Rishibala Naval is better known by her screen name, Simran. She was born on 04 April 1976.
She made her debut in the Prabhu Deva-Abbas starrer, VIP (1997) although her first signing was in the Sivaji Ganesan-Vijay starrer, Once More. Both these roles won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her fame soared and between 1998 and 199, she completed 19 films – making her Tamil cinema’s most prolific actress of that period.
Among the early films that cemented Simran’s place in the film industry were Natpukaga, Kannethirey Thondrinal,Thullaadha Manamum Thullum, Vaalee, Kanave Kaliyadhe and Jodi. Later she would garner more praise for her role in Maniratnam’s multi-award winning film, Kannathil Muthamitaal. The role also won her the Best Actress Award from Filmfare.
After a lean period, Simran once again became the darling of the media with her role opposite Suriya in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram. This won her the Best Supporting Actress Award
After venturing into Television acting and production, she returned to the Tamil screen, this time with mixed success. She won critical praise again for her role in Rajinikanth’s Petta as well as opposite R.Madhvan in Rocketry – directed by R. Madhavan.
Interestingly, Simran’s last released Tamil film was Andhagan where she played the antagonist to Prasanth. They first came together in Kannethirey Thondrinaal and became a popular screen pair thereafter.
Simran has since decided to focus on projects for the small screen where she co-produces with her husband, Deepak Bagga.
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