Nithya Menen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nithya Menen
Nithya in 2023
Born	Nithya N.S (1990-04-08) 8 April 1990 (age 35) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Other names	Nithya
Education	Mount Carmel College Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Occupation	Actress playback singer
Years active	1998–2002 (child artist); 2006‍–‍present
Awards	Full list

N. S. Nithya (born 8 April 1990), known professionally as Nithya Menen is an Indian actress and singer who works predominantly in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Having appeared in over 59 films, she is noted for her strong portrayals. Menen is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards South, two South Indian International Movie Awards and two Nandi Awards.

Menen started her career as a child artist, in the French-Indian English film, Hanuman (1998), playing the younger sister to Tabu's character. She made her screen debut with the Kannada film 7 O' Clock (2006). The 2011 romance film Ala Modalaindi, proved to be her breakthrough and won her Nandi Award for Best Actress. Menen received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for her portrayal in Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde (2013). Further success in Telugu films came with Ishq (2012), Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju (2015), which earned her Filmfare Critics Best Actress – Telugu and her second Nandi Award, Rudhramadevi (2015), Janatha Garage (2016) and Bheemla Nayak (2022).

Menen established herself as a leading South Indian actress with the Tamil romantic film O Kadhal Kanmani (2015), winning the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Tamil. She went onto appear in such commercially successful films — the Malayalam films Ustad Hotel (2012), Bangalore Days (2014) and 100 Days of Love (2015), and the Tamil films Kanchana 2 (2015), 24 (2016), Mersal (2017) and Thiruchitrambalam (2022). Mersal earned her Filmfare Best Supporting Actress – Tamil, while Thiruchitrambalam earned her Filmfare Critics Best Actress – Tamil and National Film Award for Best Actress. Menen ventured into Hindi films with the science drama Mission Mangal (2019), which remains her highest-grossing release.

Menen appeared as a Judge for Telugu Indian Idol in 2022. She has since been part of web series, Breathe: Into the Shadows (2020-2022), Modern Love Hyderabad (2022) and Kumari Srimathi (2023).

Early life

Nithya Menen was born on 8 April 1990 in Bangalore to father Sukumar and mother Nalini. Her parents belonged to second-generation Malayali families settled in Bangalore. She was educated at Poorna Prajna School and Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

She has said that she initially wished to become a pilot, but ultimately found pilot unappealing, so she pivoted to filmmaking. During the school's entrance exam, she met B. V. Nandini Reddy, who convinced Menen to take up acting. Nithya is a polyglot and can speak six languages including Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English. She claims the surname "Menen" was made up by the actress as she felt it "helps with her passport during travel".

Career

Child artist and early adult roles (1998-2010)

In 1998, Menen appeared first on-screen as a child in a French-Indian English film named Hanuman, at the age of 8, playing younger sister to Tabu's character. She also was a part of the Hindi-language soap opera Choti Maa – Ek Anokha Bandhan , which was aired during 2001-2002 .

In 2006, at the age of 15, she played a supporting role in the Kannada film 7 O' Clock. The 2008 off-beat film Aakasha Gopuram, directed by K. P. Kumaran, marked her film career in Malayalam in a leading role, in which she was paired with Mohanlal. She was in the midst of her 12th class exams when she was offered the role, after Mohanlal had spotted her on the front cover of a tourism magazine, Stark World Kerala. Her performance was well received, with critics writing that she shows "sparkle in her debut venture" and "makes her entry in an impressive role", though the film was a financial failure.

She next made a comeback into Kannada films with the film Josh, in 2009. The film received rave reviews, and became a commercial success as well, with her performance garnering her a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 57th Filmfare Awards South. The same year she appeared in Vellathooval, Angel John and Kerala Cafe. She received positive reviews for the lattermost. In 2010, she starred in the Malayalam films, Anwar and Apoorvaragam where she plays Nancy, a young girl who gets involved with two male students (Nishan and Asif Ali) who are later discovered to be con-artists. The film received mixed to negative reviews, but became a hit at the box office.

Telugu debut and breakthrough (2011–2012)

Nithya in 2011

Menen's career marked a turning point in 2011, with the romantic comedy Ala Modalaindi, which was her maiden Telugu venture. The film opened to favourable reviews by critics and turned out to become a sleeper hit, while Menen received critical praise for her performance. Idlebrain's Jeevi in his review cited that she "epitomized Nitya character with her fabulous performance", "looks beautiful in all kinds of dresses" and was "the best debut in recent years of Telugu cinema after Samantha in YMC", while another critic wrote that she was a "charming find" and "...quite the Genelia replacement that our cinema so badly needs right now." She eventually won the Nandi Award for Best Actress for her performance and received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Further more, she also sang two songs for the soundtrack album of the film, tuned by Kalyani Malik. Nandini Reddy, later, went on to describe Menen as "the discovery of the decade".

