Revathi

Revathi Biography

Revathi, born Asha Kelunni on 8 July 1966 in Kochi, Kerala, is an Indian actress, film director, voice actress and philanthropist known chiefly for her work in Tamil and Malayalam cinema, in addition to Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. Her father, Kelunni, was a major in the Indian Army and her mother is Lalitha Kelunni. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer from the age of seven, she performed her arangetram in Chennai in 1979.

She was cast in her debut film Mann Vasanai (1983) after director Bharathiraja saw her photograph on a Tamil magazine cover. Across four decades she has received three National Film Awards in three different categories, seven Filmfare Awards South, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Kerala State Film Award, and was honoured with the Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1993. She has also directed three features — Mitr, My Friend, Phir Milenge and Salaam Venky — and contributed a segment to the anthology Kerala Cafe.

Revathi married cinematographer and director Suresh Chandra Menon in 1986. They began living separately in 2002 and were granted a divorce by the Chennai Additional Family Court in April 2013. In 2018 she revealed that she has a biological daughter conceived through in vitro fertilisation. Alongside films she works with social organisations including the Banyan, the Ability Foundation, the Tanker Foundation and Vidyasagar, and has served on the panels of several film festivals.

Basic Details

• Full name: Asha Kelunni
• Known as: Revathi (also credited as Revathy)
• Date of birth: 8 July 1966
• Birthplace: Kochi, Kerala, India
• Occupation: Actress, film director, voice actress, social worker
• Languages on screen: Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada
• Years active: 1983 – present
• Parents: Kelunni and Lalitha Kelunni
• Former spouse: Suresh Chandra Menon (married 1986; divorced 2013)
• Trained in: Bharatanatyam

Career Highlights