Priya Anand
Encyclopedia
Priya Anand is an India
n film actress and model who appears in Tamil
and Telugu films. She appeared in some Tamil
and Telugu
films including, Vaamanan and Leader.
, Tamil Nadu
as the only child to a half Telugu
, half Marathi
father Bharadwaj Anand and a Tamil
mother Radha. Because of her mixed regional background, she was brought up in both her parents' hometowns, Chennai and Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, becoming fluent in Tamil
as well as Telugu
. Besides her mother tongues, Priya is proficient in English
, Bengali
, Hindi
and Spanish language
s as well.
Priya, who describes herself as "naturally extremely hyperactive", became fascinated by films, developing an interest in cinema, since childhood, and noted that she has been dreaming of getting into the film industry and working on technical aspects of film making, but confesses she never thought of becoming an actor. She moved to the U. S.
, where she pursued her higher studies. Keeping her later career in mind, she studied Communications and Journalism
at University of Albany
. After completing her education, she returned to India in 2008 and since, stays with her grandparents in Chennai. However, she then ventured into modeling, appearing in various television commercials
like Nutrine Maha Lacto, Prince Jewellery and Cadbury Dairy Milk.
, would fall in love with. The film created some anticipation before its release, mainly due to its hit music by Yuvan Shankar Raja
, which enabled a big opening, with the song "Aedho Saigirai", which was picturized on her, being considered as her "claim-to-fame" that made her popular among Tamil audience, and being dubbed as a "Priya song". However the film got a lukewarm reception and fared only averagely at the Chennai box office
.
In 2010, three of her films released within a short span of time, the first on New Year 2010, which was the college
-life based drama Pugaippadam, a film revolving around the friendship between seven students. Priya enacted the charcater of one of the student roles, a Malayali Christian
named Shiney George. The film opened to mixed reviews and proved to be commercially unsuccessful. She next starred in her first Telugu film, AVM Productions
' Sekhar Kammula
directed political drama
Leader, alongside newcomers Rana Daggubati
and Richa Gangopadhyay. She recalls that an assistant director of Kammula had found her on Facebook
and invited her and how she had to audition thrice for the film to prove herself and eventually got the offer. She played Ratna Prabha, a television channel
reporter and friend to a young man, who would later go on to become a political leader. Although her screen presence in the film was very limited, her performance garnered overwhelming response and was well received, while the film itself earned positive reviews and became a critical success. The Dil Raju
-produced family entertainer Rama Rama Krishna Krishna
was her last 2010 release, in which she plays the love interest of the film's male protagonist. She next starred in 180, a bilingual Tamil-Telugu project by ad filmmaker Jayendra, which was her only release in 2011. In the second half of 2011, she filmed for her debut Hindi film
English Vinglish, produced by R. Balki
, in which she will be sharing screen with Sridevi, who Priya admires and considers her as her idol. Priya said: "I signed this film just to be up and close to an artist who has influenced me and to be part of something that was so important to her. I'm doing this movie as her fan and I'm fortunate enough to play a very important part in her journey in the film".
and Andhra Pradesh
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film actress and model who appears in 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 Telugu films. She appeared in some 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 Telugu
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...
films including, Vaamanan and Leader.
Early life
Priya Anand was born in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
as the only child to a half Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
, half Marathi
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
father Bharadwaj Anand and a Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
mother Radha. Because of her mixed regional background, she was brought up in both her parents' hometowns, Chennai and Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, becoming fluent in 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...
as well as 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...
. Besides her mother tongues, Priya is proficient in 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...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
s as well.
Priya, who describes herself as "naturally extremely hyperactive", became fascinated by films, developing an interest in cinema, since childhood, and noted that she has been dreaming of getting into the film industry and working on technical aspects of film making, but confesses she never thought of becoming an actor. She moved to the U. S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she pursued her higher studies. Keeping her later career in mind, she studied Communications and 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 University of Albany
University at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
. After completing her education, she returned to India in 2008 and since, stays with her grandparents in Chennai. However, she then ventured into modeling, appearing in various television commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
like Nutrine Maha Lacto, Prince Jewellery and Cadbury Dairy Milk.