Following Ala Modalaindi, she starred in Santosh Sivan's historical fiction Urumi as part of an ensemble cast. She portrayed a Chirakkal princess named Bala, playing the love interest of Prabhu Deva's character, which gained positive remarks, with a Sify review claiming that she "looks pretty and is a scene stealer". Menen quoted that much of her character was based on "Santosh's perception of who I am", with Sivan stating that he had written that role for her and that only she could play it. She received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 59th Filmfare Awards South She next appeared in ad-filmmaker Jayendra's bilingual venture Nootrenbadhu, which was made and released in Tamil and Telugu (as 180), in which she played a photo journalist named Vidya. She described the character as "bubbly, full of life, nosey, wide-eyed and innocent in life" and to be similar to herself. Later the year, she was seen in Sibi Malayil's Violin in Malayalam and the Gautham Vasudev Menon-produced Veppam in Tamil. She also featured in V. K. Prakash's Kannada anthology film Aidondla Aidu where she played a young bride who is obsessed with making payasam for her new husband much to his chagrin. She had sung and also choreographed one of the songs, titled "Payasa".

Menen's first 2012 release was the Telugu romance film Ishq with Nithiin. She received the CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Critics, for this film which was a commercial success. News18 praised her portrayal and her chemistry with Nithin. She was later seen in five Malayalam films: Karmayogi, V. K. Prakash's Malayalam adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet co-starring Indrajith Sukumaran, Poppins, the Malayalam remake of Aidondla Aidu in which she reprised her role from the original and sang the Malayalam version of "Payasa", T. K. Rajeev Kumar's Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty, in which she portrayed a village woman whose daily life is filmed and broadcast as a reality show for a month, Amal Neerad's Bachelor Party in which she played Asif Ali's wife and young mother to their baby and Ustad Hotel directed by Anwar Rasheed where she paired up for the first time with Dulquer Salmaan. In Ustad Hotel, she played a headstrong girl, who gets in a forced marriage. Rediff.com stated, "Nithiya gets a meaty role as her character is well etched." Most of these films became a major commercial success, solidifying Menen's career.

Further work and continuous success (2013–2015)

In 2013, she starred in three Telugu and one Kannada film. She first appeared in Okkadine with Nara Rohit and in Jabardasth with Siddharth and Samantha. Menen received praises for playing the titular role of a physically challenged girl in Mynaa. The film was successful and completed 100 days in many centers across Karnataka. Her performance was well praised by the critics. She also sang the female version of "Modele Maleyante" which was well received.

Menen won rave reviews and her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for playing a character with two shades in Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde opposite Nithin. It was a huge box office success. Times of India noted, "Nithya Menen takes the honors as far as acting goes. She has the author backed role and overshadows everyone else." 123telugu termed her "the undisputed star of the film" and added that she "shines through brilliantly and her performance is a treat to watch". In 2014, she played the lead in Malini 22 Palayamkottai. Menen then played a cameo in the successful film Bangalore Days alongside Fahadh Faasil. Sify wrote, "Nithya Menen has a limited role to play, but she suit her role perfectly."

Menen starred in numerous films which gave her more critical and commercial recognition. In her first film of the year, she appeared opposite Sharwanand for, Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju. She played a young Muslim student in love with a Hindu. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu and Nandi Special Jury Award, for her performance. With this Menen became the first Telugu actress ever to win Critics Award & the Best Actress Award at Filmfare. News18 noted, "Nithya changed looks and body language in each stage is impressive. She starts as a girl and ends as a woman. Her performance is worth commending." She then appeared in JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai and S/O Satyamurthy directed by Trivikram Srinivas. Menen then played opposite Dulquer Salmaan in 100 Days of Love. The New Indian Express said she gave a "decent performance". All the three films were box office success.

Menen achieved further acclaim with three more films in 2015. She played a crippled girl alongside Raghava Lawrence in his directorial Kanchana 2, a successful film. The critics termed her performance "crucial" and "effective". Menen received immense praises for the a romantic film O Kadhal Kanmani, directed by Mani Ratnam. She played an architectural student Tara, opposite Dulquer Salmaan. Dulquer and Menen's on-screen chemistry was praised and she garnered her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil nomination. The film became a financial success at the box office. Firstpost noted, " Menen is an exceptional actor and has delivered a very realistic performance." It further praised her chemistry with Salmaan and added, "They're perfect as the couple and the credit goes to the director for capturing the chemistry between them in simple ways." She played princess Muktamba in Rudhramadevi with Anushka Shetty, her final film of the year. The Hindu stated, "Nithya Menen shows that she can leave an imprint on any character she plays. She is an endearing addition to this film."

