Sruthi Hariharan (born 2 February 1989) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in
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 ...
and
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 ...
films. Sruthi is a recipient of a
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 ...
, three
Filmfare Awards South
The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
and one
Karnataka State Film Awards
Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...
.
Sruthi made her acting debut in the
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 ...
film, ''
Cinema Company
''Cinema Company'' is a 2012 Malayalam-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Mamas K. Chandran, Mamas, and starring mainly newcomers. Basil, Sanjeev M Nair, Shruthi Hariharan and Badri play the roles of four close friends w ...
'' (2012). She had her breakthrough with her
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 ...
debut ''
Lucia'' (2013). Sruthi won the
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
The Karnataka State Film Award for Best 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 film actresses. Since its inception, the award was won ...
and
Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada cinema, Kannada films ''(Sandalwood)''. The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972. The year indicates the year ...
for her performance in ''
Beautiful Manasugalu
''Beautiful Manasugalu'' ( Beautiful Minds) is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language romantic thriller film directed by Jayatheertha and jointly produced by S. Prasanna and S. Shashikala Balaji, the film is produced under Skkandda Entertainment banne ...
'' (2017). The 2018 film ''
Nathicharami
''Nathicharami'' is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language film written by Sandhya Rani, directed by Manjunatha Somashekara Reddy (Mansore) and produced by M. Ramesh, under the banner Tejaswini Enterprises. Jaganmohan Reddy and Shivkumar Reddy are the o ...
'', won her the
National Film Award – Special Mention. Sruthi established herself as a leading actress in Kannada cinema with ''
Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu
''Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu'' () is a 2016 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Hemanth Rao, making his debut, and produced by Pushkara Mallikarjun under Pushkar Films. The film stars Anant Nag and Rakshit Shetty in the lead ro ...
'' (2016), ''
Urvi
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
'' (2016), ''
Upendra Matte Baa
''Upendra Matte Baa'' () is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language supernatural drama film directed by N. Arun Lokanath (Loki). The film stars Upendra in dual roles along with Prema and Sruthi Hariharan. The film, a remake of Telugu-language film ''Sogg ...
'' (2017) and ''
Head Bush'' (2022).
Early life and family
Sruthi Hariharan was born into a
Tamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana in addition to other regions of India. The ...
family in
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
,
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 ...
, and was raised in
Bengaluru
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 ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. She attended school at Sishu Griha Montessori and High School. After her primary and secondary education, she attended
Christ University
Christ University, earlier known as Christ College, is a private deemed-to-be-university located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. On 22 July 2008, It was declared as an institution deemed to be university under section 3 of UGC Act 1956.
Chr ...
and graduated with a
Bachelor of Business Management
Bachelor of Business Management (BBM), sometimes known as a fundamentals in marketing, is an undergraduate program of four years. The BBM degree is designed to teach students the skills necessary to perform leadership roles in the business and cor ...
(BBM). She is trained in
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.< ...
and
contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...
. Apart from her mother tongue, she is also fluent in Kannada, Malayalam, and
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
and can understand
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 ...
.
She became interested in cultural activities when she attended Christ College and became a part of their cultural team. This interest led her into acting in theatre productions.
She joined choreographer Imraan Sardariya's dance troupe, and worked in the Kannada film industry as an assistant choreographer and background dancer.
She was a background dancer for three years and featured in a number of songs.
Career
Sruthi's film career began with Malayalam film, Cinema Company. She acted in two films: ''Thekku Thekkoru Desathu'' and ''Call Me @''.
In Francis's ''Call Me @,'' she played the role of an IT girl, while in Nandu's, ''Thekku Thekkoru Desathu'' she played a journalist. She landed the lead role in the Kannada film ''
Lucia'' by
Pawan Kumar. She played two characters in the film—one of a lower middle-class girl and the other of a film actress—
and
dubbed herself for the first time.
''Lucia'' was critically acclaimed and was later remade in several Indian languages. Sruthi's performance was well-received and she was featured on
Rediff
Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
's Most Impressive Kannada Movie Debuts, 2013 list. Later that year she appeared in another Kannada film ''
Dyavre''. The film received rave reviews from critics. She was offered a role in director
Harsha
Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was an emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajyava ...
