Meera Jasmine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meera Jasmine
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| Born |
Jasmine Mary Joseph
15 February 1982 Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
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| Occupation | Film actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse(s) |
John Titus
(m. 2014) |
| Awards | National Film Award for Best Actress Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress |
| Honours | Kalaimamani (2009) |
Jasmine Mary Joseph, known as Meera Jasmine, is a famous Indian actress. She mostly acts in movies made in the Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada languages. Meera Jasmine started her acting journey in 2001 with a film called Soothradharan.
She quickly became one of the most successful actresses of the 2000s. She starred in many movies that were popular and also praised by critics. In 2004, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam. She has also won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress twice and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. The Government of Tamil Nadu also honored her with the Kalaimamani award.
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Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Meera Jasmine was born on February 15, 1982, in a village called Kuttapuzha in Thiruvalla, Kerala. Her parents are Joseph and Aleyamma. She is the fourth of five children. She has two sisters, Jiby Sara Joseph and Jeny Susan Joseph (who also acted in films), and two brothers. One of her brothers, George, worked as an assistant cinematographer.
She went to school at Bala Vihar and Marthoma Residential School in Thiruvalla. After finishing school, she started studying Zoology at Assumption College in Changanassery. She had only been there for about three months when a director named Blessy saw her. Blessy was an assistant director to Lohithadas at the time. He offered her a role in the movie Soothradharan.
Meera had always wanted to become a doctor and never thought about acting. She shared that she was just an ordinary girl and had never even acted in school plays. She felt she wasn't artistic, couldn't dance, and didn't see herself as beautiful. She considers Lohithadas like a father and a teacher because he gave her the chance to start in films with Soothradharan.
Acting Career Highlights
Meera Jasmine's acting career began in Malayalam cinema. She later became very popular in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films too.
Malayalam Film Success
Her first Malayalam film was Soothradharan. Her second film, Gramophone, was directed by Kamal. In this movie, she played a Jewish girl, and critics really liked her performance. Her third film, Swapnakkoodu, was a romantic comedy. Her acting in this film was praised, and the movie was a big hit.
Meera became very well-known in Malayalam cinema with the film Kasthooriman, directed by her mentor Lohithadas. She played a cheerful but emotional character and won her first Filmfare award for it. The movie was a big success, playing in theaters for 100 days. In the same year, she acted in T. V. Chandran's acclaimed film Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam. She played a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was forced to marry an older man. For this powerful role, she won a State Award and the National Award. After that, she played Raziya in Perumazhakkalam alongside Kavya Madhavan.
In 2005, she played the sweet character Achu in Achuvinte Amma. She then starred with Mohanlal in Rasathanthram (2006). In the first half of the film, she played a girl pretending to be a boy because of difficult situations. This film also became a commercial success. Her next film with Dileep was Vinodayathra, again directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. She then appeared opposite Mammootty in the highly praised film Ore Kadal. This movie was shown at film festivals and won awards. Her performance as an innocent middle-class woman was highly praised. Critics said she matched the "megastar" Mammootty with her amazing acting. Her next film was Calcutta News with Dileep, directed by Blessy, who first introduced her to films. Later, she played a singer in Rajeev Anchal's Paattinte Palazhy.
After a short break, she started taking on more films in late 2012. She chose roles that focused on strong female characters. In Babu Janardhanan's Lisammayude Veedu, she played a character who was a victim of repeated attacks. She also acted with Mohanlal in Siddique's comedy film Ladies and Gentleman. Her film Ms. Lekha Tharoor Kanunnathu was a fantasy movie. In 2014, she starred with Jayaram in Onnum Mindathe, a family film. She also signed up for Ithinumappuram, a historical film set in the 1970s. In this movie, she played a traditional rich woman who falls in love with someone from a lower social group and marries him against her parents' wishes.
She also acted in Mazhaneerthullikal, but the movie was not released. In 2016, she co-starred in the crime thriller 10 Kalpanakal. While this film wasn't a big hit in theaters, critics loved it for its story, direction, and acting.
In 2018, Meera made a brief return with a guest appearance in Poomaram. After another long break, in 2022, Meera worked with Sathyan Anthikad again for the family entertainer Makal, alongside Jayaram. The film received good reviews, and Meera was praised for her subtle acting.
Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada Films
Meera Jasmine's first Tamil film was Run, directed by Lingusamy. This movie was a huge success in Tamil Nadu and made her a very popular actress there. The success of Run allowed her to work with well-known actors in the Tamil film industry. Even though her next few films weren't as successful, director Mani Ratnam noticed her and gave her a role in Aayutha Ezhuthu. She later appeared in N. Lingusamy's Sandakozhi and SS Stanley's Mercury Pookkal. Her last Tamil film, Mambattiyan, was released in December 2011.
Meera Jasmine also became well-known in the Telugu film industry with Run, which was dubbed into Telugu. In 2004, she appeared in Telugu films like Ammayi Bagundi and Gudumba Shankar. She also started acting in Kannada cinema, starring with Puneet Rajkumar in Maurya. Her Kannada film Arasu, again with Puneet Rajkumar and Ramya, was a hit. Her other Kannada films include Devaru Kotta Thangi and Ijjodu. In Ijjodu, she played Chenni, a Basavi woman. This film was shown at several important film festivals and received critical praise.
Meera Jasmine's biggest commercial success in Telugu cinema is Bhadra with Ravi Teja. Her other Telugu films include Raraju, Maharadhi, Yamagola Malli Modalayindi, Gorintaku, and Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu.
Personal Life
Meera Jasmine married Anil John Titus on February 9, 2014. Anil works as an engineer in Dubai.
Awards and Recognitions
Meera Jasmine has won many awards for her acting. Here are some of her notable achievements:
- National Film Awards: She won Best Actress in 2004 for Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam.
- Kerala State Film Awards: She won Best Actress twice, in 2004 for Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam and Kasthuri Maan, and in 2007 for Ore Kadal.
- Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: She received a Special Prize in 2005 for Kasthuri Maan.
- Kalaimamani: The Tamil Nadu Government honored her with this award in 2009 for her contributions to Tamil Cinema.
- Filmfare Awards South: She won Best Actress (Malayalam) three times: in 2006 for Achuvinte Amma, in 2007 for Kasthoorimann, and in 2008 for Ore Kadal.
- Asianet Film Awards: She won Best Actress multiple times, including in 2003 for Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, 2004 for Perumazhakkalam, 2005 for Achuvinte Amma, and 2007 for Ore Kadal.
She also received awards like the Bharathan Award for Best Female Debut Actor for Soothradharan in 2001 and the Dinakaran Award for Best Female Debut for Run in 2002.
