Suhasini Maniratnam (; born 15 August 1961) is an Indian actress who works in

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

films.

Early life

Suhasini's paternal cousins

Anu Hasan Anu Haasan (born Anuradha Chandrahasan) is an Indian actress and TV anchor. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed ''Indira (film), Indira'' (1995) and has since appeared in many Tamil films, playing minor roles. She hosted the cele ...

Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and singer who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. One of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, Haasan is the recipient of various accolades, including t ...

and

Akshara Haasan Akshara Haasan (born 12 October 1991) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil language, Tamil and Hindi-language films. The daughter of actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika Thakur, and the younger sister of Shruti Haasan, she made her film de ...

have also since become actors. Suhasini attended the Municipal Elementary School in Paramakudi, before moving to Madras aged 12 to live with her uncle

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 ...

and her grandmother.

Film career

As an actress

Suhasini made her film debut in 1980 with the Tamil movie ''

Nenjathai Killathe ''Nenjathai Killathe'' () is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mahendran. The film stars Suhasini, Sarath Babu, Pratap and Mohan. It focuses on a girl who is torn between the man she loved, and the ma ...

''. For her first movie, she won the

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were first given in 1967 and discontinued after 1970. The awards were g ...

. She was introduced to Malayalam cinema through Padmarajan's ''

Koodevide ''Koodevide?'' () is a 1983 Malayalam-language drama film, written and directed by P. Padmarajan, starring Mammootty, Suhasini Maniratnam, Suhasini, and Rahman (actor), Rahman. The film is based on the Tamil language, Tamil novel ''Moongil Pook ...

'' (1983), which also featured

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, ...

. She appeared in the

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

nominated feature film '' Vanaprastham'' (1999), which starred

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 ...

. She has acted with Vishnuvardhan in ''

Bandhana ''Bandhana'' ( ) is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu from a screenplay by H. V. Subba Rao and Rajendra Singh Babu, based on a novel of the same name by Usha Navaratnanram. The film revolves aroun ...

'' (1984), ''

Suprabhatha ''Suprabhatha'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed, written and filmed by Dinesh Babu, making his debut as a director. The film stars Vishnuvardhan (actor), Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini Maniratnam, Suhasini in lead role ...

'' (1988), '' Muthina Haara'' (1990), ''

Himapatha ''Himapatha'' () is a 1995 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Suhasini and Jaya Prada. The film was widely popular for the songs compo ...

'' (1995), '' Hendithghelthini'' (1998), ''

Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige ''Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige'' (), is a 2007 Kannada-language film directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar starring Vishnuvardhan. The film depicts the challenges faced by the people living in rural areas of India.http://www.rediff.com/movies/ ...

'' (2007) and '' School Master'' (2010). She won the

National Film Award for Best Actress The National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry. ...

for her role in the 1985 Tamil film ''

Sindhu Bhairavi Sindhu Bhairavi may refer to: * Sindhu Bhairavi (raga) Sindhu Bhairavi is a raga in Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, belonging to the Asavari thaat. In Carnatic music it is a Janya raga of the 8th melakartha raga Hanumatodi. The r ...

'', directed by K. Balachander.

As a director

In 1991, Suhasini directed the anthology mini-series '' Penn'' shown on Madras Doordarshan. The series featured eight standalone episodes examining the lives of South Indian women, and starred several of her contemporaries such as

Shobana Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970); known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who works predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. She is ...

Revathi Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi and ...

Radhika Radhika may refer to: * Radha, a Hindu goddess and eternal consort of Krishna * Radhika (given name), an Indian given name * Radhika (Malayalam actress) * Radhika (choreographer), in South Indian films * Kalamandalam Radhika, Indian dancer and ...

and Amala as protagonists. In 1995, she stepped into direction, helming her first film '' Indira''. In November 1997, Suhasini directed a short television film titled ''Swayamvaram'' featuring

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (born 27 November 1975) is an Indian actress, model and singer known for her works in Hindi cinema, South cinema, and television. Early life Suchitra was born on 9 March 1974 in Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Telugu family, H ...

and

Rajiv Menon Rajiv Menon (born 20 April 1963) is an Indian filmmaker who has worked as a director and cinematographer in several Indian regional film industries. After making his breakthrough as a film cinematographer with Mani Ratnam's Tamil drama ''Bombay' ...

