Bhavana (actress)

Bhavana (actress)
Karthika Menon, better known by her stage name Bhavana, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam and Kannada language films in addition to Tamil and Telugu films. She is the recipient of two Kerala State Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Debuting with the film Nammal (2002) and appearing in several successful Malayalam films like Chronic Bachelor (2003), C.I.D. Moosa (2003), Swapnakoodu (2003), Chathikkatha Chanthu (2004), Naran (2005), Chotta Mumbai (2007) and Marykkundoru Kunjaadu (2010), Tamil films including Chithiram Pesuthadi (2006), Jayamkondaan (2008) and Aasal (2010), and successful Kannada films like Jackie (2010), Vishnuvardhana (2011) and Romeo (2013), she established herself as one of the most sought-after actresses in South Indian cinema.
Her career took a turn following an abduction and assault in early 2017, and she distanced herself from Malayalam cinema. The aftermath of the incident led to the foundation of the Women in Cinema Collective, headed by Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal and Anjali Menon to safeguard female actors.
Early life
Bhavana was born Karthika Menon on 6 June 1986 in Thrissur, Kerala. She is the daughter of Pushpa and assistant cinematographer G. Balachandran. She has an elder brother, Jayadev. She did her schooling at Holy Family Convent Girls High School, Thrissur. Bhavana has described herself as a restless person and someone who's "hard to handle". When she was young, she dreamed of becoming an actress. She was an 11th standard student when she got her break in the film.
Career
Debut and early success (2002–2004)
At age 16, she debuted in the Malayalam film Nammal (2002), taking the stage name Bhavana with newcomers Sidharth Bharathan, Jishnu Raghavan, and Renuka Menon. The film was a commercial success. She portrayed the role of Parimalam, a slum dweller who talks in Thrissur slang and received the Kerala State Special Jury Mention for the film. She once said, that she felt almost unrecognizable in the film, and people who knew her didn’t realize that it was her who played Parimalam.
The following year she had six releases. She had a cameo role in the Dileep and Kavya Madhavan starrer Thilakkam. In her next film, Chronic Bachelor, she played the sister of Mammootty. The film was a commercial hit. She starred with Dileep in C.I.D. Moosa, which turned out to be one of the best slapstick comedies in Malayalam cinema and a financial success. She had a significant part in the ensemble romantic comedy Swapnakoodu, co-starring with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya and Meera Jasmine. Ivar and Valathottu Thirinjal Nalamathe Veedu failed at the box office.
In 2004, she appeared in a dance number with Dileep in Runway. Youth Festival, Parayam and Amritam were box office failures. She starred in Chathikkatha Chanthu alongside Navya Nair and Jayasurya which became a commercial success.
Established actress (2005–2010)
In 2005, she appeared in Rajesh Pillai's directorial debut Hridayathil Sookshikkan which opened to a negative reception. Also appeared in Police, directed by V. K. Prakash and in Banglavil Outha. Her next film, Daivanamathil directed by Jayaraj met with critical acclaim. She played the role of Samira, the girl who tries to change her husband and ends up in jail for his extremist activities. She received the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress for the film. She then appeared in Chanthupottu, which was a commercially successful film. Her next film, Naran starring Mohanlal was also a commercial success. She starred alongside Mammootty in Bus Conductor. The film opened to mixed reviews but was a box office hit and also appeared in Udayananu Tharam.
In 2006, she made her debut in Tamil cinema with the release of Chithiram Pesuthadi with Narain. The film initially failed to attract an audience due to its low key release. The word of mouth helped the film regain its momentum and eventually have a re release that was well received by the audience, which led to the film's box office success. She received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for her portrayal of Charumathi, an NGO worker who battles injustice. She then starred in Chinthamani Kolacase, directed by Shaji Kailas and starring Suresh Gopi, which became a commercial success. Kisan directed by Sibi Malayil became a failure. Her next film starring Dileep was Chess, and despite having mixed reviews it became a box office hit. Her Tamil film Kizhakku Kadalkarai Salai with Srikanth was poorly received. She then starred in Veyil alongside Bharath. The film was critically acclaimed, and it went on to win numerous awards. Her first Tamil film was supposed to be Koodal Nagar but it was released a year later and received praise for her role.
In 2007, she co starred with Jayam Ravi in Deepavali which opened to mixed reviews. Critics wrote, "Bhavana takes full charge of this movie with her effervescence and prowess at handling emotional scenes". She then played Parakkum Latha, an enthuastic autorikshaw driver in Chotta Mumbai alongside Mohanlal. The film was a commercial success. Her next film was Aarya, alongside Madhavan, and it opened to a mixed reception. She appeared in Rameswaram with Jeeva.
