Ananya (actress)


Ayilya Gopalakrishnan, known professionally as Ananya, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil language films as well as in a few, Telugu and Kannada films. She is also a singer and an archer.
She made her acting debut in the Malayalam film Positive and also debuted the following year in Tamil through the film Naadodigal, which turned out to be a critical and commercial success. She received the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actress in 2012 for the telefilm Doore and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil for Engaeyum Eppothum in 2011.

Early life

Ananya was born as Ayilya to Gopalakrishnan Nair, a film producer, and Praseetha in Kochi, Kerala. She has a younger brother named Arjun. Her name was taken from her birth star, Aslesha, which is called Ayilyam in Malayalam. She studied at St. Joseph's High School in Kochi and thereafter pursued a B.A. degree in Communicative English at St. Xavier's College for Women, Aluva.
During her childhood, she was an archer and won the State Championship. While representing her college in a television reality show, Star Wars, she was spotted by various film directors and received acting offers. After declining around five projects, she finally decided to give it a try, accepting to act in the movie Positive. She had appeared as a child artist in one of her father's movie productions, Pai Brothers. Her house is situated at Perumbavoor.

Film career

Her screen name was changed to Ananya when she was working in her debut Tamil film Naadodigal. The film was a high commercial success, and Ananya rose to fame with her performance in the film being appreciated. She went on to reprise the same role in its Malayalam remake Ithu Nammude Katha. The film Shikkar alongside Mohanlal, gave her a big break in Malayalam. She did some thrilling scenes in the climax of the movie that impressed Mohanlal, which made him call her the "Vijayashanti" of Malayalam. She also played a supporting role in Kandahar, which saw her sharing screen space with Mohanlal and Amitabh Bachchan. In 2011, Ananya played one of the female lead roles in Engaeyum Eppothum, which received rave reviews and became a sleeper hit.
In 2014, she appeared in Pulivaal, her first Tamil release after three years.

Awards

;Kerala State Television Awards
;Filmfare Awards South
;Asianet Film Awards
  • 2010 – Best Supporting Actress : Seniors & Doctor Love
;Vijay Awards
  • 2009 – Best Debut Actress: Naadodigal
  • 2011 – Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actress: ''Engaeyum Eppothum''

    Filmography

YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1995Vridhammare SookshikkukaChild artistMalayalam
2008PositiveJyothiMalayalamCredited as Ayilya G. Nair
2009NaadodigalNallammaalTamilVijay Award for Best Debut Actress
2009Rahasya PoliceBhamaMalayalam
2010ShikkarGangaMalayalam
2010FiddleGayatriMalayalam
2010Oru Small FamilyAmmu VishwanathanMalayalam
2010KandaharStudent MalayalamSpecial appearance
2011Ithu Nammude KathaKalyaniMalayalam
2011SeedanMahalakshmiTamil
2011SeniorsJeniMalayalamAsianet Film Award For Best Supporting Actress
2011AmayakuduDivyaTeluguDebut in Telugu
2011Doctor LoveGowriMalayalamAsianet Film Award For Best Supporting Actress
2011Engaeyum EppothumAmudhaTamilFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil
Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actress
2011SandwichKanmaniMalayalam
2012KunjaliyanMayaMalayalam
2012MastersAshley JacobMalayalam
2012Mullamottum MunthiricharumRanimolMalayalam
2012Gokula KrishnaAishwaryaKannada
2013D CompanyIndumathiMalayalamSegment – "Oru Bolivian Diary 1995"
2013NadodimannanMeeraMalayalam
2014PulivaalSelviTamil
2014Thomson VillaSheeluMalayalam
2014Raktharakshassu 3DVampireMalayalam
2014AthithiVasukiTamil
2014100 Degree CelsiusGangaMalayalam
2015KalyanismKalyaniMalayalam
2015The ReporterTara ViswanathMalayalam
2015Iravum Pagalum VarumSonaTamil
2015Urumbukal UrangarillaSheelaMalayalam
2016A AaBhanumathiTelugu
2017TiyaanAmbaMalayalam
2018Oru Kuttanadan BlogGopan's wifeMalayalam
2019MaharshiPallaviTelugu
2020God FatherMithraTamil
2021BhramamSwapnaMalayalamReleased on Amazon Prime
2022AppanRosyMalayalam
2023NilaNilaMalayalam
2024SwargamCicilyMalayalam
Thiru.ManickamSumathiTamil-
2025DieselTamilLakshmi
KavithaMalayalamFilming

Discography

Television