Career
She was subsequently receiving acting offers from directors, who had seen her television commercials. She was initially supposed to make her acting debut in the Tamil film Pugaippadam, which she signed up first, but since its release was delayed until 2010, her first release became the action-thriller Vaamanan, directed by newcomer Ahmed. She was assigned for the project in late 2008 to portray Divya, a simple girl next door, whom the male lead character, essayed by JaiJai (actor)
Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
, would fall in love with. The film created some anticipation before its release, mainly due to its hit music by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
, which enabled a big opening, with the song "Aedho Saigirai", which was picturized on her, being considered as her "claim-to-fame" that made her popular among Tamil audience, and being dubbed as a "Priya song". However the film got a lukewarm reception and fared only averagely at the Chennai box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
.
In 2010, three of her films released within a short span of time, the first on New Year 2010, which was the college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
-life based drama Pugaippadam, a film revolving around the friendship between seven students. Priya enacted the charcater of one of the student roles, a Malayali Christian
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians are an ancient body of Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are also known as "Nasranis" because they are followers of "Jesus of Nazareth". The term "Nasrani" is still used by St...
named Shiney George. The film opened to mixed reviews and proved to be commercially unsuccessful. She next starred in her first Telugu film, AVM Productions
AVM Productions
AVM is the oldest and largest film production studio in India. It is currently owned by M. Saravanan and his son, M. S. Guhan. The most recent film they have produced since their opening with Nam Iruvar in 1947, is Vettaikkaaran and Leader. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai....
' Sekhar Kammula
Sekhar Kammula
Sekhar Kammula is an award-winning Indian Film director, writer and producer from Telugu cinema.-Early life:Sekhar was schooled at St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad. He completed his intermediate studies from St...
directed political drama
Political drama
A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas include Aaron Sorkin, Robert Penn Warren, Sergei...
Leader, alongside newcomers Rana Daggubati
Rana Daggubati
Rana Daggubati is an Indian actor. Better known as Rana, he was born on 14 December 1984 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is the son of film producer D. Suresh Babu, the latter being the elder son of D. Ramanaidu. Venkatesh is D. Ramanaidu's younger son. Rana is also nephew of another Tollywood actor...
and Richa Gangopadhyay. She recalls that an assistant director of Kammula had found her on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and invited her and how she had to audition thrice for the film to prove herself and eventually got the offer. She played Ratna Prabha, a television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
reporter and friend to a young man, who would later go on to become a political leader. Although her screen presence in the film was very limited, her performance garnered overwhelming response and was well received, while the film itself earned positive reviews and became a critical success. The Dil Raju
Dil Raju
Dil Raju |Dil]], Arya,Bhadra, Bommarillu,Kotha Bangaru Lokam and Brindavanam . His recent film Mr.Perfect.-Biography:...
-produced family entertainer Rama Rama Krishna Krishna
Rama Rama Krishna Krishna
Rama Rama Krishna Krishna is a 2010 Telugu language film that stars Ram, Priya Anand and Bindu Madhavi in the lead role, whilst prominent actors Arjun Sarja, Nassar, Brahmanandam and Gracy Singh play pivotal roles. This film, directed by Srivas and produced by noted producer, Dil Raju, released...
was her last 2010 release, in which she plays the love interest of the film's male protagonist. She next starred in 180, a bilingual Tamil-Telugu project by ad filmmaker Jayendra, which was her only release in 2011. In the second half of 2011, she filmed for her debut Hindi film
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
English Vinglish, produced by R. Balki
R. Balki
R. Balakrishnan, better known as R. Balki, is Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of the advertising agency Lowe Lintas , an ad filmmaker and Hindi film director. He is best known for Cheeni Kum and Paa .-Career:...
, in which she will be sharing screen with Sridevi, who Priya admires and considers her as her idol. Priya said: "I signed this film just to be up and close to an artist who has influenced me and to be part of something that was so important to her. I'm doing this movie as her fan and I'm fortunate enough to play a very important part in her journey in the film".
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Vaamanan | Divya | 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... |
|
| 2010 | Pugaippadam | Shiney George | Tamil | |
| Leader | Ratna Prabha | 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... |
||
| Rama Rama Krishna Krishna Rama Rama Krishna Krishna Rama Rama Krishna Krishna is a 2010 Telugu language film that stars Ram, Priya Anand and Bindu Madhavi in the lead role, whilst prominent actors Arjun Sarja, Nassar, Brahmanandam and Gracy Singh play pivotal roles. This film, directed by Srivas and produced by noted producer, Dil Raju, released... |
Priya | Telugu | ||
| 2011 | 180 | Renuka Narayanan | Telugu | |
| Nootrenbadhu | Tamil | |||
| 2012 | English Vinglish | Hindi |
Personal life
On 20 June 2011, Anand was chosen as the ambassador for the "Save the Children" campaign for both Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.