Further more, she also sang two songs for the soundtrack album of the film, tuned by Kalyani Malik
. Nandini Reddy, later, went on to describe Nithya as "the discovery of the decade". Following Ala Modalaindi, she starred in Santosh Sivan
's historical fiction
Urumi
as part of an ensemble cast
. She portrayed a Chirakkal
princess named Bala, playing the love interest of Prabhu Deva's character, which gained positive remarks, with a Sify review claiming that she "looks pretty and is a scene stealer". Nithya quoted that much of her character was based on "Santosh's perception of who I am", with Sivan stating that he had written that role for her and that only she could play it. She next appeared in ad-filmmaker Jayendra's bilingual venture 180/Nootrenbadhu, made and released in Tamil and Telugu, in which she played a photo journalist named Vidhya. She described the character as "bubbly, full of life, nosey, wide-eyed and innocent in life" and to be similar to herself. Later the year, she was seen in Sibi Malayil
's Violin
in Malayalam and the Gautham Menon
-produced Veppam in Tamil.
She is currently working on half-a-dozen projects; Karmayogi
, a Malayalam adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet
is in post-production stages, while she is currently shooting for the Telugu romance film Ishq
and Aidondla Aidu in Kannada, for which she had sung and also choreographed one of the songs, titled "Payasa". She has signed on two Malayalam projects, T. K. Rajeev Kumar
's Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty
, in which she portrays a village woman whose daily life is filmed and broadcast as a reality show for a month, and Usthad Hotel to be directed by Anwar Rasheed
.
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
, Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
and Kannada films and tried playback singing.
Early life
Nithya Menen was born in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
into a Malayali
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
family and studied journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at the Manipal Institute of Communication
Manipal Institute of Communication
Manipal Institute of Communication is an affiliate to Manipal's Manipal University group of institutions. It is a college that provides undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate degrees in media, communication and journalism. MIC is one of the leading media schools in the country...
. She also studied in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. Her father's family is from Calicut and her mother's is from Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
. She once said in an interview that she never wished to become an actress but a journalist as she was "an idealist", but felt journalism was "not what it used to be". She then decided to become a filmmaker as she could express her ideas "better through films", and enrolled for a course in cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
at the FTI Pune
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
. During the entrance examination
Entrance examination
An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....
, she met Nandini Reddy, who "brainwashed" and convinced her to take up acting. Nandini Reddy would later turn director and sign Nithya for the lead female role in her first project.
Career
Nithya Menon appeared first on screen as a child artisteChild actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
when she was eight in the Indian English language film, Hanuman (1998), playing the younger sister to Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
's character. The 2008 off-beat film Aakasha Gopuram, directed by National Film Award-winning director K. P. Kumaran
K. P. Kumaran
K. P. Kumaran is a Malayalam film maker. He co-authored the script of Swayamvaram directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Kumaran's first directorial venture was Athithi. His major films include Rugmini , Thenthulli, Laxmivijayam and Thottam...
, marked her debut in a leading role, in which she was paired with Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
. She was in the midst of her 12th class exams when she was offered the role, after Mohanlal had spotted her on the front cover of a tourism magazine. Her performance was well received, with critics writing that she shows "sparkle in her debut venture" and "makes her entry in an impressive role", though the film, based on the Norwegian play The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Master Builder is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's most significant and revealing works.-Performance:...
, got mixed reviews and was a financial failure. She next made her Kannada debut with the film Josh. She essayed a supporting role in the film, which received rave reviews, and became a commercial success as well, with her performance garnering her a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 57th Filmfare Awards South
57th Filmfare Awards South
The 57th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2009 was held on August 7, 2010 in Chennai, India.-Nominations:...
.
In 2011, her first release was Nandini Reddy's romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
Ala Modalaindi
Ala Modalaindi
-Malayalam dubbed version:Angane Thudangi , the Malayalam dubbed version, got released in Kerala on 28 July 2011 . The film got a wide release and a good reception, indicating the growing popularity of Telugu dubbed films in Kerala. The presence of kerala actress Nithya Menen also helped in film's...
, which was Nithya's maiden Telugu venture as well. The film opened to favorable reviews by critics and turned out to become a sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
, while Nithya received critical praise for her performance. Idlebrains Jeevi in his review cited that she "epitomized Nitya character with her fabulous performance", "looks beautiful in all kinds of dresses" and was "the best debut in recent years of Telugu cinema after Samantha
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian film actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Born to Malayali and Telugu parents, Samantha was brought up in Chennai and pursued a career in modeling during her late teens...
in YMC
Ye Maaya Chesave
Ye Maaya Chesave is a 2010 Telugu-language romantic drama written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles. It was produced by Manjula Ghattamaneni under the banner Indira Productions, and features a very successful music soundtrack...
