Keerthy Suresh (born 17 October 1992) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu films, as well as a few Malayalam films. She was nominated for a National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance as actress Savitri in the Telugu film Mahanati (2018). She has also won three SIIMA Awards, one Filmfare Award South, and two Zee Cine Awards Telugu for her work in various films. She was named one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in 2021.
Keerthy is the daughter of G. Suresh Kumar, a film producer, and Menaka G. Suresh, an actress.
In the early 2000s, she began her career as a child actress and later returned to the industry after studying fashion design. Geethaanjali, a 2013 Malayalam film, was her first lead role. Ring Master (2014), Idhu Enna Maayam (2015), Nenu Sailaja (2016), Rajinimurugan (2016), Remo (2016), Bairavaa (2017), Nenu Local (2017), Thaanaa Serndha Koottam (2018), Mahanati (2018), Sarkar (2018), Annaatthe (2021), and Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022).
Early years
Keerthy was born in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India on October 17, 1992. Her father, G. Suresh Kumar, is a Malayali filmmaker, and her mother, Menaka, is a Tamil actress. Revathy Suresh is her elder sister. Keerthy attended school in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, until the fourth grade. She then attended Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, before returning to Chennai to study fashion design at the Pearl Academy. She also spent four months on an exchange programme in Scotland before completing a two-month internship in London. Despite making a career in acting, she has stated that she was also "seriously considering a career in designing". Keerthy is also a violinist.
Career
Work from 2000 to 2017
Keerthy worked as a child actress in a few of her father's productions, including Pilots (2000), Achaneyanenikkishtam (2001), and Kuberan (2002), as well as some television serials, in the early 2000s.
She made her lead acting debut 11 years after Kuberan in Priyadarshan's horror film Geethaanjali, in which she played a dual role. She was still in school at the time and shot Geethanjali during her semester break. Reviews on the film and her performance were mixed, with Sify writing that she "does put in some effort but makes only a limited impression in a double role", while Rediff wrote that she "has got a plum role but whether she impresses with her acting prowess is another matter". Keerthy's next film, Ring Master, was directed by Rafi of the Rafi Mecartin duo, and she co-starred with Dileep. She played a blind girl, which she described as far more difficult than her double role in Geethanjali. Sify referred to the film as a "super hit" because of its commercial success.
Keerthy accepted her first projects outside of Malayalam in 2015, signing on to appear in several Tamil film projects at the same time. Her first film was A. L. Vijay's romantic comedy Idhu Enna Maayam (2015), in which she starred alongside Vikram Prabhu, though the film did not fare well at the box office. Because of her busy schedule in 2015, she had to drop projects she had already begun working on, such as Krishna's Maane Thaene Paeye and Deekay's Kavalai Vendam, in order to accommodate larger projects. As a result, she worked on two films with Sivakarthikeyan in quick succession, Rajini Murugan, and Remo, while also starring alongside Dhanush in Prabhu Solomon's Thodari.
Ainaa Ishtam Nuvvu was supposed to be her Telugu debut. However, the film has been delayed since 2015, with reports of a September 2020 release under the new title Janakitho Nenu. Following that, the debut was the 2016 film Nenu Sailaja, starring Ram Pothineni. Keerthy made her film debut in Bairavaa in January 2017, opposite actor Vijay and directed by Bharathan. In 2017, she also appeared in the Tamil film Paambhu Sattai and the Telugu film Nenu Local.
Mahanati and further afield (2018–present)
Agnyaathavaasi in Telugu was her first release in 2018. Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, her first Tamil film in 2018, starred her opposite Suriya for the first time. The film received positive reviews and quickly became a hit. She also appeared in Nag Ashwin's biographical drama Mahanati, in which she played the late southern actress Savitri, for which she received critical acclaim and the National Film Award for Best Actress. Her performance in the film was named one of the "100 Greatest Decade Performances" by Film Companion.
In late 2018, she appeared in three commercial films in a row: Hari's Saamy Square opposite Vikram, N. Lingusamy's Sandakozhi 2 opposite Vishal, and AR Murugadoss' Sarkar opposite Vijay. She made a cameo appearance in the Nagarjuna-starrer Manmadhudu 2 directed by Rahul Ravindran in mid-2019. She appeared in the thriller film Penguin, which was released on Amazon Prime due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the drama film Miss India, which was released on Netflix in 2020.
Keerthy appeared in the Telugu film Rang De alongside Nithiin in 2021. Annaatthe, Keerthy's next film starring Rajinikanth and directed by Siva, received mixed reviews but was a commercial success. Her next film was the Malayalam film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, directed by Priyadarshan and starring Mohanlal, which opened to mixed reviews and became a box office bomb.
Her first release in 2022 was the Telugu film Good Luck Sakhi, which received mixed reviews and was a commercial flop. Keerthy went on to co-star with director Selvaraghavan in Saani Kaayidham, the latter's acting debut. Her performance was critically acclaimed and is considered one of her best. The film was released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Her next film, Sarkaru Vaari Paata, directed by Parasuram and starring Mahesh Babu, was a commercial success. [Citation required] She was most recently seen in the Malayalam courtroom drama Vaashi, in which she co-starred with Tovino Thomas.
Her upcoming projects include the Chiranjeevi-starrer Bholaa Shankar, the Maamannan directed by Mari Selvaraj, the Dasara directed by Nani, and the Siren directed by Jayamravi.
Keerthy Suresh has appeared in numerous Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil films. She is now attached to the post-theatrical release of Revolver Rita, a new woman-centric film.
