Menaka

Menaka Suresh, (born Padmavathi Iyengar) known mononymously as Menaka, is an Indian actress and film producer. She made her debut in the 1980 Tamil film Ramayi Vayasukku Vanthutta. In an acting career spanning from 1980 to 1987, Menaka appeared in over 125 films as a heroine, mostly in Malayalam. She also appeared in few Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. She married Malayalam film producer G. Suresh Kumar. After 19 years, she made a comeback through the television serial Kaliveedu. At 8th SIIMA, she received SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life Menaka, whose real name is Padmavathy Iyengar, was born into a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district, Travancore, India. She was the only daughter among the four children of Rajagopal and Saroja. Both her parents were school teachers. Her mother Saroja taught at the Lourdes Girls' Higher Secondary School in Perambur, Madras.

Career Menaka had become one of the highest-paid actresses in South Indian cinema when she decided to retire from acting post-marriage.

Personal life Menaka married film producer G. Suresh Kumar at Guruvayur Temple on 27 October 1987. They have two daughters — Revathy and Keerthy Suresh.

Filmography

As an actress

Malayalam

Tamil Year Title Role Notes1980 Ramayi Vayasukku Vanthutta RamayiDebut movieSavithri SavithriOli PirandhathuKalyani 1981 Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum Gayathri Kaalam Jaya Netrikkan Menaka 1982 Om Shakti Kanniamma / Amman Thooku Medai Bhavani Nijangal Menaka Iniyavale Vaa Shakunthala Nirantharam Rani Nalanthana Raji Panchavarnam 1983 NeethibathiGeetha Urangatha Ninaivugal Uma 1985 Maappillai Singam Gouri Engirunthalum Vazhga Kadivalam Revathi 1986 Unakkaagave Vaazhgiren Shakunthala 2012 Mattuthavani

Telugu Year Title Role Notes 1980 Punnami Naagu Poornima 1982 Subbarao Ki Kopam Vacchindhi 1988Indradhanussu

Kannada

Year Title Role Notes 1984 Samayada Gombe Lakshmi

As producer Year Title Director Notes 1991 Vishnulokam Kamal 1992 Australia Rajiv Anchal Unreleased film 1993 Butterflies 1994 Kashmeeram 1995 Thakshashila Sreekuttan 1997 Aaram Thamburan Shaji Kailas 2000 Cover Story G. S. Vijayan Pilots Rajiv Anchal 2001 Achaneyanenikkishtam Suresh Krishna2002 Kuberan Sundar Das Shivam Shaji Kailas2009Seetha Kalyanam T. K. Rajeev Kumar 2022VaashiVishnu G. Raghav

Television All shows are in Malayalam unless noted otherwise

Serials

TV shows