Kalyani Priyadarshan

Kalyani Priyadarshan Biography

Basic Details

• Full Name: Kalyani Priyadarshan
• Date of Birth: 5 April 1993
• Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Profession: Actress; began her career as an assistant production designer
• Years Active: 2017 – Present
• Works Mainly In: Malayalam cinema, along with Tamil and Telugu films

Family Background

• Father: Priyadarshan (Indian filmmaker)
• Mother: Lissy (former Indian actress)
• Brother: Siddharth – her younger brother; Kalyani is the elder of the two children
• Family Origin: Malayali family based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Education

• Schooling: Lady Andal, Chennai
• Later Schooling: Studied in Singapore, where she also worked with theatre groups
• College: Parsons School of Design, New York
• Qualification: BArch (Bachelor of Architecture)

Career highlight

• Began her film career in 2013 as an assistant production designer under Sabu Cyril on the Hindi film Krrish 3 (2013)
• Worked as an assistant art director on the Tamil film Iru Mugan (2016)
• Made her acting debut in the Telugu film Hello (2017) opposite Akhil Akkineni, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South

Telugu Films

• Hello (2017)
• Chitralahari (2019)
• Ranarangam (2019)

Tamil Films

• Hero (2019)
• Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020, segment “Ilamai Idho Idho”)
• Maanaadu (2021)

Malayalam Films

• Varane Avashyamund (2020)
• Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021)
• Hridayam (2022)
• Bro Daddy (2022)
• Thallumaala (2022)
• Sesham Mike-il Fathima (2023)
• Antony (2023)
• Varshangalkku Shesham (2024)
• Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025)
• Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira (2025)

Recent Activities

1. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025)

• Kalyani played Chandra, secretly the yakshi Kalliyankattu Neeli, opposite Naslen.
• The film is the first superheroine film in Malayalam cinema.
• It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time and one of the highest-grossing Indian films led by a female star.
• The role brought her Best Actress wins at the Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, the Indian National Cine Academy Awards and the JFW Movie Awards.

2. Films in production

• Genie – Tamil, currently filming.
• Marshal – Tamil, currently filming.

Awards List