Kalyani Priyadarshan

Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam films In addition to a few Tamil and Telugu films. Kalyani is a recipient of one Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie Awards.

Born to filmmaker Priyadarshan and actress Lissy, Kalyani started her career as an assistant production designer. She made her acting debut in the Telugu film Hello (2017), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South. She then expanded to Tamil cinema with Hero (2019), and Malayalam cinema with Varane Avashyamund (2020). Kalyani has since starred in Chitralahari (2019), Maanaadu (2021), Hridayam (2022), Thallumaala (2022) and Bro Daddy (2022). For the last of these she won the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.

Early life and family
Kalyani was born on 5 April 1993 in Chennai, in a Malayali family to Indian filmmaker Priyadarshan and actress Lissy. She is elder of the two children, and has a younger brother named Siddharth. She completed her early schooling in Lady Andal, Chennai and later studied in Singapore, where she also worked in theatre groups. She pursued architecture from Parsons School of Design, New York. After Kalyani returned to India, she attended an acting workshop in Adishakti Theatre, Pondicherry.

Debut and early work (2017–2020)
Kalyani began her film career in 2013 as an assistant production designer under Sabu Cyril in the Hindi film Krrish 3 (2013). In 2016 she worked as an assistant art director in the Tamil film Iru Mugan (2016). Kalyani made her acting debut with the 2017 Telugu film Hello, opposite Akhil Akkineni. The film received positive response but turned out to be a below-average grosser at the box-office. The Hindu noted, "Kalyani Priyadarshan's entry happens a little late into the film but it's a commendable debut complementing and sharing good chemistry with Akhil."

Kalyani had three releases in 2019. She first appeared opposite Sai Dharam Tej in Chitralahari. The film opened to mixed to positive reviews and became a commercial success. Firstpost stated, "Kalyani Priyadarshan does a fine job as an innocent, naive girl; however, her romantic track with Sai Dharam Tej is too superficial." Her other two releases of the year were box office failures, where she appeared opposite Sharwanand in Ranarangam and opposite Sivakarthikeyan in Hero, which marked her Tamil debut.

In 2020, she made her Malayalam debut with Varane Avashyamund opposite Dulquer Salmaan. The News Minute stated, "Kalyani easily carries off her role as the young woman. Interestingly, she is the more conventional one between the mother and daughter." Next, she played Urvashi's younger version in a segment of Putham Pudhu Kaalai. NDTV India wrote, "Kalyani Priyadarshan capture the present and the past in a seamless flow and is perfectly cast."

Career progression and success (2021–present)
In her first film of 2021, Kalyani appeared in the Tamil film Maanaadu opposite Silambarasan. It received positive reviews from critics and was successful at the box office. Hindustan Times wrote, "Kalyani Priyadarshan is good and shines in the limited screen space she gets." Her next release in the same year was Malayalam film Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea opposite Pranav Mohanlal. The film received mixed to negative reviews and failed at the box office.

The year 2022 marked a turning point in Kalyani's career. All her three releases were successful and gained her positive reviews. She first appeared in Hridayam opposite Pranav Mohanlal. It received critical acclaim and became a box office success. Cinema Express stated that Kalyani is aptly cast and that Hridayam is her "finest hour". Manorama Online noted, "Kalyani was effective as Nithya and her chemistry with Pranav is one of the high points of the film." She next appeared in Bro Daddy opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran, which released directly on Disney+ Hotstar. India Today noted, "Kalyani as Anna is a revelation. She is a natural and her expressions are apt for every situation." In her final film of the year, she appeared opposite Tovino Thomas in Thallumaala. It received positive reviews from critics and became one of the highest grossing Malayalam films ever. The Week noted, "Kalyani's BePathu is a strong swag character who claims a huge social media following. Pathu is safe in Kalyani's hands."

Kalyani had two releases in 2023. She first played a Muslim woman who aspires to become a football commentator in Sesham Mike-il Fathima. The Hindu noted, "Kalyani has put up an earnest performance with her screen presence. There is an ease with which she plays Fathima but does seem weighed down by the heavy dialogues in some scenes, thus restricting her as an actor." Next, she played an aggressive college student alongside Joju George in Antony. The New Indian Express stated, "Kalyani gets some amazing fight scenes in the first half. But, the one-dimensional portrayal of her character doesn't help and it looses connection."

In her first release of 2024, Kalyani reunited with Pranav Mohanlal for Varshangalkku Shesham. Hindustan Times stated that Kalyani hardly had anything to do. Kalyani will next appear in the Tamil film Genie

In the media
Kalyani is considered among the highest-paid Malayalam actresses. Kalyani received critical acclaim for her film debut Hello. She termed the film as "the best film" that has happened to her career. 123telugu placed her in its "Top Actresses" list of 2017, for "Hello". On her film career, Subhash K. Jha from Rediff.com opined: "Kalyani has become a name to reckon with in Malayalam cinema. Pretty and immensely gifted, she has proved herself to be much more than her prolific father Priyadarshan's daughter."

Kalyani is a prominent celebrity endorser for several brands such as Kalyan Jewellers and Ajio. She has been the cover model for various magazines including "Ritz" and "You & I". In 2020, Kalyani was named Kochi Times Most Desirable Women. The same year, she ranked 8th in Chennai Times Most Desirable Women and 41st in Times Most Desirable Women list.