“Baby Shalini” now Shalini Kumar started her career as child artist at three. She won a state award for her first Malayalam movie Ente Mamati Kuttiammakku. She then went on to star in many successful Tamil and Malayalam films. Shalini took a break when she was still in her early teens. She was seen after many years in Kaathalukku Mariyathai opposite Vijay which was the remake of the blockbuster Malayalam film, Anniyathi Praavu, where she played the lead female role as well. She came across as the naive, simple girl next door with a very endearing personality. She first starred with her husband Ajith in Amarkalam and the couple fell head over heels in love and were eventually married. They were recently blessed with their first child, a cute baby girl. She soared to success after Alaipayuthey opposite Madhavan directed by none other than Mani Rathnam in 2000, where she played the role of a young woman caught up in the turmoil of marriage. Not many people know that she is a very good singer who has sung in films! Though she bid farewell to acting after marriage, she redirected her talent and passion to sports, which is such uncharted territory for an actresses. She excelled in badminton and won a few state level tournaments in 2006. This is one actress who will be definitely missed.
Ramya Krishnan now Vamsi is one actress who has essayed dramatically diverse roles in the span of her career. From a devilish vamp, a mom, a caring wife, a college girl, a goddess, a village lass to an item girl she has performed them all. Acting from the tender age of 16, she has over 200 movies to her credit in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Her last hit Tamil movie was “Panchatanthiram” where she had a small role opposite Kamal Haasan. She was also seen in a raunchy item song more recently in Kaakha Kaakha. She married in 2003 to producer Krishna Vamsi and delivered a baby boy in 2005. She is now seen in TV game shows and also owns a production company. Will she foray once more into movies anytime soon? Coming full circle might just be the next logical thing for her to do.
Laila Mehdin, the pretty, dimpled Goan beauty from Mumbai, began her career as a model. She is also a ballerina trained formally at the Royal Academy of Dancing in London. And, she plays the violin. Her first Tamil movie Kallalagar failed to create any magic at the box office. But the talented actress was noticed by film-makers and was cast in commercially and critically acclaimed films such as Dhill, Nanda, Unnai Ninaithu, and Pithamagan, to name only a few. She even won the Filmfare Best Actress award for her performance in Pithamagan. In a short span of time she had created a niche for herself in the industry as the simple girl-next-door, sans any glamour or vulgarity. Her colleagues fondly remark that she could never ever stop laughing or giggling and was always seen with a smile on her face. That was the kind of person she was and this is reflected in all her roles. After Pithamagan, she took a break and was seen in Ullam Ketkume and Kanda Naal Mudhal (2005) where she finally broke the giggly-girl mould and turned in intense, classy performances. In 2006 she married an Iranian businessman and retired from the silver screen for a life of domestic bliss. She was recently blessed with a baby boy and is now enjoying every moment of being a mom. For the moment, though, she has not expressed any desire to return to acting.
Simran Bagga, now Naval, was a glam queen, girl next door and a diva all rolled into one. She fit the bill no matter what character she played, be it the tormented wife in Vaali, the widow in 12B, the loving mom in Kannathil Muthamittal or the die- hard spinster in Pammal .K.Sambandham. She came to Kollywood from Bombay as a small time actress, and in a few years catapulted to fame with her hard work and intuitive acting gifts. At the peak of her career, she bid adieu to acting when she married Deepak Naval in 2003, and in 2005 had her first child. She did make a comeback of sorts in the Malayalam film, Heartbeats, where she was portrayed as an AIDS patient, but the film sunk without a trace at the box-office. She is currently working in a couple of Telugu movies and can also be seen in several ads. Marriage and motherhood seems to have done her a world of good: she looks more gorgeous than ever and absolutely stunning. She has all the talent and looks to take her even higher. All she needs now is the right launching pad for her second innings in the industry. She still has an amazing fan base in the South, and they cannot wait to catch a glimpse of their favorite actress once again. Will she be part of Rajinikanth’s next – Kuselan - is the million dollar question.
Jyothika Sadanah now Saravanan or Jo to her family and friends is another diva who came from the North and took the entire southern industry by storm. She is the younger sister of yesteryear actress Nagma. She made her debut in a Hindi film, Doli Sajaa Ke Rakhna, where she was paired opposite Akshay Khanna. Unfortunately the film flopped. In Tamil she was first seen in a small guest role in Vaali opposite Ajith. Her first full-fledged role as a heroine was opposite hubby Surya in Poovellam Kettupar. Her cute, bubbly innocence became her USP, and from there on she never had to look back. She has been one of the few privileged actresses who has worked with all the top heroes of her time, including Superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. It is noteworthy that the role of “Chandramukhi” was initially offered to Simran (who was unable to do the film), but one that Jyothika went on to make her own. She has worked under all the prestigious banners and directors, never having to compromise in any way or succumb to any kind of pressure to show skin or appear vulgar through the span of her career. This gifted, hard-working and dedicated actress relied only on immense faith and confidence in herself to reach stardom. Her recent films such as Chandramukhi, Mozhi and Pachaikili Muthucharam, won her several accolades, proving she was capable of rendering heavy-duty performances when the script demanded it. Her fans were very upset when she decided to bid farewell to films after her marriage to Surya. She is now a proud mom of a baby girl who is the apple of her eye. Like Simran she might make a comeback - such talent cannot be buried
