Ranjini (actress)
| Ranjini | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sasha Selvaraj 1970 (age 43) Singapore |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation |
Film actress Lawyer Business |
Sasha Selvaraj, better known as Ranjini, is a Singapore-born Indian actress known for her roles in the Malayalam and Tamil films of the mid-1980s and early 1990s.
Selvaraj made her debut in the 1985 Tamil film Muthal Mariyathai directed by P Bharathiraja.[1] In 1987, she acted in Lenin Rajendran's Swathi Thirunal, a biopic on the Travancore ruler of the same name. Her second Malayalam film Chithram (1988), written by Sreenivasan and directed by Priyadarshan, went on to became a huge box office success.
Mohanlal-Ranjini was considered a golden duo in Malaylam cinema as all their films were commercial successes.[2]
Her next film, Koothara directed by Srinath Rajendran, is set to release on February 9, 2014. The film will mark her comeback to acting after a hiatus of two decades.
Career
Ranjini was born in Singapore as Sasha Selvaraj to Selvaraj and Lilly Selvaraj, originally from Tirunelveli. She was introduced to films by famous director P Bharathiraja, a friend of her father. Bharathiraja gave her the screen name of "Ranjini" for his 1985 film Muthal Mariyathai. Ranjini whose family was in Singapore then had flown down to Chennai taking a break from studies with the hope that the shooting would get over within two weeks.[3]
Her first Malayalam film was Swathi Thirunal in 1987, directed by Lenin Rajendran. The film was a critical success. She went on to act Malayalam films like Chithram, Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu (1988) and Kottayam Kunjachan (1990).
Selvaraj quit acting in films at the peak of her career to continue her studies and spent more time with her family in Singapore. [4] Her last film was Customs Diary (1993), directed by TS Suresh Babu. She travelled to London to do degree in credit management and later also acquired a law degree. She also worked for BBC for a short time.[5]
She is a graduate lawyer and is currently working as a joint director in an overseas education institution in Kochi, Kerala. She is married to Malayali businessman Pierre Kombara.[6]
Filmography
Tamil films
| No: | Film | Year | Character | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudhal Mariyathai | 1985 | sevuli | P. Bharathiraja | |
| 2 | [Avalai cholli kutramillai | 1986 | A.A.soman | ||
| 3 | Mannukkul vairam | 1986 | Manoj kumar | ||
| 4 | Kadalora Kavithaigal | 1986 | Bharathiraja | ||
| 5 | [Ayiram pookkal malarattum | 1986 | E.ramdas | ||
| 6 | Paru paru pattanam paru | 1986 | Manobala | ||
| 7 | Needhana andha kuyil ] | 1986 | R.selvaraj | ||
| 8 | Nalellam pournami | 1986 | S.S.Chandaran | ||
| 9 | Ayisu nooru | 1987 | Ponmani rajan | ||
| 10 | paasam oru Vesham | 1987 | Jayadevi | ||
| 11 | Parisam pottachu | 1987 | K.chozharajan | ||
| 12 | Urimai Geetham | 1987 | Ganga | R. V. Udayakumar | |
| 13 | Velitcham | 1987 | Sunthar k,Jayan | ||
| 14 | Arul tharum ayyappan | 1987 | Dasarathan | ||
| 15 | Muthukkal moondru | 1987 | [A.jagannathan] | ||
| 16 | Kudumbam oru koil | 1987 | [A.C.thirulokachander] | ||
| 17 | Thaimel aanai | 1988 | [Raja] | ||
| 18 | Puthu Mappillai | 1989 | B.S.Subramaniyan | ||
| 19 | Poruthadhu podhum | 1989 | [P.kalaimani] | ||
| 20 | Neruppunila | 1988 | T.janardhana | ||
| 21 | Sariyana jodi | 1989 | V.prabhakar | ||
| 22 | Samsarame saranam | 1989 | Jeevabalan | ||
| 23 | 'Sagalakala sammandhi | 1989 | Visu | ||
| 24 | 'dilli Babu | 1989 | pandiyarajan | ||
| 25 | 'Ellame En Thangachi' | 1989 | Visu | ||
| 26 | Kalyana rasi | 1990 | K.sivaprasad | ||
| 27 | Sir i love you | 1991 | [G.M.rangarajan] |
Malayalam films
| No: | Film | Year | Character | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swathi Thirunal | 1987 | Sugandhavalli | Lenin Rajendran | Her debut film in Malayalam | |
| 2 | Chithram | 1988 | Kalyani | Priyadarshan | ||
| 3 | Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu | 1988 | Sumitra | Priyadarshan | ||
| 4 | Adholokam | 1988 | Thevalakkara Chellapan | |||
| 5 | Varnam | 1989 | Ammu | Ashokan | ||
| 6 | News | 1989 | Megha | Shaji Kailas | ||
| 7 | Kaalal Pada | 1989 | Viji Thampi | |||
| 8 | Kauthuka Varthakal | 1990 | Rose Mary | Thulasidas | ||
| 9 | Rajavazhcha | 1990 | Mini | Sasikumar | ||
| 10 | Anantha Vruthantham | 1990 | Lateesha | P Anil | ||
| 11 | Prosecution | 1990 | Thulasidas | |||
| 12 | Orukkam | 1990 | Radha | K Madhu | ||
| 13 | Mukham | 1990 | Usha | Mohan | ||
| 14 | Nanma Niranjavan Srinivasan | 1990 | Viji Thampi | |||
| 15 | Pavakkooth | 1990 | K. Sreekuttan | |||
| 16 | Thooval Sparsam | 1990 | Sujatha | Kamal | ||
| 17 | Khandakavyam | |||||
| 18 | Sandram | 1990 | ||||
| 19 | Rajavazhcha | 1990 | ||||
| 20 | Sunday 7 pm | 1990 | ||||
| 21 | Kottayam Kunjachan | 1990 | Mollykkutty | T S Suresh Babu | ||
| 22 | Agni Nilavu | 1991 | ||||
| 23 | Kingini | 1992 | ||||
| 24 | Customs Diary | 1993 | Thara | |||
| 25 | Koothara | 2014 | Filming |
Notes
- ↑ "Interview with Ranjini". Vanitha (in Malayalam).
- ↑ People still call me Kalyani: Ranjini (Navamy Sudhish) 24th September 2013
- ↑ Will she? Won’t she? (TS Sreenivasa Raghavan) January 9, 2012
- ↑ People still call me Kalyani: Ranjini (Navamy Sudhish) 24th September 2013
- ↑ Will she? Won’t she? (TS Sreenivasa Raghavan) January 9, 2012
- ↑ Will she? Won’t she? (TS Sreenivasa Raghavan) January 9, 2012
External links
- Ranjini at the Internet Movie Database