Kasthuri Shankar


Kasthuri Shankar is an Indian actress, model and television presenter who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language films.

Personal life

She was born in a Brahmin family to Sumathi, a lawyer and P.S. Shankar. She has one younger brother. She is married and has a son and a daughter. Her daughter is a leukemia survivor.

Career

After graduation from Ethiraj College for Women, Shankar won Miss Chennai in 1992. In the same year, she won the Femina Miss Madras beauty pageant too. While studying in college, she started her career in modelling over interest in the domain. Not only was she a successful model, but also, she was a finalist in the BBC's Mastermind India in 2000. Her acting career began in 1991 with the film, Aatha Un Koyilile. From working on small budget Tamil films, she went on to work into more mainstream movies alongside legends, such as Kamal Haasan in Indian. A 30-minute documentary film, Kasthuri: A South Indian Film Star, was released as a tribute to her success in the film industry. She gained attention for her acting skills in Annamayya and dance performance in Kaadhal Kavithai.
She later made a comeback to hosting television-based quiz shows in the 2010s, and worked on Vina Vidai Vettai for Puthuyugam TV. Her debut comeback film was Malai Malai. She also notably portrayed a key supporting role as an investigative agent in Adhik Ravichandran's Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, appearing alongside Silambarasan.
After rejecting the opportunity to appear on the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil in 2018, she joined the third season of the show in 2019 as a wildcard entry contestant. After that, she made her comeback to Telugu audience in Intinti Gruhalakshmi serial which airs on Star Maa now.

Political career

Shankar campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata party in Madurai during the 2024 Indian general elections.

Other work

Columns

In the late 1990s, Shankar wrote a weekly column titled "Keep It Simple Stupid" in the Kumudham magazine.

Topless photoshoot

In 2014, she was photographed topless and half-nude as a part of Jade Beall's book The Bodies of Mothers: A Beautiful Body Project.

Social commentary and controversies

Shankar is an active commentator regarding social issues through an occasional column with the Times of India and via Twitter, and her tweets have sometimes elicited debate in the media. In early 2017, she questioned Rajinikanth's ability as a potential politician, and her opinion garnered criticism from the actor's fans. In late 2018, she criticised Rajinikanth's ignorance over the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and engaged in a further exchange with Rajinikanth's supporters. Shankar spoke out as a part of the Me Too movement in India, suggesting that her reluctance to give into patriarchal behaviour meant that she was removed from several film projects. She revealed that one male actor took a particular vengeance against her for her rebuff to his advances, and subsequently made it difficult for her to work on other projects. She criticised directors Bharathiraja and S. Shankar in April 2019, she said director Bharathiraja and his son has black skin and they use North Indian girls with lighter skin in their movies while S. Shankar goes a long way and imports white skin foreign girls in his movies. While Shankar declares herself an Indian patriot, her husband and two children are all US-born American citizens. During the row over the comments made by DMK MP Elangovan against Hindi, Shankar criticized him stating that she was personally offended as she was of mixed lineage herself.
A person, who claimed himself to be actor Ajith's fan, had allegedly made sexist comments against Shankar in January 2020. A week after this, Shankar blasted him, by suggesting him to ask his mother or sister if he wants a woman for sex. She used the tag #dirtyajithfans, which started trending in India. Some fans of Ajith created #DirtyKasthuriAunty to counter this. A war of words continued and created a controversy.
On 17 November 2024, Shankar was arrested in Hyderabad following derogatory and controversial statements against the Telugu community settled in Tamil Nadu at an event organized by the Hindu Makkal Katchi demanding to create of an exclusive legislation to protect the Brahmin community on the lines of the PCR Act for the Scheduled Castes.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleLanguageNotes
1991Aatha Un KoyilileKasthuriTamil
1991ChakravarthyPraseethaMalayalam
1991Rasathi Varum NaalRadhaTamil
1992Government MappillaiMallariaTamil
1992ChinnavarMeenaTamil
1992Urimai OonjaladugiradhuUmaTamil
1992Senthamizh PattuShanmathiTamil
1992AbhiramiDhanamTamil
1992Gang WarKaveriTelugu
1993Rakkayi KoyilVellaiyammaTamil
1993Pudhiya MugamRaja's first wifeTamil
1993AathmaUmaTamil
1993Pass MarkShanthiTamil
1993Udan PirappuSumathiTamil
1993Nippu RavvaBharathiTelugu
1993Enga MuthalaliKalyaniTamil
1994Amaidhi PadaiThayammaTamil
1994Watchman VadivelRadhaTamil
1994JaanaKasturiKannada
1994Raja PandiPonnuthaayiTamil
1994Thendral Varum TheruNaliniTamil
1995Sindhu BathShobanaTamil
1995Chinna ManiChinna ManiTamil
1995KolangalUmaTamil
1995Aakaya PookalKamakshiTamil
1995God FatherArunaTelugu
1995AgrajanSreedeviMalayalam
1995RadholsavamChempakamMalayalam
1995Aniyan Bava Chetan BavaAmmuMalayalam
1996Ibbara Naduve Muddina AataKannada
1996IndianKasthuriTamil
1996KrishnaLizyTamil
1996Soggadi PellamJyothiTelugu
1996MerupuPremaTelugu
1996Rendu Kutumbala KathaHemaTelugu
1997ChilakkottuduKasturiTelugu
1997Ratha YatraGangaTelugu
1997AnnamayyaAkkalammaTelugu
1997Maa Ayana BangaramTelugu
1997NazarrBansuriHindi
1998Mangalya PallakkuSeethalakshmiMalayalam
1998Thutta MuttaDr. SeemaKannada
1998One Man ArmyKasthooriKannada
1998SnehamRadhikaMalayalam
1998Kaadhal KavidhaiSwapnaTamil
1999HabbaAnuKannada
1999SuyamvaramUmaTamil
1999PanchapandavarNandiniMalayalam
2001Engalukkum Kaalam VarumPoojaTamil
2001DosthTamilSpecial appearance in the song "Hey Sal Sal"
2001Akasa VeedhiloPadmaTelugu
2001Premakke SaiVedhaKannada
2002AdheenaPrincess AdheenaMalayalam
2009Malai MalaiLakshmiTamil
2010Tamizh PadamDancerTamilSpecial appearance in the song "Kuthuvilakku"
2010Gudu Gudu GunjamMalleeshwariTelugu
2010Don SeenuLakshmiTelugu
2011PathinaaruIlavarasiTamilGuest appearance
2011Thoonga NagaramTamilSpecial appearance
2012NaangaChithraTamil
2013Azhagan AzhagiTamilSpecial appearance in the song "Ethuvarai Vaanam"
2013Naan Rajavaga PogirenBharathiTamil
2014VadacurrySatish's sister in lawTamil
2014Naan Ponnu Ondru KandenTamilSpecial appearance in the song "Othaya Retaya"
2017Anbanavan Asaradhavan AdangadhavanRubyTamil
2017SamanthakamaniKrishna's motherTelugu
2018Traffic RamasamyWitness in courtTamilGuest appearance
2018Tamizh Padam 2TamilSpecial appearance in the song "Vaa Vaa Kaama"
2020Velvet NagaramGauriTamil
2021EPCO 302S. Durga IPSTamil
2022GodfatherBrahma's motherTelugu
2023TamilarasanJagadeeswariTamil
2023Rayar ParambaraiRayar's sisterTamil
2023StrikerTamil
2024SimbaaTelugu
2025Devil's Double Next LevelDevaki and ShilpaTamilDual role
2025Raagu KethuTamil
2025Oho Enthan BabyAshwin's motherTamil