Samyuktha Shanmuganathan

Samyuktha Shanmuganathan (born 31 December 1985) and is an Indian actress and model who is known for her works in Tamil cinema and television. She gained popularity after winning the 2007 Miss Chennai pageant. It marked her entry into the entertainment industry. She made her acting debut in the Tamil soap opera Chandrakumari (2018–2019), and gained recognition for her performances in films such as Tughlaq Durbar (2021) and Coffee with Kadhal (2022) and Varisu (2023).

In 2020, she participated in the Star Vijay reality show Bigg Boss 4 as an contestant and was later evicted on day 56 of the show. She is also the runner-up of BB Jodigal season 1 alongside Jithan Ramesh.

Early life
Samyuktha was born on 31 December 1985 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Malayali father Shanmughanathan Nair and Tamilian mother Prathiba Shanmughanathan. She did her early secondary schooling at St. Patrick's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Chennai. After that, she enrolled herself at the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai from where she completed her graduation in Civil Engineering.

Career
Born in Chennai, Samyuktha initially pursued her career as a nutritionist and model. She came into the limelight when she made her debut in the television series Chandrakumari, playing the character of Princess Rudhra. In 2019, she made her Tamil film debut in the film Dhanusu Raasi Neyargale, playing a small role in the film. In 2020, she participated in the Star Vijay reality show Bigg Boss 4 as an contestant which was hosted by actor Kamal Haasan and was later evicted on day 56 of the show. In 2021, she acted in the serial Amman playing a guest role character. She also appeared in the dance competitive show BB Jodigal pairing up against actor Jithan Ramesh making a duo and later emerged as the runner-ups from the show. She also debuted as a judge in the talent-search reality show Junior Super Stars judging alongside Sneha and Mirchi Senthil, the show aired on Zee Tamil. She also appeared in the drama series Anantham (2022) directed by V. Priya playing the younger role of the character Maragatham, she acted alongside actor Prakash Raj, Sampath Raj and John Vijay and the series opened up to positive reviews.

In 2021, Samyuktha appeared in multiple Tamil films including Tughlaq Durbar alongside actor Vijay Sethupathi. In 2022, she played a crucial role in the romantic comedy drama film Coffee with Kadhal which was directed by Sundar C. She received positive critics for her performance. She appeared in other films such as My Dear Bootham (2022) and Kaari (2022) which all received mixed-positive reviews from critics.

In 2023, she signed up to play a role in the film Varisu alongside actor Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna. The film was an overall success and Samyuktha received a prise for her performance from viewers.

Personal life
Samyuktha married to her long-term boyfriend, Karthik. The couple has a son called Rayan. However, the couple got divorced in 2021 for personal reasons.