Meghana Raj
Meghana Raj | |
|---|---|
 Raj at the 26 November 2016 IFFI | |
| Born | Meghana Sunder Raj |
| Alma mater | Christ University |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Dhruv Sarja (brother-in-law) |
Meghana Sunder Raj is an Indian film actress who works in Malayalam and Kannada Cinema along with a few Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in the 2009 Telugu film Bendu Apparao R.M.P.[1][2]
Early life
Meghana Raj is the only daughter to film actors Sundar Raj and Pramila Joshai. Her father Sundar has acted in more than 180 films, predominantly in Kannada language,[3] while her mother Pramila Joshai is a noted Kannada film actress[4] and film producer.[2] She completed her schooling from Baldwin Girls' High School and holds Bachelor's degree in psychology at Christ University, Bangalore.[5]
Acting career
2009–11: Debut, breakthrough and setback
Meghana Raj debuted as a theatre artist, when she was a child, acting alongside her father Sunder Raj in the play Jokumaraswamy. During the audio launch function of the Tamil film Poi in February 2006, she was invited by its director K. Balachander to pursue an acting career, starring in one of his forthcoming films. Accepting his offer, she was given the lead female role in the Tamil film Krishnaleelai, a Balachander production, directed by Selvan.[6] However, despite continuing shooting throughout 2008, which was completed in early 2009, the film got stuck in production hell, and its release got delayed for various reasons.
Even before the release of that film, she commenced shooting for a Telugu film Bendu Apparao R.M.P, which would eventually be her first feature film release. She played the character of a school teacher in the comedy entertainer, starring Allari Naresh and Kamna Jethmalani as well, which released in October 2009 and went on to become highly successful at the box office.[7] She debuted in the Kannada films by enacting the female lead role in Punda, a remake of the 2007 Tamil film Polladhavan.[5] Meghana's next release was her debut Tamil film, the Boopathy Pandian-directed Kaadhal Solla Vandhen, while she also signed up her first Malayalam project, the horror film Yakshiyum Njanum under Vinayan's direction, which was released in August 2010.[8] Although the film was just an average grosser, its glamorous and sensual songs on Meghana was a hit among the youth and made her an instant favorite among the youth. During that time she also acted in two more Tamil projects, Nandha Nanditha, which is a remake of the 2008 Kannada film Nanda Loves Nanditha and Kalla Siripazhaga.
2011–13: Beautiful and commercial success
After a series of flops for most of 2011 where she was seen repeatedly cast merely as a glamour actress, Meghana reverted to winning ways with the Malayalam film Beautiful which was released in the first week of December. The film was a success both commercially and critically and critics widely regarded it as one of the best Malayalam movies of 2011.[9] Meghana's portrayal of Anjali, a home nurse in the film won her very good reviews. Since getting noticed with Beautiful, Meghana got a lot of Malayalam films offers[10] and for a brief period of time was the most sought out actress in Malayalam.
It was during this time when Meghana started to undergo a total physique revamp by going through a strict diet and exercise regime.[11] She made this decision partly because she was getting constantly ignored in Kannada films (her mother tongue) and the reason told was she was fat.[12]
Her 2012 Malayalam film Namukku Parkkan did a decent business at the box office. Subsequent films Mullamottum Munthiricharum, Banking Hours 10 to 4, Maad Dad, Madirasi and Red Wine failed to perform. However, her next film Memories opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews and was a box office success.
2013–15: Second wind in Sandalwood and continuing success
After a gap of almost four years, Meghana Raj returned to Kannada films in late 2013 with the successful film Raja Huli,[13] She followed it with another hit, Bahuparak; her performances in both films were well appreciated.[14] Meghana's next Kannada movie Aatagara was released in late August 2015 to both critical and commercial acclaim and thus achieving a hat-trick of hits in Sandalwood.[15] She is currently concentrating more on Kannada films as she has lot of offers from Sandalwood at the moment. Her next film Vamshodharaka got mixed to negative reviews and thus failed at the box office.
