Recently, an 18-year-old Kerala girl Priya Prakash Varrier has taken social media by storm, with a clip of her enticing eyebrow movements captivating viewers around the world. We went back in time, and listed few actresses in Kerala who could weave magic with their eyes. Their bright expressive eyes could easily convey what a thousand eloquent words could not, and it stayed in the hearts and minds of their audiences for ages.
Manju Warrier
Born: September 10, 1979
Home town: Pullu, Thrissur, Kerala
Alma mater: Sree Narayana College, Kannur
Years active: 1995–1999, 2014–present
Short bio: Manju Warrier made her acting debut in Sakshyam (1995) at the age of 16. Her prominent films include Thooval Kottaram (1996), Sallapam (1996), Ee Puzhayum Kadannu (1996), Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu (1997), Pranayavarnangal (1998), Kanmadam (1998), Summer in Bethlehem (1998), Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999), How Old Are You? (2014), and Udaharanam Sujatha (2017). Manju won the National Film Award-Special Mention for her performance as Bhadra in Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu. She also won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for her performance as Anjali in Ee Puzhayum Kadannua, along with five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress which is a record in that category. She got married to actor Dileep in 1998, and quit acting at that time. She divorced him in 2015. Meenakshi is their daughter. She made a comeback to cinema after a 14-year break with the critically and commercially successful film How Old Are You?, which won her many accolades, notably her fifth Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Malayalam.
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Kavya Madhavan
Born: September 19, 1984
Home town: Nileshwaram, Kasaragod, Kerala
Alma mater: Studied Humanities at the Open University
Years active: 1999–present
Short bio: Kavya Madhavan made her debut in 1991 as a child artist in Pookkalam Varavayi. Her debut role as a lead actress was in Lal Jose's Chandranudikkunna Dikhil in 1999, when she was in the ninth grade. Its success then established her status as a leading actress in the industry during the 2000s. She won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress twice, for her performances in Perumazhakkalam (2004) and Gaddama (2010). She married Nishal Chandra on 9 February 2009 and they got divorced on 24 July 2010. Then Kavya married to actor Dileep on 25 November 2016.
Shobana
Born: March 21, 1970
Home town: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Alma mater: Chidambaram academy, Chennai
Years active: 1984–present
Short bio: Shobana Chandrakumar is an Indian film actress and Bharatanatyam dancer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She has acted in more than 200 films in several languages, including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and English. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, for her performances in the films Manichitrathazhu (1993) and Mitr, My Friend (2001). In 2006, the Indian Government honoured her with the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the field of classical dance and in 2014, the Kerala Government honoured her with the Kala Ratna Award. In 1994, Shobana founded 'Kalarpana', a school for classical dance Bharata Natyam in Chennai.
Nithya Menon
Born: April 8, 1988
Home town: Calicut, Kerala
Alma mater: Manipal Institute of Communication, Film and Television Institute of India
Years active: 2005–present
Short bio: Nithya Menon has acted in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. She is known for her work on Urumi (2011), Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde (2013), Ala Modalaindi (2011) and OK Kanmani (2015). And she won 2 Filmfare Awards for the Telugu films Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde and Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju.
Nazriya Nazim
Born: September 20, 1994
Home town: Alappuzha, Kerala
Alma mater: Mar Ivanios College,Thiruvananthapuram
Years active: 2010–2014
Short bio: She started her career as an anchor on Malayalam television channel Asianet before pursuing a career as an actress. She made her debut as a child artist with Palunku (2006) and then as a lead actress in the 2013 Malayalam film Maad Dad. She has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in Bangalore Days (2014) and Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014). Following her marriage to actor Fahadh Faasil, she's been on a break from acting.
