Tracing Career Highlights of Revathi on her 59th Birthday.

Asha Kelunni Nair is better kown by her screen name, Revathi. She made her acting debut playing the female lead in Bharathiraja’s 1983 rural drama, Mann Vaasanai opposite fellow newcomer, Pandiyan. The film was a box-office success and opened many subsequent doors for her.

In the same year she made her debut to Malayalam films and her first Telugu film followed the year after. In the same year, she made her second Tamil film – Mahendran’s Kai Kodukkum Kai where she acted opposite Rajinikanth. Her role as a blind rape survivor drew much praise from the critics.

Her third Tamil film was Bharathiraja’s Pudhumai Penn produced by AVM Productions. Her role in this film would characterise many of her subsequent roles, as she played a strong, resilient, independent and courageous woman who resists the many societal challenges she faces. Revathi was only 17 when she made this film and the role gave a glimpse of the depth of her acting talent. She was nominated for a Filmfare Best Actress award for this role.

Revathi followed this role with another impressive performance in the blockbuster film, Vaidhehi Kathirunthaal where she acted for the first time opposite Vijayakanth in a film directed by R. Sundarrajan.

Revathi went on to star in a series of successful Tamil films, sharing the screen with Kamalhaasan, Mohan, Prabhu and Sivakumar before playing the female lead in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil directorial debut, Pagal Nilavu.

More success followed this film and saw Revathi share the screen with Sivaji Ganesan, Karthik, Pandiyarajan and Sathyaraj.

Revathi then acted in another career-defining role as Divya in Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster film, Mouna Raagam. It was a role that would become a reference point for the almost two decades that followed and a role that won her her second Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress.

Later in 1986 she played the female lead in Bharathiraja’s iconic Kamalhaasan starrer, Punnagai Mannan. The movie was a runaway success, but Revathi dismayed her fans when she announced that Punnagai Mannan would be her last film, as she would be marrying cinematographer, Suresh Chandra Menon.

However, a year after marriage, Revathy returned to films through Graamathu Minnal opposite Ramarajan.

Her streak of successful films continued, leading her to her role opposite Karthik in Kizhakku Vaasal. It was a role that led to her third nomination for the Filmfare Best Award. She also bagged the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Actress and also won the Cinema Express Award in the same category.

She won another Filmfare nomination for her third role for Mani Ratnam in Anjali.

Two year later she won the National Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Filmfare and Cinema Express awards for Best Actress in her role as Panchavarnam in the Sivaji Ganesan-Kamalhaasan starrer, Thevar Magan.

Her next film – her 75^th film – was Balu Mahendra’s Marupadiyum for which she won another Filmfare Award. She repeated this feat the following year in Neelakanta’s directorial debut in Priyanka.

Revathi then teamed up with her husband to produce Pudhiya Mugam where they played the lead roles, with Suresh also writing and directing the film. It was a box-office success and led to a remake in Hindi.

Suresh subsequently teamed up with K.S. Adhiyaman for the film Paasa Malargal which was a moderate success. Revathi and Aravind Swamy played the lead roles, with Ajithkumar in a guest appearance.

Revathi’s role in Nassar’s directorial debut, Avathaaram was well-received although the film filmed at the box-office.

After more memorable roles in various films, Revathi once again starred under Mani Ratnam’s direction in the multi-starrer, Iruvar.

Revathi won a Tamil Nadu State Award and another Filmfare nomination for her role in the 1998 film, Thalaimurai.

Her role in Dhanush’s directorial debut Pa. Pandi brought her another Filmfare nomination and the Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her 2018 role in Gulaebhagavali won her the Vikatan Award for Best Female Comedian.

In 2019 she acted in her 125^th film – Jackpot – alongside Jyothika and won the JFW Best Female Comedian award for her role.

She played a fleeting guest role in Dhanush’s Thiruchitrambalam and will next be seen in Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan.

Revathi and Suresh parted ways in 2002 and were granted a divorce in 2013. Revathi has a biological daughter through in-vitro fertilisation.

Revathi is a trained Bharatha Natyam dancer. She has also acted in Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films and has directed three feature film.