Meera Jasmine

Meera Jasmine

Meera Jasmine in MA, USA during a stage show 2011 May
Born Jasmine Mary Joseph[1]
Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Nationality Indian
Ethnicity Nasrani
Occupation Actress
Years active 2001–present
Spouse(s) Anil John

Meera Jasmine, born Jasmine Mary Joseph, is an Indian actress from Thiruvalla, Kerala, who appears in South Indian cinema. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 and is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award, the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards,[2] as well as the Kalaimamani Award from the government of Tamil Nadu.[3] The Hindu called her "one of the few actors who could hold her own amongst stars and thespians in Malayalam cinema".[4]

Early life

Meera Jasmine was born in a Syrian Christian family in Kuttapuzha village in Thiruvalla,[1][5] Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India, to Joseph and Aleyamma.[6] She was the fourth of five children.[7] She has two sisters, Jiby Sara Joseph and Jeny Susan Joseph,[8] who has also acted in films,[9][10][11] and two brothers, one of them, George worked as an assistant cinematographer.[12] She completed her schooling in Bala Vihar, Thiruvalla and Marthoma Residential School, Thiruvalla. She appeared for her Higher Secondary Exams in March 2000. She had enrolled for a BSc degree in Zoology at Assumption College, Changanassery and completed nearly three months when she was spotted by director Blessy (who was then an assistant director to director Lohithadas) and offered a role in Soothradharan.

Meera had initially wanted to study and become a doctor and never had dreamed of becoming a film star.[1] She stated, "I was just an ordinary girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being in films. I had not acted even in school plays. I never was the artistic type, I never thought I could dance, and I had not even thought of myself as being beautiful".[13] She also said that Lohithadas "is like a father figure and my guru. He initiated me into films with Soothradharan and I owe it all to him".[5]

Career

Malayalam

Meera Jasmine made her debut in the Malayalam film Soothradharan.[14] Her second film was Gramaphone, directed by Kamal, in which she appeared alongside Navya Nair and Dileep.[14] Her role as a Jewish girl was appreciated by Malayalam critics. Her third film was Swapnakkoodu, a romantic comedy alongside Prithviraj, Kunchako Boban, Jayasurya, and Bhavana under director Kamal. Her performance was appreciated and the film was a high commercial success.[1] Among the five main characters, the one who scored the most was again Meera.[15] She rose to fame in Malayalam cinema with the film Kasthooriman directed by her mentor Lohithadas, in which she enacted comedy and sentimental scenes. She received her first Filmfare award for her performance in Kasthooriman. The film was also a success at the box office, running for 100 days. The same year, she acted in T. V. Chandran's acclaimed Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam. She played a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was forced to marry an older man, for which she was awarded a State Award and the National Award in addition with several other awards.[16] It was followed by her performance as Raziya in Perumazhakkalam alongside Kavya Madhavan.

In the film Achuvinte Amma (2005), she enacted the young, adorable character Achu.[17] She then paired with Mohanlal in Rasathanthram (2006). She played as a girl pretending to be a boy in the first half of the film. The film went on to became a commercial success. Her next film with Dileep – Vinodayathra, which again was directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. She was next featured opposite Mammootty in the critically acclaimed film Ore Kadal. The film was showcased in film festivals and won awards. Her performance as an innocent middle class woman won praise from audiences. Media quoted her as, "Matching step with the megastar in this histrionic race is Meera Jasmine, who amazes you with a stunning delineation of her difficult role" . Her next film was Calcutta News with Dileep. Blessy, who introduced her to film field, was the director of Calcutta News. In Innathe Chintha Vishayam (2008), she collaborated with Sathyan Anthikkad for his fourth consecutive film, again opposite Mohanlal, but failed to succeed. Her next films Minnaminnikoottam with Kamal and Rathri Mazha with Lenin Rajendran, which released after a long post-production delay, were box office failures.

More than a year later, she played the role of a playback singer in Rajeev Anchal's Paattinte Palazhy.[4] Though the film was commercially not successful, her character was noted and her performance gave her a comeback. Her next film, Four Friends, was a multi-starrer directed by Saji Surendran. She played the role of a cancer patient in this film. In the 2011 film Mohabbat, she played the lead role opposite Anand Michael and Munna. After a brief hiatus, she began committing films by late-2012. She was keen in choosing more women-centric roles and in Babu Janardhanan's Lisammayude Veedu, a sequel to the 2006 film Achanurangatha Veedu, her role was that of a serial rape victim. She acted opposite Mohanlal in Siddique's comedy film Ladies and Gentleman. Her latest project is Shajiyem's Ms. Lekha Tharoor Kanunnathu, a fantasy film in which she plays a dynamic media person, who unexpectedly starts envisaging happenings that cannot be accepted according to the general perception.[18] She has signed up for Ithinumappuram, a period film based in the 70s, in which she plays a highly orthodox and rich Nair woman who falls in love with someone from a lower caste and gets married against her parents' will.[19]

