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Divya Venkatasubramaniam Iyer better known by her stage name Kaniha, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in
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 ...
cinema along with a few
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 ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
movies. Kaniha made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film ''
Five Star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) were a British Pop music, pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman Pearson, Stedman, Lorraine, Denise Pearson, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 a ...
''.


Early life

Kanika is born 3 July 1982 as Divya Venkata Subramaniam in
Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
. Her father Venkata Subramaniam Iyer was an
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
. She won the Tamil Nadu State Award for Educational Excellence in 1999. She pursued her
Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
degree from 1999 to 2003 in
BITS Pilani The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) is a private deemed university in Pilani, Rajasthan, India. It focuses primarily on higher education and research in engineering and sciences. BITS Pilani was one of the first ...
. Having improved her singing talent since childhood by participating in pop music and light music shows, Divya was interested in performing arts. While she was still studying, she gave stage performances as a pop singer from time to time. When she was scheduled to perform at the Miss Chennai beauty pageant in 2001, she was selected to participate in the pageant after a model had backed out at the last minute. Despite lack of experience, she emerged victorious in the contest, which later paved way for a film career.


Career

Susi Ganesan Ganesan Subbiah (born 25 August 1969), popularly known as Susi Ganesan, is an Indian film director, producer, and writer who predominately works in Tamil films apart from a few Hindi remakes of his own films. Early life Ganesan was born on (25 ...
spotted Kanika on a magazine cover page and insisted on her performing the lead female role in his second feature film. Divya eventually entered the
Film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...
, accepting the offer, while her name was changed to Kanika. Her debut film was the
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
-produced ''
Five Star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) were a British Pop music, pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman Pearson, Stedman, Lorraine, Denise Pearson, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 a ...
'' (2002) with Prasanna, who made his acting debut as well, in which Kaniha portrayed a traditional village girl. She completed the entire film during her summer holidays, since she was a student.The voice behind Shriya in Sivaji
. Rediff.com (31 December 2004). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
Kanika turned down all projects that were subsequently offered to her, including films by
S. Shankar Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter, primarily known for his work in Tamil cinema. Known as one of the most prominent directors in the history of Indian cinema, he has also worked in H ...
and
P. C. Sreeram P. C. Sreeram (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. Apart ...
, and went on to complete her graduation. Even before she finished her graduation, she completed her Telugu debut film ''
Ottesi Cheputunna ''Ottesi Cheputunna'' () is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by E. Satthi Babu. The film stars Srikanth, Kaniha (credited as Sravanthi), Sivaji and Sunil. The film has music composed by Vidyasagar and editin ...
'' during her winter vacations, acting under another stage name Sravanthi.Telugu cinema Review – Naa Autograph – Sweet Memories – Ravi Teja, Bhumika Chawla, Gopika
. Idlebrain.com (11 August 2004). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
In regard to her performance, ''Idlebrain'' wrote: "Sravanthy looks homely in the film and suited the character. She performed well. She is good at dances as well". After completing her studies, Kanika decided to give herself a go at the Tinsel towns. She starred in the
Kannada film Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...
''Annavaru'' (2004), a remake of
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
's ''
Thalapathi ''Thalapathi'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language gangster drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Rajinikanth and Mammootty with Arvind Swamy in his feature-film debut, Jaishankar, ...
'' (1991), stepping into Kannada filmdom, too. She followed the movie with a cameo role in Cheran's ''
Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...
.'' Kaniha next appeared in a comedy oriented role in a commercial film by
K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor who primarily works in Tamil cinema and few Telugu films. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Indian cinema. He has won m ...
, ''
Aethiree ''Aethirree'' (alternatively spelt ''Ethiri''; ) is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film starred Madhavan, Sadha, Vivek, Kanika, Rahman, Delhi Ganesh and FEFSI Vijayan in pivotal roles, an ...
'' along with Madhavan, Sada, in which she portrayed a "naughty
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
girl". ''Sify'' labelled her performance in the film as "outstanding". She returned to Telugu cinema, accepting to reprise her role in the Telugu remake of ''Autograph'', ''
Naa Autograph ''Naa Autograph Sweet Memories'' () is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by S. Gopal Reddy. The film stars Ravi Teja alongside Gopika, Bhumika Chawla, Mallika and Prakash Raj. Though the film had an above average run ...
'', playing the same role as in the original version. She proved to be an actress to reckon with in the Kannada film ''Sye'', a remake of
Tamil film Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Chen ...
''
Dhill ''Dhill'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Dharani. The film stars Vikram in the lead role, alongside Laila, Ashish Vidyarthi, Nassar and Vivek in supporting roles. The music was composed by Vidyasagar, while cine ...
''. She finally ventured into
Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
as the heroine for the campus-based film ''Ennitum''. Kanika has ventured into playback singing and dubbing as well. Having a vast experience and being a professional singer before turning actress, Kanika got the offer to sing the theme song of her debut film ''Five Star''. She then became a dubbing artiste, dubbing for actresses
Genelia D'Souza Genelia Deshmukh (née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987), also credited professionally as Genelia, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Telugu cinema, Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil language, Tamil films. Described in the media as one of the ...
in ''
Sachein ''Sachein'' is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by John Mahendran and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. The film stars Vijay in the titular role, alongside Genelia, Bipasha Basu, Vadivelu, Santhanam and Raghuvaran. I ...
'' (2005),
Sadha Sadaf Mohammed Sayed, known professionally as Sadha, is an Indian actress known for her work in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada cinema, as well as Telugu television. She made her film debut with the Telugu film ''Jayam'' (2002), directed by Teja ...
in ''
Anniyan ''Anniyan'' ( ) is a 2005 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language psychological fiction, psychological action thriller film directed by S. Shankar and produced by V. Ravichandran (film producer), V. Ravichandran. The film stars Vikram (actor), V ...
'' (2005) and
Shriya Saran Shriya Saran Bhatnagar ( born 11 September 1982) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil and Hindi films. Although Saran aspired to become a dancer, she became an actress and made her film deb ...
