Menaka (actress)
| Menaka G | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Padmavathi 27 August 1963 (age 52) Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Years active | 1980–1987, 2011–present |
| Spouse(s) | Suresh Kumar (1987-present) |
| Children | Revathy Suresh and Keerthy Suresh |
| Parent(s) | Rajagopal, Saroja |
Menaka (born 27 August 1963) is an Indian film actress and producer. She is a native of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu.[1] In her short film career 1980–86, Menaka acted in 116 films, mostly in Malayalam. She did a few films in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.[2] She has worked with many leading actors of the time, including Prem Nazir, Soman and Sukumaran,and opposite top actors of the 1980s like Shankar and Nedumudi Venu.[3] She has acted opposite current superstars Mammootty, Mohanlal and Rajinikanth. After 19 years, she made a comeback through the teleserial Kaliveedu directed by Purusothaman and produced by A. Radhakrishnan.[4] Again after six years, she made a comeback on the big screen through Fazil's 2011 film Living Together.[5]
Personal life
Menaka was born as Padmavathi on 27 August 1963 and belongs to a conservative Nagercoil Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family.[6] Her father Rajagopal is from Tenkasi and mother Saroja is from Thickurichy.[7] She has three brothers: Govinda, Sundar, and Balaji.
Menaka married film producer Suresh Kumar at the Lord Krishna temple, at Guruvayur, on 27 October 1987.[6] She produces films under the banner Revathy Kalamandhir. She has two daughters: Revathi and Keerthi.[6] Keerthi as a child actress acted in Kuberan starring Dileep, Bijumenon starred Achaneyanenikkishtam and Pilots with Suresh Gopi.[8] She acted in Priyadarshan's movie Geethaanjali as heroine.[9]
Filmography
Malayalam
Tamil films
| Year | Title | Role | Co-star | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Ramayi Vayasukku Vanthutta | Udaya Shankar | Ventanipatti | Debut movie | |
| 1980 | Savithri | ||||
| 1981 | Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum | Sister | Sivaji, Saritha, Saratbabu | ||
| 1981 | Netri Kann | Menaka | Rajinikanth, Lakshmi | S. P. Muthuraman | |
| 1982 | Nijangal | Menaka | Sivakumar, | K. S. Sethumadhavan | |
| 1982 | Kathoduthan Naan Pesuven | ||||
| 1983 | Urangatha Ninaivugal | Menaka | Sivakumar, Lakshmi | R. Bhaskaran | |
| 2012 | Mattuthavani | ||||
Hindi films
| Year | Title | Role | Co-star | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Bhayaanak Panjaa | Anil Dhawan, Gajendra | R. Mittal |
Kannada films
| Year | Title | Role | Co-star | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samayada Gombe | Role From Dr. Raj Sister |
Produced films
| Year | Title | Cast | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Vettam | Dileep, Bhavna Pani, Kalabhavan Mani | Priyadarshan | |
| 2002 | Kuberan | Dileep, Samyuktha Varma | Sundar Das | |
| 2002 | Katha | Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kavya Madhavan | Sundar Das | |
| 2002 | Shivam | Biju Menon, Saikumar | Shaji Kailas | |
| 2001 | Achaneyanenikkishtam | Biju Menon, Jagathy | Suresh Krishna | Guest appearance by Mohanlal |
| 2000 | Pilots | Suresh Gopi, Sreenivasan | Rajiv Anchal | |
| 2000 | Cover Story | Suresh Gopi, Nedumudi Venu, Tabu, Biju Menon | G. S. Vijayan | |
| 1997 | Aaram Thamburan | Mohanlal, Manju Warrier | Shaji Kailas | |
| 1994 | Kashmeeram | Suresh Gopi, Priya Raman | Rajiv Anchal | |
| 1993 | Butterflies | Mohanlal, Jagadeesh | Rajiv Anchal | |
| 1992 | Australia | Mohanlal, Shankar | Rajiv Anchal | Unreleased film |
| 1991 | Vishnulokam | Mohanlal, Jagadeesh | Kamal |
Television career
- Ammakkayi (SuryaTV)
- Chithra Shalabham (Asianet)
- Kaliveedu
References
- ↑ Movies | Nostalgia |. Manorama Online (23 December 2013). Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- ↑ Malayalam actress Menaka returns to acting – Malayalam Movie News. Indiaglitz.com (9 March 2005). Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- ↑ സിനിമ എങ്ങനെ ഞാന് മറക്കും – articles,infocus_interview – Mathrubhumi Eves. Mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- ↑ Kerala News – Menaka. Kerals.com (26 September 2005). Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- ↑ Menaka is back in front of the camera. Sify.com (29 October 2010). Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 Menaka was treated like a queen. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 26 January 2014.
- ↑ http://cinidiary.com/people.php?pigsection=Actor&picata=2&no_of_displayed_rows=20&no_of_rows_page=10&sletter=
- ↑ http://www.mangalam.com/mangalam-varika/84386
- ↑ ഞാന് കീര്ത്തി; മേനകയുടെ മകള്. mangalam.com (16 August 2013). Retrieved on 26 January 2014.