Established actress and acclaim (2016–2021)

By 2016, Menen established herself as a leading actress. She starred in three Tamil films in 2016. Beginning the year was 24 where she was paired opposite Suriya for the first time. The film was opened to high critical acclaim, Deccan Chronicle wrote, "Nithya Menen shines in her role." Her screen presence and garnered her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil nomination. She played the main heroine in K. S. Ravikumar's bilingual project titled Kotigobba 2 opposite Sudeep. Towards the end of the year, she starred alongside Vikram in science-fiction thriller Iru Mugan and received praises for her limited role. In Telugu, she starred in two films, Okka Ammayi Thappa opposite Sundeep Kishan and Janatha Garage opposite Jr. NTR. All of her films proved commercial success.

Her only release in 2017 was the Tamil film Mersal opposite Vijay, where she was praised for her role as a tough yet supportive wife, Firstpost noted, "Among the three actresses, it is Nithya Menen who makes an impression with her competent performance." The film garnered her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil at 65th Filmfare Awards South and was a huge box office success. She had two Telugu films in 2018. Menen played a lesbian psychiatrist in Awe, that received highly positive reviews. She became the first mainstream South Indian actress to play an LGBTQ character. The Hindu stated that Menen "shine through", giving her all to character that "don't come by often". She next had a cameo in Geetha Govindam.

Nithya at Mission Mangal trailer launch

Menen played actress Savitri in her first film of 2019, NTR: Kathanayakudu. She reunited with V. K. Prakash in the experimental film Praana which also marks her comeback to Malayalam industry after 2015. She played an English writer who battles intolerance in society and is the sole actor in the film. The News Minute praised the actor and said, "Nithya displays the right emotions as Thara. Remember it's just her, and one person makes so much of an impact. Nithya carries it off all so effortlessly." Menen made her Hindi film debut with the highly successful film Mission Mangal, playing a satellite engineer. Bollywood Hungama noted that Menen has a smaller role but "it serves as a great debut". NDTV said that as the staid and steady Varsha Pillai, Nithya Menen is "delightfully good".

In 2020, Menen starred alongside Udhayanidhi Stalin in Mysskin's Psycho, where she played Kamala Das, a foul-mouthed quadriplegic ex-police officer. The same year, she made her OTT debut in the Amazon Prime series Breathe: Into the Shadows alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Amit Sadh, for which she received her first nomination for Best Actor (Female) in a Drama Series at the Filmfare OTT Awards.

Menen starred in three Telugu films in 2021. She played a spirit named Maya in Ninnila Ninnila with Ashok Selvan and Ritu Varma. Firstpost wrote, "The big surprise in the film is Nithya whose impishness in the story is unlike anything else that she has portrayed over the years, and her on-screen chemistry with Selvan is a delight." Her next film Skylab, marked her first film as a producer. She played a singer in her year's final film Gamanam.

Career progression (2022–present)

Menen had four film and two web releases in 2022. She starred in Bheemla Nayak opposite Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati, the film was a box office success. Ram Venkat Srikar stated, "Nithya's Suguna, surprisingly gets a few memorable moments, and she brings a certain level of warmness to Bheemla whenever she is on screen." She appeared in the series Modern Love Hyderabad, where Saibal Chatterjee termed her performance "luminous". Next, she played an unnamed lady in 19(1)(a) alongside Vijay Sethupathi. In an interview, Menen termed it her career-best performance, alongside OK Kanmani. Following this, Menen reprised her role in the second season of Breathe: Into the Shadows, opposite Abhishek Bachchan.

Menen received rave reviews for the romantic drama Thiruchitrambalam opposite Dhanush, where she played his childhood friend Shobana. It became a critical and commercial success. Haricharan Pudipeddi noted, "Nithya has always shied away from playing the quintessential heroine. She's phenomenal in the film, playing a key character that she nails to perfection." Janani K stated, "If you give Nithya a meaty character, everyone else can sit back and admire her living the role with full of zest." Her performance won her the National Film Award for Best Actress (tied with Mansi Parekh for Kutch Express). Menen then played a pregnant women in her final film of the year, Wonder Women. Wonder Woman was filmed before Thiruchitrambalam.

