Anuradha Menon, also known as Anu Menon, is an Indian actress and theatre artist. Lola Kutty, the popular Channel VJ, is her

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

Acting career

Originally from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, Anuradha Menon grew up in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. Her parents Mini and Mohan Menon worked in the advertising industry. Anuradha Menon started taking part in theatre productions in school. She was associated with ''

The Madras Players The Madras Players are the oldest English-language theatre group in Chennai, India. The Madras Players have staged over 240 theatre productions for more than 50 years. History The Madras Players has its origins from Kilpauk General/Mental Hosp ...

'' for some years. In 2000, she played Shubra in Madras Players' ''Lizard Waltz'' (written by Chetan Shah and directed by Bhagirathi Narayanan). She also studied theatre at a school in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

for one year,

East 15 Acting School East 15 Acting School, sometimes known simply as East 15, is a drama school based in Essex, England. It provides vocational training in acting, specialist performance disciplines, theatre directing, stage management, and creative producing. Th ...

. Then, she moved to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

as it was the hub of English theatre in India. It was in Mumbai that she got her break into Indian theatre. She acted as a governess in

Divya Palat Divya Palat (born in Calcutta, India) is a Producer and Director for theatre plays like ''A Personal War- Stories of the Mumbai Terror Attacks'' and was a Hindi actress who has done films, such as '' Masti'' with Vivek Oberoi, '' Dhund'' with ...

's "The Verdict." In this she was required to act with a heavy Malayali accent and this is what landed her the "Lola Kutty" role in Television. In 2004, while auditioning for a producer, she was spotted by VJ Gaurav of Channel Gaurav immediately recommended her to Channel where she became popular as "Lola Kutty". After she became famous as Lola Kutty, Anuradha Menon also got some film offers, but she considers theatre as her priority. She has performed in many notable plays including ''Zen Katha'' and ''Sammy!'' (both directed by

Lillete Dubey Lillete Dubey (born 7 September 1953) is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was th ...

). In the two-act award-winning play ''Sammy!'', she played an ensemble of roles, including

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

. In ''Only Women'' (directed by Deesh Mariwala), she played a

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

called Jasmine. The play deals with Jasmine's impending engagement and how it affects her swings in moods, one of which leads to fatal error in the profession, and how things are sorted out. Apart from film roles in ''

Quick Gun Murugun ''Quick Gun Murugun: Misadventures of an Indian Cowboy'' is a 2009 Indian English-language Comedy Western film directed by Shashanka Ghosh and written by Rajesh Devraj. The film stars Rajendra Prasad as the title character alongside Nassar, R ...

'' and ''

Happy New Year The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

'' in the character of Lola Kutty, she has acted in films such as '' Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi?'' and ''

Amit Sahni Ki List ''Amit Sahni Ki List'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film produced by Pyxis Pictures, and directed by Ajay Bhuyan. The film stars Vir Das, Vega Tamotia and Anindita Nayar, and features Kavi Shastri, Natasha Rastogi and Dubor ...

''.

Stand-Up

Anuradha Menon, otherwise known as Anu Menon, has donned the stand-up comedian's hat after Lola Kutty. She has popularly opened for

Brad Sherwood Bradley Sherwood (born November 24, 1964) is an American actor, singer, comedian, game show host and writer. He is best known for his work on the British and American versions of comedy improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. Career H ...

and

Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and American versions of the improvisational TV show ''Whose Line ...

while they were on their India Tour. Her stand-up special ''Wonder Menon'' released in 2019 on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

. She also featured in

Vir Das Vir Das (born 31 May 1979) is an Indian comedian, actor and musician. After beginning a career in standup comedy, Das moved to Hindi cinema starring in films like '' Badmaash Company'' (2010), '' Delhi Belly'' (2011), and '' Go Goa Gone'' (201 ...

series ''Jestination Unknown'' as herself.