Tamil

Meera Jasmine's Tamil debut was Run, directed by Lingusamy, which became a high success in Tamil Nadu and made her a sought-after actress.[1] The successes of Run and her next Bala (2002) gave her the chance to work with the established actors of the Tamil film industry. Though her successive film did not fare as well,[1] she was noticed by director Mani Ratnam who gave her a role in Aayutha Ezhuthu. Meera, who did not know Tamil, worked on her diction, and spoke dubbing for her herself in the film.[1] She later appeared in SS Stanley in Mercury Pookkal. Her latest Tamil film, Mambattiyan got released in December 2011. Meera has acted in 15 Tamil films.

Telugu and Kannada

Meera Jasmine became noted in the Telugu film industry with Run, the dubbed version of the same-titled Tamil film. She was in the Telugu films in 2004 with Ammayi Bagundi and Gudumba Shankar but also entered Kannada cinema by co-starring with Puneet Rajkumar in Maurya. Her Kannada film Arasu again with Puneet Rajkumar and Ramya is a hit. Her other Kannada films include Devaru Kotta Thangi and Ijjodu. Ijjodu, in which she played Chenni, a Basavi woman, who ends up becoming a sex worker, was screened at four prestigious domestic film festivals and garnered critical acclaim.[20]

Meera Jasmine's biggest commercial success in Telugu remains Bhadra with Ravi Teja in the male lead. Her other Telugu films are Raraju, Maharadhi, Yamagola Malli Modalayindi, Gorintaku and Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu, in which she is paired for a second time with Sivaji.

Personal life

In 2008 she said in an interview that she will be marrying Mandolin Rajesh, "but not for the next two or three years".[21] Meera is married to Anil John Titus on 9 February 2014 who works as an engineer in Dubai.[22]

Controversy

She offered prayers at Raja Rajeshwara temple at Taliparamba in Kerala where the entry of non-Hindus is prohibited. This led to a controversy and sparked off a protest by Hindu devotees. Later, she paid INR10000 (US$160) as penalty to the temple authorities to conduct the purification rituals.[23][24]

In 2008 she faced an unofficial ban in the Malayalam film industry issued by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), after she refused to shoot for Twenty:20, a film distributed by actor Dileep for AMMA.[25][26] Meera however said that she was not aware of a ban and that she was continuing shooting for Malayalam films.[21]

Awards

National Film Awards
Kerala State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

Tamil Nadu Government

Filmfare Awards South
Asianet Film Awards
V. Shantaram Awards
Vanitha Film Awards
Mathrubhumi Film Awards
Other Awards

