Kutti Revathi

Life Following school, she pursued her bachelor's degree in Siddha medicine and surgery at Palayamkottai Government Siddha Medical College. She had been pursuing her doctoral research in medical anthropology at the Madras Institute of Development Studies in Chennai. Revathi received the Sigaram 15: Faces of Future award for literature from India Today and was awarded a travel grant in 2005 by the Sahitya Akademi to meet leading litterateurs from India and she met Mahashweta Devi through the grant.

She is a contemporary Tamil poet and her poetry "Mulaigal" (Breasts) is a groundbreaking and highly debated poetry collection. Published in 2002, the book explores women’s bodily autonomy, sexuality, and lived experiences, using nature and the female form as symbols of liberation and resistance against patriarchal censorship.

Poems and Literature This body of work spans more than two decades and is widely recognized for its exploration of the female body, desire, memory, language, history, caste, war, ecology, and the politics of gender in contemporary Tamil society. Through a distinctive poetic voice, Kutti Revathi has emerged as an influential figures in modern Tamil literature.

Short Story Collections நிறைய அறைகள் உள்ள வீடு (The House with Many Rooms, 2013) விரல்கள் (Fingers, 2018) மீமொழி (Meta-Language, 2020) இயக்கம் (Movement, 2020) நூறாயிரம் சொற்கள் - தொன்மச் சிறுகதைகள் (One Hundred Thousand Words: Mythic Short Stories, 2021) மிகை - குறுங்கதைகள் (Excess, 2023) ஊன் வளர்த்தாள் உயிர் வளர்த்தாளே (She Nurtured the Flesh. She Nurtured Life, 2023) தனிமையின் வெளி (The Space of Solitude, 2025)

Kutti Revathi's writing extends to literary explorations of gender, memory, mythology, embodiment, language, and social transformation. These works are distinguished by their experimental narrative forms, feminist perspectives, and engagement with the intersections of history, mythology, and contemporary life.

Panikkudam is the first Tamil feminist magazine of her claimed varied aspects such as family, politics, business, discovery of feminine language, introducing modern play, novels, short stories and poetry created by women writers.

Interviews of women writers, introduction to modern poetry and short stories, translations of such works into Tamil from World languages, discussions of the creative process and sangam literature were some of the elements that made the part of the magazine. and the most popular song "Nenje Ezhu" . Upon the musical success of the album especially both the tracks, her lyrical styles were critically applauded. She wrote the lyrics for the song "Ennile Maha Oliyo" that was aired on MTV Coke Studio (India). And She also has written a song for the music scored by Oscar composer AR Rahman in Tamil Version of the film MOM directed by Ravi Udyawar.

Have also written lyrics for the songs in the successful films, Maya directed by Ashwin Saravanan, & 8 Thottakkal directed by Sri Ganesh. She made her directorial debut with the film Siragu.

Filmography She directed a short film, ‘Agamugam’ (The Inner Face), 2022 – Short Film - 5 minutes. Shot entirely on an iPhone. Honoured with the Best Short Film Award at the A.R. Rahman Foundation’s Short Film Festival. Official Selection, IAWRT Chapter India’s Asian Women’s Festival 2023 (18th Edition), as part of the iTales Anthology. She also directed, ‘Kodai Irul’ (Darkness of Summer) – Feature Film, 84 min, 2023. A poignant cinematic journey into the hidden world of India’s most ancient Irula tribes - snake catching tribes. World Premiere: Chennai International Film Festival 2023. International Premiere: BRICS 2024, Moscow International Film Festival. Opening Film: 10th Jaffna International Film Festival – Debut Film Competition. Official Selection: Panchajanyam Film Festival, Kerala, 2024. Directed Siragu (Wing) – Feature Film, 2019; Produced by Mala Manyan, First Copy Productions. Premiered at NTFF, Norway, 2023. Directed, VANJI (2025), The story of Tamil Epic Kundalakesi, Placed in the time 7th century. - Produced by Bala Swaminathan, Tamil & Tamilar Diaspora Foundation & Bheem Movies. Vanji was officially screened at Cannes 2026 Marché du Film

Documentaries Looking Through the Glass (2002) - A documentary on the legendary poet Kamala Das. The Silence of a Withering Tree (2003) - A visual poetry film. Kal Manithargal (2009) - A documentary on the harsh realities and silent struggles of stone quarry workers across Tamil Nadu.A powerful testament to resilience amid exploitation, capturing the rhythm of lives shaped by stone and survival. Naadu Kaan Kaathai (2010) - A travelogue–documentary on Kannagi, created for the World Storytelling Institute. Withered Wings (2010) - A testimonial documentary made for women from a Chennai-based corporate. Change Paper (2010) - A Tamil-language documentary for People’s Development Initiative (Salem & Trichy) in collaboration with Implicados, Galicia (Spain).Co-directed and produced by Maria Reimóndez, Luis Tosar, and Kutti Revathi. ‘Abraham Pandithar’s Karunamirthasagaram’, - in the making. A three hour long documentary for AR Rahman Foundation. A 3000 year history of Thamizh music. Yet to be released.

She was featured in "She Write" (2005), an acclaimed documentary film directed by the filmmaker duo Anjali Monteiro and K.P. Jayasankar. The documentary focuses on the lives, politics, and creative journeys of four contemporary Tamil women poets.