In 2008, her film Vaazhthugal garnered poor reviews. She debuted in Telugu cinema with Ontari and also appeared in Hero. Her next film, Jayamkondaan opened to a positive reception. Her malayalam releases of the year were the ensemble Twenty:20 playing a significant role and Lollipop with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kunchacko Boban and Jayasurya.
She starred in Amal Neerad's Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded starring Mohanlal, becoming a disappointment despite high expectations. She appeared in the horror flick Winter with Jayaram, regarded as one of the best horror films in Malayalam cinema. She played Shyama, the wife of Dr. Ramdas, played by Jayaram, whose family ends up in an abandoned house and experiences paranormal activities. She appeared in Robin Hood which received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. Her Telugu film Mahatma with Srikanth also became a financial success.
Her film, Happy Husbands featuring an ensemble cast directed by Saji Surendran became a box office hit. She starred alongside Ajith in Aasal, playing the wife of Protagonist Shiva, Sulabha Pillai, which despite getting mixed reviews became a box office success.
Debut in Kannada cinema and beyond (2010–2021)
In 2010, she starred in her first Kannada film alongside Puneeth Rajkumar, Jackie which was a commercial success, with praise for her role. Her film, Marykkundoru Kunjaadu with Dileep, met with critical acclaim and became a commercial success. Her other films, Doctor Love, Kudumbasree Travels and The Metro were failures, with Oru Marubhoomikkadha starring Mohanlal becoming a box office hit. Her film, Vishnuvardhana with Sudeep opened to a mixed response, and became a decent hit, also receiving a nomination for the SIIMA Awards for Best Actress – Kannada.
In 2012, she appeared in Nippu and then starred in Romeo with Ganesh which opened to a positive response and accolades for her performance. Critics described her as, "Bhavana is a real scene stealer" and continued her success in Kannada cinema. She then appeared in the Malayalam film Ozhimuri alongside Asif Ali to widespread critical acclaim. The film went on to win numerous awards and was listed among the 25 best Malayalam films of the decade. She appeared in Trivandrum Lodge. Her next film of the year Yaare Koogadali, directed by Samuthirakani and starring Puneeth Rajkumar had a successful run at the box office. Critics described her as saying, "Bhavana has once again proved that she is a fantastic actress in emotional sequences".
In 2013, she appeared in two Kannada films Topiwala and Bachchan, with the latter getting positive reviews from critics. Her Malayalam films were Honey Bee and Ezhamathe Varavu, with Honey Bee emerging as a box office success. She appeared in films such as Polytechnic, Koothara, Angry Babies in Love, Hello Namasthe and Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka, all of which were poorly received. She played Roshni Mathew, a single mother employed in an IT company, in Shyamaprasad's Ivide, a crime thriller based on the serial killing of IT techies in major US cities.
In 2017, she appeared in the ensemble kannada language drama Chowka. She reprised her role as Angel in Honey Bee 2: Celebrations. The film could not achieve the success of its earlier part. She then appeared in Adventures of Omanakuttan and Vilakkumaram which had a limited release. Adam Joan, starring Prithiviraj Sukumaran was her last malayalam release before a hiatus from Malayalam cinema.
In 2018, she starred alongside Shiva Rajkumar in Tagaru, which met critical acclaim, garnering praise for her role and later receiving a nomination for the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She starred in 99, a remake of 96 with Ganesh opened to mixed reviews.
In 2021, she appeared in a series of Kannada films, Inspector Vikram, SriKrishna@gmail.com, Govinda Govinda and Bhajarangi 2, starring Shiva Rajkumar.
Return to Malayalam cinema (2023–present)
In 2022, it was announced that Bhavana would return to Malayalam cinema with Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn and the film was released in 2023.
Abduction and assault
In February 2017, she was kidnapped while returning home from a shoot and subjected to sexual assault by a gang of men. In April 2017, there were multiple reports in the media that actor Dileep had links to the main accused. In July 2017, Dileep was arrested by the investigating team, which said in its charge sheet that there was circumstantial evidence for Dileep's alleged conspiracy with the other accused men. Dileep was released on bail in October 2017. In 2022, amid further media reports alleging Dileep's attempt to intimidate an investigating officer, new charges were filed against him and five others.
After the assault, Bhavana withdrew from the Malayalam movie industry for five years. Bhavana made her first comment about the case in 2022.
Bhavana's assault partly contributed to the creation of the Malayalam film industry Women in Cinema Collective, formed to protect female actors. A couple of months after Bhavana spoke out, the Kerala state assembly is planning legislation to protect women working in the film industry.
Personal life
The engagement ceremony of Bhavana and Kannada film producer Naveen was held in March 2017. They married on 22 January 2018.
Filmography
Awards
References
External links
Living people
Kerala State Film Award winners
Indian film actresses
Actresses from Thrissur
Filmfare Awards South winners
21st-century Indian actresses
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Actresses in Malayalam theatre
Indian stage actresses
Women artists from Kerala
1986 births