. The script had been written by Sujatha and commissioned by Revathi and

Suresh Menon Suresh Menon (born 10 January 1967) is an Indian actor, comedian and television personality. Career Menon has appeared in movies including '' Grand Masti'', '' Phir Hera Pheri'', '' Partner'', '' Fool N Final'', '' Krazzy 4'', '' Deewane Huye ...

. Suhasini directed a segment titled "Coffee, Anyone?" in

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

's '' Putham Pudhu Kaalai'' (2020) and featured in the leading role alongside her cousins

and her mother Komalam.

Other work

Suhasini and her husband

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 ...

have been involved in the running of their

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

Madras Talkies Madras Talkies is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by director Mani Ratnam and his brother G. Srinivasan as partners in 1995. Madras Talkies has actively involved in production of films and television serials, which are d ...

since 1997.

Honorary consul

Suhasini was appointed the honorary consul Of the Grand Duchy Of Luxembourg in 2015. She held the post until 2020.

Goodwill and brand ambassador

Naam Foundation

Suhasini founded Naam Foundation in 2010 with the objective to empower single women.

Personal life

Mani Ratnam and Suhasini At The Vaanam Kottatum Audio Launch

Suhasini married film director

on 26 August 1988 and the couple has a son, Nandan, born in 1992.

Awards

;

National Film Awards 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 ...

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...

– ''

'' (1985) ;

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 ...

* Best Actress – Kannada – ''

Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu ''Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu'' ( ) is a 1983 Indian Kannada language film directed by K. Balachander and produced by Chandulal Jain. It revolves around Kavitha ( Suhasini) who wonders when she will have time to live her own life, as she is too bu ...

'' (1983) * Best Actress – Telugu – '' Swathi'' (1984) * Best Actress – Kannada – ''

'' (1988) * Best Actress – Kannada – '' Muthina Haara'' (1990) ;

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

– ''

Ezhuthapurangal ''Ezhuthapurangal'' is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Sibi Malayil and produced by Mathew George. The film stars Suhasini Maniratnam, Ambika, Parvathy Jayaram and Murali in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Johnso ...

'' (1987) *

– '' Theerthadanam'' (2001) ;

Kerala Film Critics Association Awards The Kerala Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by the Kerala Film Critics Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Malayalam language film industry of India. The awards were instit ...

"കേരള ഫിലിം ക്രിട്ടിക്‌സ് അവാര്‍ഡ് 1977 - 2012"
Kerala Film Critics Association. Retrieved 25 January 2023. *

– ''

'' (1983) ;

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...

– ''

'' (1980) ;

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

– '' Swathi'' (1984) * Best Supporting Actress – ''

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav ''Nuvvu Naaku Nachav'' () is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar who co-wrote the script with Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore under the Sri Sravanthi Movies banner, the fil ...

'' (2001)

Filmography

Order based on number of films that she acted in.

Telugu

Tamil

Malayalam

Kannada

Other language

Television

Web series

References

External links

*
Suhasini
on MFC {{DEFAULTSORT:Suhasini Mani Ratnam Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Tamil-language film directors Indian women film directors Tamil screenwriters Kerala State Film Award winners 1961 births Living people Indian atheists Indian Tamil people Actresses in Tamil cinema Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Filmfare Awards South winners Best Actress National Film Award winners M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute alumni Indian film actresses Nandi Award winners 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Indian women screenwriters Actresses from Chennai Tamil actresses Hindi-language screenwriters 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian writers 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Film directors from Chennai Screenwriters from Chennai Women writers from Tamil Nadu Actresses in Tamil television Actresses in Telugu television Actresses in Kannada cinema Tamil television directors Tamil television producers Tamil television writers