Vidhya Venkatesh

Vidhya Venkatesh is an Indian actress, who has appeared in Tamil and Kannada language films. After making her debut with Kamal Haasan in the Tamil film Panchathanthiram , she won critical acclaim for her performances in Kannada movies like Chigurida Kanasu and Nenapirali. Her performance in Nenapirali won her Best Actress Award at 53rd [Filmfare Awards South].

Career

Vidhya Venkatesh did a degree a BA Literature at Ethiraj College, Chennai before beginning work as a part of the Sheraton Hotels and Resorts franchise. She then spent two and a half years working as an air hostess for Singapore Airlines, flying predominantly between Singapore and Russia. Vidhya was interested in acting in films and approached K. S. Ravikumar for a role in the Kamal Haasan-starrer Panchathanthiram, and was able to successfully audition for the role of Sriman's Telugu wife in the film. She then appeared in the low-budget film Kalatpadai alongside several newcomers and won positive reviews for her portrayal, with a reviewer noting that she is "excellent in her role" and that "she comes into her own as the movie proceeds". Her modelling co-ordinator subsequently put her pictures through to Kannada director Nagabharana and she next appeared in Chigurida Kanasu . She followed it up with a critically acclaimed performance in Nenapirali, for which she won the Filmfare [Award for Best Actress – Kannada|Filmfare Award for Best Kannada Actress].