2016 onwards: Dull phase at the box office
Post 2016 Meghana Raj's releases such as Hallelooya, Lakshmana, Bhujanga and Allama all turned out to be non-performers at the box office. She has committed few more Kannada and Malayalam films as of now. Meghana was recently chosen to portray princess Bhanumati in the Kannada magnum opus Kurukshetra.[16]
Personal life
After a 10-year relationship with fellow Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja, Meghana got engaged to him on 22 October, 2017.[17] She married him on 2 May, 2018.[18] Sarja died on 7 June 2020 from cardiac arrest.[19][20][21][22]
Filmography
| No | Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Bendu Apparao R.M.P | Gayatri | Telugu | |
| 2 | 2010 | Punda | Megha | Kannada | |
| 3 | Kaadhal Solla Vandhen | Sandhya Panchacharam | Tamil | ||
| 4 | Yakshiyum Njanum | Aathira | Malayalam | ||
| 5 | 2011 | August 15 | Lakshmi | Malayalam | |
| 6 | Raghuvinte Swantham Rasiya | Rasiya | Malayalam | ||
| 7 | Uyarthiru 420 | Iyal | Tamil | ||
| 8 | Pachuvum Kovalanum | Sukanya | Malayalam | ||
| 9 | Beautiful | Anjali/Annie | Malayalam | ||
| 10 | Ponnu Kondoru Aalroopam | Malayalam | |||
| 11 | 2012 | Nandha Nandhitha | Nandhitha | Tamil | |
| 12 | Achante Aanmakkal | Meera | Malayalam | ||
| 13 | Namukku Parkkan | Renuka | Malayalam | ||
| 14 | Mullamottum Munthiricharum | Suchitra | Malayalam | ||
| 15 | Banking Hours 10 to 4 | Revathy | Malayalam | ||
| 16 | Lucky | Janaki | Telugu | ||
| 17 | Poppins | Malayalam | |||
| 18 | Madirasi | Maya | Malayalam | ||
| 19 | 2013 | Maad Dad | Annamma | Malayalam | Extended cameo appearance |
| 20 | Red Wine | Ann Mary | Malayalam | ||
| 21 | Up & Down - Mukalil Oralundu | Mysterious lady | Malayalam | ||
| 22 | Memories | Teena | Malayalam | ||
| 23 | Good Bad & Ugly | Kavya | Malayalam | ||
| 24 | Raja Huli | Kaveri | Kannada | ||
| 25 | 2014 | Bahuparak | Sneha / Preethi | Kannada | |
| 26 | 100 Degree Celsius | Revathy | Malayalam | Also playback singer for song "Pacha Manja" | |
| 27 | The Dolphins | Mridula | Malayalam | ||
| 28 | 2015 | Aatagara | Sakshi | Kannada | |
| 29 | Vamshodharaka | Kannada | |||
| 30 | 2016 | Hallelooya | Dr. Meera Menon | Malayalam | |
| 31 | Lakshmana | Anjali | Kannada | [23] | |
| 32 | Bhujanga | Rachana | Kannada | ||
| 33 | 2017 | Allama | Maya | Kannada | |
| 34 | Zebra varakal | Hanna | Malayalam | ||
| 35 | Noorondu Nenapu | Shruthi Aras | Kannada | ||
| 36 | Jindaa | Kannada | |||
| 37 | 2018 | MMCH | Megha | Kannada | |
| 38 | Iruvudellava Bittu | Poorvi | Kannada | ||
| 39 | 2019 | Onti | Paaru | Kannada | |
| 40 | Kurukshetra | Bhanumati | Kannada | ||
| 41 | 2020 | Selfie Mummy Google Daddy† | TBA | Kannada | Post-production |
| 42 | Buddhivanta 2† | TBA | Kannada | Filming |
Awards and nominations
- 2011: The Kochi Times Film Award for Promising Newcomer - Beautiful[24]
- 2011: Suvarna Film Award for Best Debut Actress in Kannada - Punda
- 2012: Nominated – Filmfare Awards South for Best Supporting Actress - Beautiful
- 2018: Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress - Iruvudellava Bittu[25]
- 2019: Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada - Iruvudellava Bittu
- 2019: Nominated – Filmibeat Award for Best Actress – Kannada - Iruvudellava Bittu
Public image
Meghana's official Facebook page has received more than 2.5 million likes.[26] She was ranked No.19 in the Kochi Times 'Most desirable Woman 2015' poll.[27] Meghana Raj was also ranked No.10 in the Bangalore Times 'Most desirable Women 2015' poll.[28]
References
- ^ "Prescription for laughter". The Hindu. 3 July 2009.
- ^ a b ""Meghana Raj excited about Punda"". Oneindia.in. 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013.
- ^ "The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Pramila Joshai Filmography". Chiloka.com. 2017.
- ^ a b "Meghana Raj arrives – Kannada Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ Super Admin (19 June 2009). "Sundar Raj's daughter debuting in Kannada". Entertainment.oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Bendu Appa Rao RMP is a hit – Teluguc inema trade report". Idlebrain.com. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "'Beautiful' is a milestone in Malayalam cinema". rediff.com. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Meghana Raj blasts her way to the top of Mollywood". Oneindia. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ "I am obsessed with workouts". Indiatimes.com. TOI.
- ^ "I am Slim give me opportunity". Supergoodmovies.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
- ^ Yash’s ‘Raja Huli’ Takes Box Office by Storm. Ibtimes.co.in (2013-11-30). Retrieved on 2016-03-30.
- ^ Meghana Raj gets into the skin of a dancer for a period film. Sify.com. Retrieved on 2016-03-30.
- ^ Updated, Veena N. (2015-08-28) 'Aatagara' Movie Review: A Promising And Striking Thriller!. Filmibeat. Retrieved on 2016-03-30.
- ^ Meghana Raj roped in for Kurukshetra. www.newindianexpress.com (2017-11-25). Retrieved on 2017-11-27.
- ^ "Chiranjeevi and Meghana Raj got engaged". Deccan Herald. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Kannada Actors Meghana Raj And Chiranjeevi Sarja Get Married". NDTV. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away at 39".
- ^ https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/kannada-actor-chiranjeevi-sarja-passes-away-at-39/article31772154.ece
- ^ https://english.manoramaonline.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2020/06/07/chiranjeevi-sarja-and-meghana-raj-were-eagerly-awaiting-an-addit.html
- ^ "Happy Memories: Chiranjeevi Sarja's Love Story With Wife Meghna Raj In Pictures". thehansindia.
- ^ "Ravichandran and Anoop's Lakshmana first look poster – Photos". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "The Kochi Times Film Awards 2011". 23 June 2012.
- ^ https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/karnataka-state-film-awards-2018-raghavendra-rajkumar-and-meghana-raj-bag-top-honours-check-out-all-winners/articleshow/73186197.cms
- ^ "Meghana Raj Official Facebook".
- ^ "Kochi Times most desirable woman 2015". Times of India.
- ^ "Bangalore Times Most Desirable Women 2015".