Niveditha, formerly known and credited as Smitha, is an Indian actress, who predominantly appears in Kannada films. She attracted notable attention with her performance in the film ''
Avva'' (2008) that fetched her the
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language films.
Superlative Winners
Award winners
The ...
.
['I Have made a ground' – Smitha]
/ref>[A kiss & a slap are the same: Nivedita - The Times of India]
/ref>
Early life
[Niveditha's all for love - The Times of India]
/ref> Her father Jagadish worked as a deputy commissioner of commercial taxes, her mother Lakshmi is a housewife.
/ref> She did her schooling in chikmagalur
Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru, ), previously known as ''Kiriya-Muguli'' is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri, Mullayanagiri peak of the We ...
;[Sandalwood actor was an unapologetic tomboy – The New Indian Express]
/ref> later she studied at the Marimallappa High School and completed her PUC at the Marimallappa Pre-University College in Mysore
Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
, both part of Marimallappa's Educational Institutions. As a student, Smitha, who described herself as a tomboy
A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men.
Origins
The w ...
, was also an NCC cadet. After graduating as an engineering student from the CMRIT College, Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, she went on to work at the software company Infosys
Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational corporation, multinational technology company that offers business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. Founded in 1981 in Pune, the company is headquartered in Bengaluru.
On ...
for a year. She quit the job to pursue an acting career; when she was offered a role, she first joined actor Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than 540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema, Kher is recipient of two Na ...
's acting school, Actor Prepares and took a crash course.
Career
Smitha was first signed on for a role in the film ''Akasha Gange'' by Dinesh Baboo
Dinesh Baboo (also known as Dinesh Babu) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, actor and screenwriter who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 40 films, filmed more than 20 fil ...
, however as the film got delayed, several films she had signed later, including '' Kallarali Hoovagi'', ''Sixer'', ''Mathad Mathadu Mallige'' and '' Avva'' released before. Among her early releases, the Kavita Lankesh-directed ''Avva'' remains her most notable. The film particularly made headlines for a kissing scene featuring her and her co-star Duniya Vijay
}
B. R. Vijay Kumar, professionally known as Duniya Vijay and Duniya Viji, is an Indian actor and film director known for his work in Kannada films. As an actor, he began his career playing small roles until he got his big break in '' Duniya'' ...
. Her performance in the film earned her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language films.
Superlative Winners
Award winners
The ...
. Although completed in July 2006, ''Akasha Gange'' released only in July 2008 and eventually became her sixth release. As she got no offers in Kannada cinema subsequently, she moved on to work in the Tamil film industry. '' Porkkalam'' directed by newcomer Bandi Sarojkumar was her first Tamil film, which was panned by critics upon release.
Smitha then changed her screen name to Niveditha, according to numerology
Numerology (known before the 20th century as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, ...
as advised by her well-wishers, when she did not receive the offers she was looking for.['Success matters a lot in Kannada films']
/ref> The first release after her name change was her second Tamil film '' Kathai'' (2010). During the period, she had reportedly secured a lead role in National Film Award
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
-winning director Bala
Bala may refer to:
Films
* ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary
* ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film
* ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy
Life forms
*Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...
's '' Avan Ivan''; however the character was eventually portrayed by Madhu Shalini
Madhu Shalini is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil and Hindi films. She won the title of Miss Andhra Pradesh in 2005. She hosted a television show ''Premakathalu'' after winni ...
. ''9 To 12'' (2011) starring Kishore
Kishore () may refer to:
* Kishore (name), an Indian given name and surname
* '' Captain Kishore'', a 1940 Bollywood film
* '' K for Kishore'', a 2007–2008 Indian television singing contest
* '' Kishore Bangla'', Bengali-language juvenile week ...
who she previously had co-starred with in ''Porkkalam'', became her first release in Kannada after ''Akasha Gange'' in 2008; it opened to negative reception. Her first release in 2012 saw her enacting the title role, a Lambani girl, in '' Parie'', based on the award-winning Kannada novel ''Bharadwaj''. Her next release was '' Kiladi Kitty'' alongside Srinagar Kitty
Krishna (born 8 July 1977) known by his stage name Srinagara Kitty, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Kannada cinema, Kannada television series and films. He started off as a child artist working in a host of television serialized dram ...
and Haripriya
Shruthi Chandrasena (born 29 October 1991), known professionally as Hariprriya, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Kannada films also appeared in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, and Malayalam films. Hariprr ...
, with Niveditha lamenting after the release that her role had been cut short.Niveditha gets short-changed - The Times of India
/ref> Her upcoming films include ''Nimbe Huli'', '' Gowri Putra'' and the long-delayed ''Dheena''.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Living people
Kannada actresses
Indian film actresses
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Year of birth missing (living people)
Actresses from Karnataka
21st-century Indian actresses
People from Chikmagalur district