", while another critic wrote that she was a "charming find" and "...quite the Genelia
Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
replacement that our cinema so badly needs right now." She eventually won the Nandi Award for Best Actress
Nandi Award for Best Actress
The Nandi Award for Best Actress winners:-See also:* Nandi Awards* Cinema of Andhra Pradesh...
for her performance. Further more, she also sang two songs for the soundtrack album of the film, tuned by Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik is a Tollywood music director. He is also the brother of M.M. Keeravani. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film Aithe, Kalyani has provided musical scores for many other small films...
. Nandini Reddy, later, went on to describe Nithya as "the discovery of the decade". Following Ala Modalaindi, she starred in Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
's historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
Urumi
Urumi (film)
Urumi is a 2011 Malayalam historical-fantasy film directed and co-produced by Santosh Sivan and written by Shankar Ramakrishnan. It stars Prithviraj, who was also one of the producers of the film, as Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, Prabhu Deva as Vavvali, Robin Pratt as Vasco da Gama, Alexx ONell as...
as part of an ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. She portrayed a Chirakkal
Chirakkal
Chirakkal may refer to:* Chirakkal Royal Family* Chirrakkal Kingdom* Chirakkal, Kannur* Chirakkal, Thrissur...
princess named Bala, playing the love interest of Prabhu Deva's character, which gained positive remarks, with a Sify review claiming that she "looks pretty and is a scene stealer". Nithya quoted that much of her character was based on "Santosh's perception of who I am", with Sivan stating that he had written that role for her and that only she could play it. She next appeared in ad-filmmaker Jayendra's bilingual venture 180/Nootrenbadhu, made and released in Tamil and Telugu, in which she played a photo journalist named Vidhya. She described the character as "bubbly, full of life, nosey, wide-eyed and innocent in life" and to be similar to herself. Later the year, she was seen in Sibi Malayil
Sibi Malayil
Sibi Malayil is an Indian film director of Malayalam cinema best known for his melodramas of the 80s and 90s. Since the mid-1980s he has directed some 40 movies. Movies like Kireedam, Dasharatham, Thaniyavarthanam, His Highness Abdullah, Bharatham, and Akashadoothu defined the way Malayalam movies...
's Violin
Violin (film)
Violin is a 2011 Malayalam musical romance film directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Asif Ali and Nithya Menon in the lead roles, and Vijayaraghavan, Nedumudi Venu, Sreejith Ravi, Chembil Asokan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan and Reena Basheer in other major roles. The film is about two youngsters who are...
in Malayalam and the Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
-produced Veppam in Tamil.
She is currently working on half-a-dozen projects; Karmayogi
Karmayogi (2011 film)
Karmayogi is a Malayalam film directed by V. K. Prakash, and starring Indrajith, Nithya Menon, Padmini Kolhapure, Saiju Kurup, Ashokan, Thalaivasal Vijay and Manikuttan. The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Indrajith plays the protagonist in the film. While R. D...
, a Malayalam adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
is in post-production stages, while she is currently shooting for the Telugu romance film Ishq
Ishq (2011 film)
Ishq is an upcoming Telugu film directed by Vikram Kumar and produced by M. Vikram Gowd . The film features Nitin and Nithya Menen in the lead roles, with Sindhu Tolani in another pivotal role. The film, which has cinematography by P. C. Sreeram, will release in late 2011....
and Aidondla Aidu in Kannada, for which she had sung and also choreographed one of the songs, titled "Payasa". She has signed on two Malayalam projects, T. K. Rajeev Kumar
T. K. Rajeev Kumar
T. K. Rajeev Kumar is an award winning director of Malayalam films.He is settled in Trivandrum, Kerala. Rajeev Kumar served as the Chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy from 2003 to 2006...
's Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty
Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty
Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty is an upcoming Malayalam directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, starring Nithya Menon, Shweta Menon and Unni Mukundan in the lead roles. The film is produced by Reel 2 Reel cine productions.- Cast :* Nithya Menon as Manju...
