Dr. Sharmila

Dr. Sharmila is a doctor, actress, social activist and YouTuber from Tamil Nadu, India. She debuted in a STAR Vijay show, Puthira Punithama? along with N. Mathrubootham, which made her popular. She went on to act in various television series in both Tamil and Malayalam, and a couple of Tamil films.

Early life
Sharmila was born on 15 November 1974 in Bombay (now Mumbai), the capital city of Maharashtra, into a Brahmin family who later settled in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu. Her father Kothandaraman owned a pharmaceutical concern.

Sharmila had a younger brother Hari who died sometime before 2022.

Education
Sharmila attended C.S.I. Ewart Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai, and was a topper there. She also learnt Bharatanatyam for ten years under Nandana Gopalakrishnan.

Medical career
Sharmila went on pursue an MBBS degree in Orthopedics at Kilpauk Medical College (Chennai) in 1993. Later, she worked as a house surgeon at Government Royapettah Hospital around 1996.

Television career
Sharmila started anchoring quiz shows on Jaya TV (formerly JJ TV), following which she conducted a talk show Indha Vaaram Ivar, in which she interviewed celebrities. She was subsequently selected by reputed psychiatrist Dr. N. Mathrubootham, who wanted to conduct sex education discussions on television, to read the letters from the public. The show, Puthira Punithama? brought Sharmila, who was dubbed "gutsy" for hosting the show, to popularity. Director K. Balachander took notice of her and offered her roles in his tele-serials such as Jannal and Irandaam Chanaakiyan. Sharmila considers Balachander as her mentor and guru who taught her the nuances of acting.


 * Shows
 * Hero Heroine (Sun TV)
 * Candit Camera (Sun TV)
 * Puthira Punithama?(Vijay TV)
 * Quiz program (JJ TV)
 * Indha Varam Ivar (Vijay TV)
 * Kitchen Super Star - Doubles (Vijay TV)
 * Puthandu Saval (Sun TV)
 * Roja Rojadan (Sun TV)
 * Maathi Yosi (Sun TV)
 * Kalviya? Selvama? Veerama? (Sun TV)

Filmography

 * All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

YouTube career
On 24 February 2022, Sharmila announced her Youtube channel named "Sharmila Talkies". The channel's content includes politics, society, art, literature, food, life, health, soap opera, and cinema.

Awards

 * Won, Asianet Television award 2015 for Best Character Actress (special Jury) for Karuthamuthu
 * Nomination, Vijay Television Awards for Best Negative role 2017 for Pagal Nilavu

Personal life
Sharmila married AL Mohan, a TV production executive, but later they filed and were granted a divorce. Later, she married S. S. Balaji, a member of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

Sharmila has one child, a daughter, born on 28 December 2004.