in '' Sivaji: The Boss'' (2007). Later in 2006, she appeared in her biggest project, ''
Varalaru ''Varalaru: History Of Godfather'', or simply known as ''Varalaru'' (), is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action-drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar, and produced by S. S. Chakravarthy under the banner NIC Arts. The film star ...
'', directed again by
K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor who primarily works in Tamil cinema and few Telugu films. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Indian cinema. He has won m ...
, in which she shared screen space with
Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...
. She won plaudits for her role as a
Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...
dancer's wife. After a two-years gap, her most recent Kannada film '' Rajakumari'' opposite
Ravichandran Ravichandran is an Indian name. Notable people with the name include: * Ravichandran (Tamil actor) (1942–2011) * Ravichandran (Tamil film director) (born 1971) * N. Ravichandran (professor) (1955), professor at IIM Ahmedabad * N. Ravichandran, ...
got released, in which she again got to play the female lead role. At the prime of her career, Kanika moved to "
small screen Small means of insignificant size. Small may also refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text Arts and ...
", hosting a couple of TV shows, which she believed were a "refreshing change from movies". She had first hosted the second season of the popular comedy show ''Kalakka Povathu Yaaru'' on
STAR Vijay 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 ...
in 2006, following which she had hosted the popular family based game show ''Mega Thanga Vettai'', the annual ''Chutti Vikatan Children's Quiz Show'' both on Sun TV. Besides, she also played a lead role in the
television serial In television and radio programming, a serial is a show that has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the complete run of t ...
''Thiruvilayadal'' on Sun TV. After her marriage, when she was supposed to bid adieu to the film industry, Kanika returned to
Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
in 2009, with the films ''
Bhagyadevatha ''Bhagyadevatha'' () is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad from a story by Rajesh Jayaraman. It features Jayaram, Kaniha, Innocent, and Narain. Plot Benny Chacko, a cable operator, ...
'', directed by veteran
Sathyan Anthikkad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...
and starring
Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Telugu cinema, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri language films. He is also a chenda ...
and
Narain Narayana (also rendered Narayane, Narayanan, Narain, Narayankar or Narine) (from Sanskrit wikt:नारायण, नारायण, ''nārāyaṇá'', literally "eternal man") is an Indian name. It is identical in form to the name of the deity ...
as well, and ''
Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805), also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah, was the '' de facto'' head of the Kottayam Kingdom in the Malabar region of Kerala between 1774 and 1805. His struggles with the ...
'', directed by reputed director Hariharan and starring
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
,
Sarath Kumar Ramanathan Sarathkumar (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. He has acted in more than 150 films and won two ...
and
Padmapriya Padmapriya (born Padmalochani; died 16 November 1997) was an Indian actress who worked in Kannada, Tamil language, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu language, Telugu films. Her first movie was in Telugu, ''Adapillala Tandri'' (1974). In Kannada, sh ...
among others. While the former one, in which she played the role of a homely Christian girl, was highly successful at the box office, the latter one, a biographical
historical film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction such as ...
, in which she played the role of a queen opposite
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
. Her performance in ''Bhagyadevatha'' led to her winning several awards. Her rising adulation in the Malayalam industry saw her eventually sign laudable roles in the films ''
My Big Father ''My Big Father'' is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Mahesh P. Sreenivasan. The film stars Guinness Pakru, Jayaram and Kanika. It was released in December 2009. The film was produced by P. A. Sebastian and was distributed by ...
'' and '' Christian Brothers'' before she took a maternity break. In 2012, she was seen in the black comedy ''
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
'' and '' Spirit'' followed by the drama thriller ''
Bavuttiyude Namathil ''Bavuttiyude Namathil'' () is a 2012 Malayalam-language drama thriller film produced and written by Ranjith and directed by G. S. Vijayan, starring Mammootty in the title role along with Kavya Madhavan, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Kaniha, Rima Kalli ...
''. She has judged popular
reality shows Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
like ''Sundari Neeyum Sundaran Njaanum'' (2013), on
Asianet Asianet may refer to: JioStar channels * JioStar, is an Indian media conglomerate wholly owned by Disney India. ** Asianet, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel ** Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel ** As ...
. She was starred in ''
Mylanchi Monchulla Veedu ''Mylanchi Monchulla Veedu'' () is a 2014 Malayalam comedy drama film written by Udayakrishna-Siby K. Thomas, directed by Benny Thomas and produced by Haneef Mohammed under the banner of Red Rose Creations. It features actors Jayaram, Asif Ali, ...
'' (2014) opposite
Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Telugu cinema, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri language films. He is also a chenda ...
an later in
Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter and politician who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Tourism since June 2024. He was ele ...
's movie '' Rudra Simhasanam'' (2015) directed by
Shibu Gangadharan Shibu Gangadharan (born 30 April 1972) is an Indian film director. Early life Gangadharan was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; his father was S. Gangadharan Nair and his mother was S. Chandramathi Amma. He was educated at the Karumom UPS ...
. In 2015, she judged ''Uggram Ujjwalam'' a Malayalam reality show on
Mazhavil Manorama Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Malayalam language general entertainment Free-to-air television channel owned by Malayala Manorama. The channel’s headquarters is at Aroor, Alappuzha in Kerala, India. History The channel has been on air sin ...
. She judges ''Grand Magical Circus'' on
Amrita TV Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam-language free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal an ...
. She was starred with
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
in ''
Abrahaminte Santhathikal ''Abrahaminte Santhathikal'' (lit.: Descendants of Abraham) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Shaji Padoor. The film stars Mammootty and Anson Paul in the titular roles, with an ensemble cast of Kaniha, Tarush ...
'' (2018) and '' Mamangam'' (2018). She working with
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
and
Prithviraj Sukumaran Prithviraj Sukumaran (Help:IPA/Malayalam, /pr̩t̪ʰʋiɾaːd͡ʒ/; born 16 October 1982) is an Indian actor, producer, director, and playback singer who primarily works in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Bollywood, Hin ...
in the comedy drama '' Bro Daddy'' (2022). She is best known for her stellar performance in the hit TV serial ''Ethirneechal'' (2022-2024), has once again captivated audiences with her acting versatility. In a lesser-known but significant role, Kaniha made a cameo appearance in director
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
’s much-talked-about film ''
The Greatest of All Time ''The Greatest of All Time'' (also marketed as ''GOAT'') is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in dual roles, alongside Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, ...
'' (2024), starring Vijay.