Year | Title | Role(s) | Language(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Pilots | Church kid | Malayalam | Child actor |
2001 | Achaneyanenikkishtam | Kunjunni's classmate | Malayalam | Child actor |
2002 | Kuberan | Siddharth's adopted child | Malayalam | Child actor |
2013 | Geethaanjali | Geetha, Anjali | Malayalam | |
2014 | Ring Master | Karthika | Malayalam | |
2015 | Idhu Enna Maayam | Maya | Tamil | |
2016 | Nenu Sailaja | Sailaja | Telugu | |
Rajinimurugan | N. Karthika Devi | Tamil | ||
Thodari | Saroja | Tamil | ||
Remo | Dr. Kavya | Tamil | ||
2017 | Bairavaa | Malarvizhi | Tamil | |
Paambhu Sattai | Veni | Tamil | ||
Nenu Local | Keerthy | Telugu | ||
2018 | Agnyaathavaasi | Sukumari | Telugu | |
Thaanaa Serndha Koottam | Madhu | Tamil | ||
Mahanati | Savitri | Telugu | ||
Seemaraja | Bhoomi | Tamil | Cameo appearance | |
Saamy Square | Diya | Tamil | Also singer for "Pudhu Metro Rail" | |
Sandakozhi 2 | Sembaruthi | Tamil | ||
Sarkar | Nila | Tamil | ||
2019 | Manmadhudu 2 | Suma | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
2020 | Penguin | Rhythm | Tamil | |
Miss India | Manasa Samyuktha | Telugu | ||
2021 | Jathi Ratnalu | Vanajakshi | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
Rang De | Anupama | Telugu | ||
Annaatthe | Thanga Meenakshi | Tamil | ||
Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham | Aarcha | Malayalam | ||
2022 | Good Luck Sakhi | Sakhi | Telugu | |
Saani Kaayidham | Ponni | Tamil | ||
Sarkaru Vaari Paata | Kalaavathi | Telugu | ||
Vaashi | Madhavi Mohan | Malayalam | ||
2023 | Dasara | Vennela | Telugu | Completed |
Bhola Shankar | TBA | Telugu | Filming | |
Maamannan | TBA | Tamil | Completed | |
Siren | TBA | Tamil | Filming | |
Raghu Thatha | TBA | Tamil | Filming | |
Revolver Rita | Rita | Tamil | Filming |
Year | Program | Role | Channel | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Grihanadhan | Unknown | DD Malayalam | Malayalam | Child actor; telefilm |
2004 | Santhana Gopalam | Surya TV | Child actor; serial | ||
2005 | Krishna Kripa Sagaram | Amrita TV | Child actor; serial |
Year | Title | Singer | Composer | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | "Gandhari" | Ananya Bhat | Pawan Ch | Telugu | Choreographed by Brinda |
Bio/Wiki | |
---|---|
Real Name | Keerthy Suresh |
Nickname | Keerthana |
Profession(s) | Actress, Model |
Famous Role | Her role as "Savitri" in the biographical film 'Mahanati' (2018) based on the life of legendary actress Savitri |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 163 cm in meters- 1.63 m in feet inches- 5’ 4” |
Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 55 kg in pounds- 121 lbs |
Figure Measurements (approx.) | 32-26-32 |
Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
Hair Colour | Black |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 17 October 1992 |
Age (as in 2017) | 30 Years |
Birthplace | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Libra |
Nationality | Indian |
Hometown | Trivandrum, Kerala, India |
School | Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram |
College/University | Pearl Academy, Chennai |
Educational Qualification | B.A. (Hons.) in Fashion Design |
Debut | Film: Pilots (2000, Malayalam - as a child artist) Geethaanjali (2013, Malayalam) Idhu Enna Maayam (2015, Tamil) Nenu Sailaja (2016, Telugu) TV: Santhana Gopalam (2004, Malayalam - as a child artist) |
Religion | Hinduism |
Caste | Nair |
Food Habit | Vegetarian |
Address | A bungalow in Chennai |
Hobbies | Doing Yoga, Travelling, Swimming |
Awards, Achievements | 2014 • Asianet Film Award for Best New Face of the Year (Female) – 'Geethaanjali' (2013) • South Indian International Movie Award for Best Female Debutant Malayalam – 'Geethaanjali' (2013) • Vayalar Film Award for Best Second Actress – 'Geethaanjali' (2013) and 'Ring Master' (2014) • Nana Film Awards for Best Female Debutant – 'Geethaanjali' (2013) 2015 - Edison Award for Best Female Rising Star 2016 • 5th South Indian International Movie Awards for Best debut female Tamil - 'Idhu Enna Maayam' (2015) • South Indian International Movie Award for Best Female Debutant Tamil – 'Idhu Enna Maayam' (2016) 2017 • Asianet Film Award for Popular actor / actress Tamil for various movies • Radio City Cine Awards - Favorite Heroine (2017) • Zee Cinemalu Awards Best Debut - Female for the film 'Nenu Sailaja' (2016) 2019 • National Film Award for Best Actress for the film "Mahanati" |
Boys, Affairs and More | |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Family | |
Husband/Spouse | N/A |
Parents | Father- Suresh Kumar (Malayali film producer) Mother- Menaka (Former Actress) |
Siblings | Brother- None Sister- Revathy (Elder, works as a VFX specialist) |
Favorite Things | |
Favorite Food | Dosa |
Favourite Actor(s) | Suriya, Vijay |
Favorite Actress | Simran |
Favorite Film | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara |
Favorite Perfume | Christian Dior |
Favorite Destination | Europe |
Style Quotient | |
Cars Collection | Jaguar XJ, Ford |
Money Factor | |
Salary (approx.) | ₹1.5 crore/film |
Net Worth (approx.) | $2 million |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Keerthy Suresh