Lola Kutty

Lola Kutty is a VJ on Channel Described as "the Channel resident beauty on duty", she is actually an

of Anuradha Menon. Anuradha Menon appears in many of her public dealings as Lola Kutty. When invited for an interview with

Pooja Bedi Pooja Bedi (born 11 May 1970) is an Indian actress, television talk show host and newspaper columnist. She is the daughter of Indian actors Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi. She appeared in the reality television shows '' Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'', '' N ...

zOOm Zoom may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Zoom'' (2006 film), starring Tim Allen * ''Zoom'' (2015 film), a Canada-Brazil film by Pedro Morelli * ''Zoom'' (2016 Kannada film), a Kannada film * ''Zoom'' (2016 Sinhala film), a Sr ...

with Mona Singh (Jassi of ''

Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin ''Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' () is an Indian soap opera which aired on Sony TV from 1 September 2003 to 4 May 2006. The series was an Indian-themed version of the Colombian drama ''Yo soy Betty, la fea''. Plot Based largely on the show, ''Yo s ...

''), she appeared as "Lola Kutty", unlike Mona Singh (who appeared as her off-screen self). Lola Kutty is a bespectacled Keralite lady who speaks English with a heavy

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

accent. Unlike other VJs, she has curly oily hair sporting a '' gajra'' and wears silk

sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...

s. Unlike Jassi of ''

'', Lola has no plans for a

makeover A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in human physical appearance, it may imply a change in clothing, haircut, or cosmetics. A personal makeover might also include weight loss, plastic surgery, ...

. She is a huge fan of

Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...

. Her assistant is Shiny Alex, who wears

fluorescent Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with color ...

shirts, matching

slipper Slippers are a type of shoes falling under the broader category of light footwear, that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors. ...

s, and

mundu The mundu (Malayalam: ; ) is a garment worn around the waist in the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, the Lakshadweep archipelago, and the Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives. It is closely related to sarongs like dhotis and lungis ...

folded up. In her show Celebrity Forum/Lola TV, Lola Kutty plays interviewer to celebrities esp.

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

personalities. Lola's shows don't involve vulgar, corny or spicy humor; rather, they rely on witty asides and straight-faced questions for humor. In 2006, a Limited Edition Deluxe Official 2006 Notebook ''Chronicle of Lola— the VJ, the Woman and the Wisecrack'' was released. The Notebook features various facets of Lola—modelling her "LolaWay products", giving ''gyaan'' (knowledge) and discussing movies. The first edition received a very good response. Lola Kutty has also worked as

agony aunt An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are wr ...

for

The Record Music Magazine ''The Record'' is a monthly music magazine in India. It was established in 1998. The magazine covers articles on pop, rock, hip-hop as well as Bollywood music reviews. The magazine is published from Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known a ...

. Lola Kutty boosted Channel s TRP ratings considerably. Apart from India, she has a fan following among

Indian diaspora Overseas Indians (ISO 15919, ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). Acc ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and the UK. In real life (i.e. aside from her Lola Kutty alter ego), she speaks English with a tinge of UK accent. She is fluent in her mother-tongue,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

, as well.

Awards and nominations

Lola TV won three Golds and one Silver at the PROMAX & BDA India Awards * Gold - Best comedy Promo (Lola TV) * Gold - Funniest Spot (Lola TV) * Gold - Best On-Air Branding (Lola - Matchbox ID/Lola TV/Lola Kutty) * Silver - Best Entertainment Promo (Lola TV Promo) At The Indian Telly Awards 2006, Lola Kutty was nominated for "Best Anchor Award - Talk Show" for Lola T Lola Kutty also appeared in the 2009 movie ''

'' as the Locket Girl, and in the 2014 film ''

'' as a television reporter.

Criticism

Lola's character was criticized by some for being offensive to

Malayali people The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian languages, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, ...

. However, in an interview, Anuradha Menon asserted that "Lola is funny as a person, not as a region".

References

External links

Anu Menon
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Lola Kutty: Beauty on Duty

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Anuradha Indian women television presenters Indian television presenters Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Malayali people Actresses from Chennai Indian television actresses Indian video jockeys