Menen appeared in Kolaambi, her first film of 2023, which she termed among her "all time favourite". Kolambi was screened at the 50th International Film Festival of India in Goa (2019). Later that year, Menen played the lead in two more series. First she played a restaurant worker in Kumari Srimathi, with Vinamra Mathur calling her performance "lively, spunky and vibrant". Masterpeace was her last release that year, where she played a girl in a modern relationship. Sajin Shriijth of Cinema Express termed her work "decent".

With no release in 2024, Menen started 2025 with Kadhalikka Neramillai, where she played an architect and single mother opposite Ravi Mohan. Avinash Ramachandran called her "terrific" and added, "Menen is at the centre of the narrative. She is excellent as a woman who wants to live life on her own terms."

Filmography

Films

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

List of Nithya Menen film credits

Year	Title	Role	Language	Notes
1998	Hanuman	Munna	English	Child artist
2006	7 O' Clock	Anu	Kannada	credited as Nithya
2008	Aakasha Gopuram	Hilda Varghese	Malayalam	credited as Nithya
2009	Josh	Meera	Kannada	credited as Nithya
	Vellathooval	Jiya George	Malayalam	credited as Nithya
	Kerala Cafe	Nithya		credited as Nithya
	Angel John	Sofia
2010	Apoorvaragam	Nancy
	Anwar	Asna
2011	Ala Modalaindi	Nithya	Telugu
	Urumi	Chirakkal Bala/ Daisy da Cunha	Malayalam
	Nootrenbadhu/ 180	D. Vidya Lakshmi	Tamil	Bilingual film
			Telugu
	Violin	Angel	Malayalam
	Veppam	Revathy	Tamil
	Aidondla Aidu	Gowri	Kannada	Segment: "Payasa"
	Makaramanju	Malayali Penkutty	Malayalam
2012	Ishq	Priya	Telugu
	Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty	Manjula Ayyapan	Malayalam
	Karmayogi	Moonumani
	Doctor Innocentanu	Anna		Special appearance
	Bachelor Party	Neethu
	Ustad Hotel	Shahana
	Poppins	Ammu		Anthology film
2013	Okkadine	Shailaja	Telugu
	Jabardasth	Saraswati
	Myna	Myna	Kannada
	Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde	Shravani / Bangaram	Telugu
2014	Malini 22 Palayamkottai	Malini	Tamil
	Appavin Meesai	Sunanda		Unreleased
	Bangalore Days	Natasha Francis	Malayalam	Cameo appearance
2015	Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju	Nazeera Khanum	Telugu
	JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai	Nithya	Tamil
	100 Days of Love	Sheela	Malayalam
	S/O Satyamurthy	Valli	Telugu
	Kanchana 2	Ganga	Tamil
	O Kadhal Kanmani	Tara Kalingarayar
	Rudhramadevi	Muktamba	Telugu
2016	24	Priya Sethuraman	Tamil
	Okka Ammayi Thappa	Mango / Satyabhama	Telugu
	Kotigobba 2 / Mudinja Ivana Pudi	Subhashini / Shubha	Kannada	Bilingual film
			Tamil
	Janatha Garage	Anu	Telugu
	Iru Mugan	Ayushi	Tamil
2017	Mersal	Aishwarya Vetrimaaran
2018	Awe	Krishnaveni	Telugu
	Geetha Govindam	Nithya		Special appearance
2019	NTR: Kathanayakudu	Savitri		Special appearance
	Praana	Tara Anuradha	Malayalam
	Mission Mangal	Varsha Pillai	Hindi
2020	Psycho	Kamala Das IPS	Tamil
2021	Ninnila Ninnila	Maya	Telugu
	Gamanam	Shailaputri Devi		Cameo appearance
	Skylab	Gouri Venkataraju		Also producer
2022	Aaraam Thirukalpana	Selin	Malayalam	Unreleased
	Bheemla Nayak	Suguna Nayak	Telugu
	19(1)(a)	Unnamed Cafe Runner	Malayalam
	Thiruchitrambalam	Shobana	Tamil
	Wonder Women	Nora Joseph	English
2023	Kolaambi	Arundhathi	Malayalam
2025	Kadhalikka Neramillai	Shriya Chandramohan	Tamil
	Idly Kadai	Kayal		Filming
TBA	Dear Exes	TBA		Filming
	Untitled VJS film	TBA		Filming

Television

Music videos

Voice artist

Discography

Accolades

Menen has won four Filmfare Awards — Best Actress – Telugu for Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde, Critics Best Actress – Telugu for Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju, Best Supporting Actress – Tamil for Mersal and Critics Best Actress – Tamil for Thiruchitrambalam. She also won two Nandi Awards: Best Actress for Ala Modalaindi and Special Jury Award for Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Thiruchitrambalam.

See also

In Spanish: Nithya Menen para niños