Dhivyadharshini "DD" Neelakandan is an Indian

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

, host and actress. She predominantly works in Tamil television and film industry especially in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

entertainment. She has hosted numerous television shows such as Koffee with DD,

Anbudan DD ''Anbudan DD'' ( ''With Love DD'') is an Indian Tamil-language talk show which aired on Vijay TV, Star Vijay on every Saturday at 18:00 (Indian Standard Time, IST) starting from 1 April 2017 and 22 July 2017. The show is a continuation to the sh ...

. Initially making her debut as an actress, she featured in supporting roles in films including

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

's production '' Nala Damayanthi'' (2003), before going on to work in television serials, drawing attention for her performances in the Raadan Media ventures ''Selvi'' and ''Arasi''. Since 2007, she has regularly been a host for shows on

Vijay TV Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. The channel telecasts programmes such as serials, reality shows & Tamil films. History T ...

and in 2014, began hosting '' Koffee with DD'', her own show.

Early life

Dhivyadharshini was born to K. Neelakandan and N. Srilatha. Her sister Priyadarshini is also a television host, while her younger brother is an airline pilot. She attended Our Lady's Matriculation Higher Secondary School and has since has continued part-time education at Anna Adarsh College, Chennai.

Career

Dhivyadharshini made her debut as a television anchor in 1999, when she successfully auditioned to be the child anchor for

's ''Ungal Theerpu''. She made a breakthrough as an actress, portraying a serious character in K. Balachander's television serial ''Rekkai Kattiya Manasu'', shown on

Raj TV Raj TV is a Tamil language Indian general entertainment channel based in Chennai, India, which was launched on 14 October 1994. Rajtv became as the second most popular channel in Tamil. It is available through digital and mobile entertainment ...

, and subsequently, her performance helped her to popularity and gain further acting assignments. After a few more cameo appearances in films, Dhivyadharshini moved back to television, where she played notable roles in the Raadan Media ventures ''Selvi'' and ''Arase''. She has also contributed as a dubbing artist in films, notably voicing Vega Tamotia in '' Saroja'' (2008) and

Piaa Bajpai Pia Bajpiee is an Indian actress and model who appears primarily in Bollywood and Kollywood films. She is best known for her performances as Roshini in Venkat Prabhu's comedy ''Goa'' and Saro in K. V. Anand's political thriller '' Ko''. Early li ...

in ''

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

'' (2010). Since 2007, Dhivyadharshini has become one amongst the leading TV anchors as featured on Tamil television and has notably continued to host several reality TV shows on Vijay TV. She hosted the initial seasons of '' Jodi Number One'' alongside Deepak and

Aravind Akash Aravind Akash is an Indian actor and dancer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He rose to fame through 2002 Malayalam film '' Nandanam'' portraying the role of Unnikrishnan. He has also been a judge for a few TV shows in M ...

, as well being the initial host of ''Boys Vs. Girls''.

Personal life

She married her longtime friend & assistant director Srikanth Ravichandran. But the couple announced their split in 2017. They filed for divorce in a family court in Chennai subsequently. Dhivyadharshini has

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

, which prevents her from long-distance walking.

Filmography

;Film ;Music Videos

Voice artist

Television

Shows

Serial

Web series

Awards

Vikatan award

Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 was not publishe ...

, one of the leading weeklies of Tamil Nadu has been awarding the films, actors and technicians on various criteria.

Vijay television awards

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Living people Television personalities from Tamil Nadu Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian women television presenters Indian television talk show hosts Actresses from Chennai 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Tamil television Indian television actresses Child actresses in Malayalam cinema Indian video jockeys Year of birth missing (living people)