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Kanika has also featured in print and TV ads of some reputed corporates. Some of them are listed below. * The Chennai Silks * Kalyan Sarees and Jewellers * Rathna Thanga Maligai * Tata Gold Plus * SPP Silks, Erode * Aachi Masala * Seemas Silks * ICL Fincorp *Mahalakshmi Silks * N Style


Personal life

Kanika married Shyam Radhakrishnan, brother of
Jayashree Jayashree is an Indian name. People with the name include: * M. Jayashree, Indian actress * B. Jayashree, Indian actress, director and singer * Jayashree (actress), Indian actress * Jayashree Banerjee (born 1938), a leader of the Bharatiya Janata ...
on 15 June 2008 who works as a US-based software engineer. They have a son Sai Rishi born in November 2010. Initially she had decided to leave the film industry, finishing her career as an actress, and to settle down in the US, stating that she, however, would complete her hitherto signed films. In January 2009 then, Kanika, unexpectedly, announced her comeback with the
Sathyan Anthikkad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...
-directed
Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...
''
Bhagyadevatha ''Bhagyadevatha'' () is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad from a story by Rajesh Jayaraman. It features Jayaram, Kaniha, Innocent, and Narain. Plot Benny Chacko, a cable operator, ...
''.


Filmography


As actress


As dubbing artist


As playback singer


Television


Shows


Serials


Awards and nominations


See also

* List of BITS Pilani alumni


References


External links

*
Kanika's profile
at Nilacharal


Flixster Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanika Living people Indian film actresses Tamil actresses Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani alumni Tamil television actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Tamil playback singers Indian women playback singers Actresses from Madurai Singers from Tamil Nadu Indian voice actresses Women musicians from Tamil Nadu 21st-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian singers Year of birth missing (living people)