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Meena (actress)

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Meena (actress)

Meena Sagar (née Durairaj, born 16 September 1976), credited as Meena, is an Indian actress known for her works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films in addition to a few Kannada and Hindi films. Widely regarded as one of South Indian cinema's most successful and accomplished actresses, Meena is known for natural acting, express eyes and successful collaborations with superstars. She became one of the most sought after actresses in the South Indian film industry in the '90s. She has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Nandi Awards and two Cinema Express Awards. In 1998, she was honoured with the Kalaimamani Award by Government of Tamil Nadu.

Starting her career as a child artist, Meena's first appearance was in the Tamil film, Nenjangal (1982). She rose to fame as a child actor through the films Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984), Illalu Priyuralu (1984), Manasariyathe (1984) and Lakshmi Vanthachu (1986). Her first notable leading role came at 15, with Kasthuri Raja's Tamil film, En Rasavin Manasile (1991), which emerged as a highly successful film. The same year gave Meena her biggest breakthrough in Telugu cinema with the social drama, Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu and its Malayalam remake, Sandhwanam. The former fetched her numerous awards including the Cinema Express Award. She went on to win numerous State awards for her performances in Rajeswari Kalyanam (1992) and Yejaman (1993). Her successful collaborations resulted in several commercial blockbusters throughout the 1990s and early 2000s with the films including Muta Mesthri (1993), Allari Alludu (1993), Sethupathi IPS (1994), Veera (1994), Nattamai (1994), Putnanja (1995), Muthu (1995), Avvai Shanmugi (1996), Muddula Mogudu (1997), Suryavamsam (1998), Friends (1999), Sneham Kosam (1999) and Vaanathai Pola (2000). Her role was critically acclaimed in films such as Bharathi Kannamma (1997), Varnapakittu (1997), Porkkaalam (1997), Rhythm (2000), Citizen (2001), Swathi Muthu (2003) and Vengamamba (2009). Her highest grossing films include Drishyam film series (2013, 2021) and Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (2017).

Apart from acting, Meena has worked as a playback singer, TV show judge, and voice artist. She is also a classical dancer.

Meena was born on 16 September 1976 and was brought up in Chennai (then Madras), Tamil Nadu. Her mother Rajamallika is from Kannur district of Kerala.

Meena started her career in 1982 as a child artist in the film Nenjangal, featuring Sivaji Ganesan in the lead role after he saw her at a birthday party. She has acted in several films along with Ganesan as a child artist. She has acted with Rajinikanth in two movies namely Enkeyo Ketta Kural and Anbulla Rajinikanth as a child artist. She appeared in over 45 films as a child.

Meena is regarded as one of the most successful actresses in South Indian cinema and has been part of several popular on-screen pairings with leading actors across multiple languages.

She began her acting career with her Telugu debut opposite Rajendra Prasad in Navayugam (1990). In the same year, she made her Tamil debut as a heroine in Oru Pudhiya Kathai. Her major breakthrough came with the Tamil film En Rasavin Manasile (1991), directed by Kasthuri Raja, in which she starred opposite Rajkiran. Her portrayal of the character Solaiyamma received widespread appreciation and established her popularity. The film was later remade in Telugu as Moratodu Naa Mogudu (1992), with Meena reprising her role. Meena entered the Malayalam film industry with Santhwanam (1991), where she played the daughter of Suresh Gopi’s character. The film’s success led to further opportunities with senior Malayalam actors.

In Telugu cinema, she gained further recognition with Chanti (1992), opposite Venkatesh. The film was a major commercial success, and Meena received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. In the same year, she made her Hindi film debut opposite Chunky Pandey in Parda Hai Parda (1992). She went on to appear in several Telugu films in quick succession, including Allari Pilla (1992), directed by Kodi Ramakrishna; Allari Mogudu (1992) and Sundarakanda (1992), both directed by K. Raghavendra Rao; and President Gari Pellam (1992), opposite Nagarjuna and directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy.

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