Filmography

Year Title Role Language Notes
2001 Soothradharan Shivani Malayalam
2002 Run Priya Tamil
Bala Aarthi Tamil
2003 Kasthoorimann Priyamvada Malayalam Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress
Pudhiya Geethai Sushi Tamil
Gramaphone Jennifer Malayalam
Swapnakkoodu Kamala Malayalam
Anjaneya Divya Tamil
Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam Shahina Malayalam National Film Award for Best Actress
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress
Asianet Award for Best Actress
Joot Meera Tamil
Chakram Indrani Malayalam
2004 Ammayi Bagundi Janani,
Satya 		Telugu
Aayutha Ezhuthu Sasi Tamil
Maurya Alamelu Kannada
Gudumba Shankar Gowri Telugu
Perumazhakkalam Raziya Malayalam Asianet Award for Best Actress
2005 Achuvinte Amma Ashwathy Malayalam Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress
Asianet Award for Best Actress
Bhadra Anu Telugu
Kasthuri Maan Uma Tamil Tamil Nadu State Special Award for Best Actress
Sandakozhi Hema Tamil
2006 Mercury Pookkal Anbu Chelvi Tamil
Rasathanthram Kanmani Malayalam
Raraju Jyothi Telugu
2007 Arasu Aishu Kannada
Maharadhi Kalyani Telugu
Thirumagan Ayyakka Tamil
Vinodayathra Anupama Malayalam
Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram Shweta Tamil
Yamagola Malli Modalayindi Aishwarya Telugu
Ore Kadal Deepti Malayalam Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress
Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress
Asianet Award for Best Actress
2008 Calcutta News Krishnapriya Malayalam Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress
Innathe Chintha Vishayam Kamala Malayalam
Nepali Priya Tamil
Minnaminnikoottam Charulatha Malayalam
Rathri Mazha Meera Malayalam
Gorintaku Lakshmi Telugu
Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu Rajeswari Telugu
2009 Mariyadhai Chandra Tamil
Bangaru Babu Meera Telugu
A Aa E Ee Kalyani Chandram Telugu
Devaru Kotta Thangi Lakshmi Kannada
2010 Aakasa Ramanna Tara Telugu
Sivappu Mazhai Samyuktha Tamil
Ijjodu Cheeni Kannada
Pen Singam Meghala Tamil
Hoo Jasmine Kannada
Paattinte Palazhy Veena Malayalam
Four Friends Gowri Malayalam
2011 Ilaignan Meera Tamil
Mohabbat Sajna Malayalam
Mambattiyan Kannaathal Tamil
2012 Aathi Narayana Laila Tamil
2013 Lisammayude Veedu Lisamma Malayalam
Ladies and Gentleman Aswathy/Achu Malayalam
Moksha Moksha Telugu
Ms Lekha Tharoor Kaanunnathu Lekha Malayalam
2014 Inga Enna Solluthu Rajeshwari Tamil
'[Vingyani Kaveri Tamil
Onnum Mindaathe Syama Malayalam
Ithinumappuram Rukmini Malayalam
Mazhaneerthullikal Aparna Malayalam [41]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Meera Jasmine: Destiny's child
  2. ↑ State Awards for the year 2005 – Govt. of Tamil Nadu – Tamil Movie News
  3. ↑ Home Page
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Striking the right chord". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 5 March 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Scent of the Jasmine". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 29 November 2004.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Mature portrayal". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 26 September 2004.
  8. ↑ "Meera Jasmine's sisters seek anticipatory bail". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 19 October 2004.
  9. ↑ Tamil movies : Meera Jasmine’s patch up with her family
  10. ↑ Meera's sister to produce a movie – Malayalam Movie News
  11. ↑ Epitomising the sibling bond – The New Indian Express
  12. ↑ Meera can't stand her brother – Oneindia Entertainment
  13. ↑ Shining star – Deccan Herald
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Meera Jasmin". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 11 November 2002. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  15. ↑ "Youth Stuff". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  16. ↑ "'Shwaas' adjudged the best film". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  17. ↑ മനസുകൊണ്ട് ഞാനിപ്പോഴേ ഒരു കുടുംബിനി – articles,infocus_interview – Mathrubhumi Eves
  18. ↑ Parvathy Nambidi (14 May 2013). "Following Ms Tharoor". The New Indian Express.
  19. ↑ "Meera Jasmine in women centric film – The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Sathyu's back with Ijjodu – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "I will be marrying Mandolin Rajesh: Meera – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  22. ↑ Meera Jasmine To Tie The Knot In February! – Oneindia Entertainment
  23. ↑ "Jasmine sparks row by entering temple". The Times of India. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2006.
  24. ↑ "Tryst with god costs Meera dear". DNA. Retrieved 2 July 2006.
  25. ↑ "Meera banned in Malayalam films? – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  26. ↑ Meera Jasmine carves a niche for herself | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis
  27. ↑ Filmfare: Manassinakkare bags four awards
  28. ↑ "55th annual Tiger Balm South Filmfare Awards-Chennai-Cities-The Times of India". The Times of India. 13 July 2008.
  29. ↑ Asianet award for Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine
  30. ↑ "Kazcha" bags five "Ujjala-Asianet" Film Award-2005 '
  31. ↑ Mathrubhumi film awards for Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine
  32. ↑ "Perumazhakalam" bags 11 "Mathrubhumi-Medimix" Award
  33. ↑ My-Kerala.com: News
  34. ↑ 16-07-03
  35. ↑ The Hindu : Film critics' awards announced
  36. ↑ Mohanlal gets Kerala Film Critics association award : Down South News : ApunKaChoice.Com
  37. ↑ Thikkurushi award for Meera Jasmine and Prithviraj
  38. ↑ Mammootty and Meera win Fokana awards, നല്ല നടന്‍ മമ്മൂട്ടി, നടി മീര
  39. ↑ "Amrita film awards announced". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 21 March 2008.
  40. ↑ "Meera Jasmine bags Sreevidya best actress award". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 16 October 2008.
  41. ↑

External links

Awards
National Film Award
Preceded by
Konkona Sen Sharma
for Mr. and Mrs. Iyer		 Best Actress
for Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam
2004 		Succeeded by
Tara
for Hasina