Kausalya

Kavitha Shivshankar (born: 30 December 1979 ), commonly known as Kausalya (in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries) or Nandini (in Malayalam film industry), is an Indian actress and model, who has starred mainly in South Indian cinema. After starting her career in leading roles, she has since gone on to portray supporting roles.

Career Nandini was pursuing a modelling career, before she debuted in the 1996 Malayalam film April 19 by Balachandra Menon. The following year, she appeared in her first Tamil film Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga (1997) with Murali and went on to star in several successful films in Tamil like Nerukku Ner (1997), Priyamudan (1998), Sollamale (1998), Pooveli (1998), Vaanathaippola (2000) and Kutty (2001).

She went on to appear in many Malayalam films including Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu (1998), Karumadikkuttan (2001), Sundara Purushan (2001), Shivam (2002), Udayam (2004), Vajram (2004), Maanikyan (2004) and Sooryan (2007).

She won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for her performance in Pooveli. She mostly acted in saree-clad and conservative roles. By the mid-2000s, she turned character artiste and went on to portray supporting roles in films such as Thirumalai (2003) and Santosh Subramaniam (2008) and ventured into television with the series Manaivi which aired 436 episodes on Sun TV.

In 2004, she attempted to make a comeback as a lead actress but unfortunately several of her projects became delayed. Films such as Thiagarajan's Police which starred her alongside Prashanth, Manadhil with Karthik, Vendumadi Nee Enakku and Rosappoo Chinna Rosappoo with Sathyaraj, were readied but then stalled in quick succession.

Kausalya returned to the Tamil industry after 5 years with the action film, Poojai (2014).

She was previously seen playing the role of Sukanya in the popular daily soap Amma, has now joined the cast of another popular show, Sundari.

Personal life Kausalya was born in Bangalore, Karnataka. Her father Shivashankar Siddalingappa, a Bangalorean, worked as a depot manager at Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. Her mother is half Marathi and half Kannadiga, and was born and brought up in Sri Lanka. Her grandmother was from Sri Lanka.

Awards Filmfare Award South 1998: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil – Pooveli

Filmography

Films Year Title Role Language Notes 1996 April 19 Nandhini Malayalam 1997 Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga Kausalya Tamil Nerukku Ner Akila Tamil Lelam Gouri Parvathi Malayalam 1998 Jolly Anitha Tamil Priyamudan Priya Tamil Sollamale Swetha Tamil Unnudan Gowri Tamil Pooveli Maha Tamil Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu Priyadarshini Malayalam 1999 Alludugaaru Vachcharu Mahalakshmi Telugu Thachiledathu Chundan Usha Malayalam Panchadara Chilaka Kalyani Telugu Aasaiyil Oru Kaditham Lakshmi Tamil 2000 Vaanathaippola Nandini Tamil Eazhaiyin Sirippil Kausalya Tamil Thai Porandhachu Geetha Tamil Raja Kaliamman Meena Tamil Sandhitha Velai Agalya Tamil James Pandu Kausalya Tamil Ilaiyavan Janani Tamil Kuberan Kavitha Tamil 2001 Engalukkum Kaalam Varum Lakshmi Tamil Thaali Kaatha Kaliamman Karpagam Tamil Naranathu Thampuran Hemalatha Malayalam Kunguma Pottu Gounder Saraswathi Tamil Karumadikuttan Nandinikutty Malayalam Kutty Rohini Tamil Sundara Purushan Sridevi Malayalam Manadhai Thirudivittai Indhu Tamil Jameendar Malayalam 2002 Devan Jacqueline Tamil Shivam Dr. Gayathri Bhadran Malayalam 2003 Ree Swalpa Barteera Kausalya Kannada Gandhinagara Kannada Badri Soni Kannada Thirumalai Nagalakshmi Tamil 2004 Udayam Anju Malayalam Vajram Nanda Devarajan Malayalam Gowri Nagalaxmi Telugu 2005 Maanikyan Nirmala Menon Malayalam Mahanandi Mrs. Swami Telugu 2007 Sooryan Raji Malayalam Viyyalavari Kayyalu Bhoopati Rayudu's wife Telugu 2008 Santosh Subramaniam Santosh's sister Tamil 2009 Satrumun Kidaitha Thagaval Tamil I G Inspector General Yamini Malayalam Ghauttham Geetha Kannada 2010 Rambabu Gadi Pellam Telugu 2014 Poojai Susheela Tamil 2015 Elinjikkavu PO Lekshmi Malayalam 2016 Anuraga Karikkin Vellam Anuradha Malayalam 2017 Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae Sangili Aandavar's sister Tamil Rarandoi Veduka Chudham Kaushalya Telugu Brahma.com Kamu's mother Tamil 2018 Koottali Lakshmi Tamil Jayamahal Queen Matangi Kannada Echcharikkai Jaanu Tamil Mandharam Lakshmi, Rajesh's mother Malayalam Savyasachi Mahalakshmi Telugu 2019 4 Letters Anjali's mother Telugu Natpe Thunai Prabhakaran's mother Tamil Khyla Mithra Tamil 2021 Michaelpatty Raja Laila's real mother Tamil Engada Iruthinga Ivvalavu Naala Sanjay's mother Tamil Rang De Arjun's mother Telugu Uthra Devi Tamil 2022 Hero Subbu's mother Telugu Radha Krishna Tamil 2023 Saandrithazh Tamil 2024 Purushothamudu Rachit's mother Telugu 2025 Kiss Lily Tamil 2026 Manithan Deivamagalam Tamil

Television