's ''
Bhajarangi
''Bhajarangi'' is a 2013 Indian Kannada-language fantasy action film directed by A. Harsha, who co-wrote the script with Nanda Kishore and Shakthi. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Aindrita Ray, Madhu Guruswamy, Rukmini Vijayakumar and Saurav Lo ...
'', featuring Shivraj Kumar in the lead, but she could not commit herself to the film.
In 2014, she was seen as the love interest of Srinagara Kitty's character in Jacob Varghese's road movie ''Savaari 2''. Her next role was in her first Tamil film ''
Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe
''Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language road film written and directed by Lakshmy Ramakrishnan. It features Shabeer Kallarakkal, Piaa Bajpai, and Sruthi Hariharan in the leading roles. The film was released on 31 October ...
'' directed by
Lakshmy Ramakrishnan
Lakshmy Ramakrishnan is an Indian actress and director. She made her debut in the Malayalam film '' Chakkara Muthu'' (2006), and has since appeared primarily in supporting roles in Tamil films.
Personal life
Lakshmy was born and raised in a ...
. Next she acted in
A. P. Arjun's ''
Rhaate'', which she signed to appear in even before the release of ''Lucia''.
Her character in the film was that of a traditional village girl.
In her next feature, she was simultaneously shooting the Kannada film ''
Sipaayi'' directed by Rajath Mayee, and the Tamil independent art film ''Nila''. She has also signed to appear in another Kannada film, ''
Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu'' by
Hemanth Rao, and
Balaji Sakthivel
Balaji Sakthivel is an Indian actor and director of Tamil films. He is best known for directing the 2004 film '' Kaadhal''.
Career
Balaji Sakthivel began his off-screen career as an assistant director to S. Shankar. In 2002, he directed his f ...
's next directorial ''
Ra Ra Rajasekhar
Thirrupathi Brothers is an Indian Tamil film production company owned by brothers N. Subash Chandrabose and N. Lingusamy and was founded in 2006.
History
The first venture of Thirrupathi Brothers was ''Deepavali'', directed by Ezhil with Jaya ...
''.
''Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu'' went on to do very well both critically and at the box office. Her portrayal of Dr. Sahana was well received. She appeared next in ''
Maadha Mathu Manasi'', produced by
Mano Murthy
Mano Murthy is an Indian musician and composer in the Kannada film industry. His is best known for his songs in '' Mungaru Male'', one of the biggest hits in the Kannada industry.
Before moving onto becoming a composer, he was an entrepreneur, ...
. She achieved further success in the Kannada film industry through her performance in director
B.S. Pradeep Varma's ''
Urvi
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
'', followed by ''
Beautiful Manasugalu
''Beautiful Manasugalu'' ( Beautiful Minds) is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language romantic thriller film directed by Jayatheertha and jointly produced by S. Prasanna and S. Shashikala Balaji, the film is produced under Skkandda Entertainment banne ...
''. She struck a balance between commercial and performance-oriented roles by featuring in films of diverse genres.
She next appeared in the Kannada multi-starrer ''
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 which she played the role of a bedridden patient, ailing from psoriasis. After featuring in the bilingual film ''Vismaya''(Kannada) which was titled ''
Nibunan
''Nibunan'' () is a 2017 Indian action thriller film co-produced and directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. The film stars Arjun Sarja in his 150th film, alongside Prasanna, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Sruthi Hariharan, and Vaibhav Reddy. The music was com ...
'' in Tamil, she followed it up with the box office success ''
Tarak'', opposite Kannada actor
Darshan
Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to:
Ceremony and religion
* Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy
* Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...
. The Telugu version of ''Vismaya'', titled ''Kurukshetra'' is yet to be released.
Continuing her foray into the Tamil and Malayalam film industries, she was part of Bejoy Nambiar's film ''
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity
* Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character
* Napoleon Solo, fr ...