, in which she portrays a village woman whose daily life is filmed and broadcast as a reality show for a month, and Usthad Hotel to be directed by Anwar Rasheed
Anwar Rasheed
Anwar Rasheed is a Malayali Indian film director notable for his debut film Rajamanikyam starring Mammootty. His second feature film was Chotta Mumbai , which had Mohanlal in the lead role...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Hanuman | English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
Cameo appearance As child artiste |
|
| 2005 | Seven O' Clock Seven O' Clock Seven O' Clock is a Kannada film released in 2005. It was produced by N. M. Suresh under the Thulaja Bhavani Creations banner. It is directed by well known Cinematographer, Director Santosh Rai Pathaje.-Plot:... |
Anu | Kannada Kannada language Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world... |
|
| 2008 | Akasha Gopuram Akasha Gopuram Aakasha Gopuram is a 2008 Malayalam-language Indian feature film directed by K.P.Kumaran. It is based on Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder. It stars Mohanlal, Nithya Menon, Bharath Gopi, Manoj K. Jayan, Srinivasan, Geethu Mohandas and Shwetha Menon. The movie was made with a... |
Hilda Varghese | Malayalam Malayalam language Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people... |
|
| 2009 | Josh | Meera | Kannada | Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada The Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films.-External links:*... |
| Vellathooval Vellathooval Vellathooval is a 2009 Malayalam movie by I. V. Sasi and also last film done by him, starring Ranjith Menon, Nithya Menon and Lalu Alex. It is about a crazy girl and her jorney with a poor friend.- Plot :... |
Jiya | Malayalam | ||
| Kerala Cafe Kerala Cafe Kerala Cafe is a Malayalam anthology film produced by Ranjith and directed by a team of ten directors including Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakumar, Shankar Ramakrishnan, and Uday Ananthan. For the first time in the history of... |
Nithya | Malayalam | (segment Happy Journey) | |
| Angel John Angel John Angel John is a 2009 Malayalam film directed by Jayasurya and starring Mohanlal and Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj, who is making his debut in Malayalam. The cast also includes Vijayaraghavan, Lalu Alex, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Ambika and Nithya Menon... |
Sofia | Malayalam | ||
| 2010 | Apoorvaragam Apoorvaragam - External links :* at Now Running.com* at Oneindia.in* at IndiaGlitz.com... |
Nancy | Malayalam | |
| Anwar Anwar (2010 film) - External links : * * at Oneindia.in... |
Asna | Malayalam | ||
| 2011 | Ala Modalaindi Ala Modalaindi -Malayalam dubbed version:Angane Thudangi , the Malayalam dubbed version, got released in Kerala on 28 July 2011 . The film got a wide release and a good reception, indicating the growing popularity of Telugu dubbed films in Kerala. The presence of kerala actress Nithya Menen also helped in film's... |
Nithya | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
Winner, Nandi Award for Best Actress Nandi Award for Best Actress The Nandi Award for Best Actress winners:-See also:* Nandi Awards* Cinema of Andhra Pradesh... |
| Urumi Urumi (film) Urumi is a 2011 Malayalam historical-fantasy film directed and co-produced by Santosh Sivan and written by Shankar Ramakrishnan. It stars Prithviraj, who was also one of the producers of the film, as Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, Prabhu Deva as Vavvali, Robin Pratt as Vasco da Gama, Alexx ONell as... |
Bala | Malayalam | ||
| 180 | Vidya | Telugu | ||
| Nootrenbadhu | Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... |
|||
| Violin Violin (film) Violin is a 2011 Malayalam musical romance film directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Asif Ali and Nithya Menon in the lead roles, and Vijayaraghavan, Nedumudi Venu, Sreejith Ravi, Chembil Asokan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan and Reena Basheer in other major roles. The film is about two youngsters who are... |
Angel | Malayalam | ||
| Veppam | Revathy | Tamil | ||
| Makaramanju Makaramanju -External links:* at the Malayalam Movie Database* at Nowrunning.com... |
Malayalam | |||
| Karmayogi Karmayogi (2011 film) Karmayogi is a Malayalam film directed by V. K. Prakash, and starring Indrajith, Nithya Menon, Padmini Kolhapure, Saiju Kurup, Ashokan, Thalaivasal Vijay and Manikuttan. The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Indrajith plays the protagonist in the film. While R. D... |
Moonumani | Malayalam | Post-production | |
| Ishq Ishq (2011 film) Ishq is an upcoming Telugu film directed by Vikram Kumar and produced by M. Vikram Gowd . The film features Nitin and Nithya Menen in the lead roles, with Sindhu Tolani in another pivotal role. The film, which has cinematography by P. C. Sreeram, will release in late 2011.... |
Telugu | Post-production | ||
| Aidondla Aidu | Kannada | Filming | ||
| 2012 | Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty is an upcoming Malayalam directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, starring Nithya Menon, Shweta Menon and Unni Mukundan in the lead roles. The film is produced by Reel 2 Reel cine productions.- Cast :* Nithya Menon as Manju... |
Manju | Malayalam | Filming |
| Usthad Hotel | Malayalam | Filming | ||
| Bachelor Party Bachelor Party (2012 film) Bachelor Party is an upcoming Malayalam film co-written and directed by Amal Neerad, starring Indrajith, Nithya Menen, Asif Ali, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rahman, Remya Nambeesan etc. The music and background score of the film are composed by Rahulraj.... |
Malayalam | Announced. |