'', opposite actor Dulquer Salmaan. Later she acted in a Kannada film ''Upendra Mathe Baa'' with veterans Upendra and Prema. As part of the new wave in Kannada films, she acted in ''
Humble Politician Nograj
''Humble Politiciann Nograj'' is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language satire comedy film written and directed by Saad Khan. The film stars Danish Sait, who plays the title character of Nograj, a narcissistic politician. The film was produced by Pushka ...
'' with
Danish Sait
Danish Sait (born 1 July 1988) is an Indian comedian, television host, and film actor who prominently works in Kannada cinema.
Career
Danish Sait worked as a radio jockey for ''Supari'' on Fever 104 FM in 2013. On the channel, he made several ...
and
Sumukhi Suresh
Sumukhi Suresh is an Indian actor, stand-up comedian, writer and director. She is known for humorous sketches which she writes and performs in. In an online article, Hindustan Times referred to Sumukhi Suresh as "India's Tina Fey." She has been ...
in which she played a supporting role, and was unanimously praised for playing such a character when her career was at a peak. She later acted in National award-winning director Mansore's ''Nathicharami'' opposite
Sanchari Vijay
Vijay Kumar Basavarajaiah (17 July 1983 – 15 June 2021), known by his stage name Sanchari Vijay, was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada cinema. He began his career as a stage actor. He trained on stage from Sanchari Theatre, a cul ...
for which she gained great critical acclaim. The film publication ''Karthik Kermanu'' wrote "There isn't a better actor than Sruthi to bring grace and seriousness to a character that throws light on the sexual needs of single women in urban middle-class societies. Whenever her face swims in the drudgery of everydayness, you feel her!” Keyur Seta of ''Cinestaan'' said "Hers is a simple subtle and a FLAWLESS Performance!" She starred in the film ''
Aadyaa
''Aadya'' is a 2020 Indian Kannada thriller film directed by K. M. Chaitanya. It stars Chiranjeevi Sarja Sruthi Hariharan, and Sangeetha Bhat in the lead roles. The supporting cast includes Ravishankar Gowda and Shashank Purushotham.The scor ...
'' in 2020 with
Chiranjeevi Sarja
Chiranjeevi Sarja (17 October 1980 - 7 June 2020) was an Indian film actor who appeared in Kannada films. Hailing from a family of actors, Sarja acted in more than 20 films in a career spanning 11 years.
Early life and family
Sarja was born ...
.
Controversy
In October 2018, Sruthi accused
Arjun Sarja
Srinivasa Sarja (born 15 August 1962), better known by his stage name Action King Arjun, is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has mainly acted in Tamil cinema, Tamil films in addition to Telugu ...
of sexual misconduct on the set of the 2016
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
film
Nibunan
''Nibunan'' () is a 2017 Indian action thriller film co-produced and directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. The film stars Arjun Sarja in his 150th film, alongside Prasanna, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Sruthi Hariharan, and Vaibhav Reddy. The music was com ...
and filed a sexual harassment case with the police against him.
Arjun Sarja filed a defamation case of Rs 5 crore against her for accusing him of sexual misconduct. To her allegations, Arjun responded, "I am saddened by the allegations and I don't know how I can correct this. I will definitely file a case. I will speak about improving the shots and dialogues but I don't have the cheap mentality of using this profession to touch women inappropriately."
A few months after the MeToo fallout, Sruthi told ''The News Minute'' that while she used to get plenty of offers before, she hardly gets any now.
Media image
Sruthi appeared in ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
s "Top 5 Kannada Actress" and "Best Kannada Debuts" list of 2013. She was placed fourth and second respectively. In the
Bangalore Times Most Desirable Women list, she was placed 18th in 2016 and 20th in 2019. Her performance in ''Nathicharami'', is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by ''
Film Companion
Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...
''.
Personal life
In 2017, Shruthi married Raam Kumar, who is a martial artist and trainer and they have a daughter.
Filmography
Films
Web Series
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hariharan, Sruthi
1989 births
Living people
Indian film actresses
Actresses from Thiruvananthapuram
Tamil actresses
21st-century Indian actresses
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses from Bengaluru
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners
Christ University alumni