Manju Warrier

Manju Warrier(ʋaːɾjər; born 10 September 1978/1979) is an Indian actress, who works predominantly inMalayalam cinema. She is the recipient of aNational Film Award, aKerala State Film Awardand sevenFilmfare Awards South.
Warrier made her acting debut withSakshyam(1995). Her most notable films includeThooval Kottaram(1996),Sallapam(1996),Ee Puzhayum Kadannu(1996), andAaraam Thampuran(1997).Post her marriage in 1998, she took a break from acting. Warrier returned to cinema with the acclaimed filmHow Old Are You?(2014).
Manju Warrier was born on 10 September 1978/1979 inNagercoilcity ofKanyakumari district,Tamil Naduin aMalayalifamily.Her family is originally fromPulluvillage inThrissur districtofKerala.Her father, T. V. Madhavan, worked as an accountant at Shakthi Finance's Nagercoil regional office and her mother, Girija (fromThiruvilwamala) was a house wife. She has an elder brother,Madhu Wariar, who is also an actor and producer.
Warrier did her primary schooling from CSI Matriculation Higher Secondary School,Nagercoil.After her father was promoted, they returned to Kerala and settled inKannur district. She studied atChinmaya Vidyalaya, Kannurand later at Chovva Higher Secondary School.
Manju first appeared in a television serialMoharavamwhich was telecast onDoordarshan.
At the age of 17, she debuted in the filmSakshyam(1995).A year later, she acted in the movieSallapam(1996), co-starringDileep, whom she later married.
Though her first stint in the industry was only for 3 years, Manju featured in 20 Malayalam filmsthat won her numerous accolades from audiences and critics alike. Her performance in the filmKannezhuthi Pottum Thottu(1999) won a special mention from the jury for theNational Film Awards.Her other note-worthy films during these years include:Aaraam Thampuran(1997) andKanmadam(1998) withMohanlal,Ee Puzhayum KadannuandKudamattamwith her now ex-husband Dileep,Kaliyattam(1997),Summer in Bethlehem(1998),Pranayavarnangal(1998) andPathram(1999) withSuresh Gopi, andDilliwala Rajakumaran(1996),Kaliveedu(1996),Thooval Kottaram(1996),Irattakuttikalude Achan(1997)andKrishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu(1997) withJayaram.In 1998, Manju was the lead in theM T Vasudevan Nairfilm,Dayathat went onto win several awards.
She won theKerala State Film Award for Best Actressfor her performance in the filmEe Puzhayum Kadannu(1996).Manju won four consecutiveFilmfare Award for Best ActressforEe Puzhayum Kadannuin 1996,Aaram ThampuranandKaliyattamin 1997,Kanmadamin 1998 andPathramin 1999.
Most of her movies were commercially successful as well, withAaram ThampuranandPathrambeing the highest grossing Malayalam films in the years 1996 and 1999 respectively.Her last film before she took a sabbatical from films wasKannezhuthi Pottum Thottu.
Manju took a hiatus from films after marriage to Dileep and on 24 October 2012, Manju returned to the stage to perform aKuchipudidance recital at the Navaratri Nritha Mandapam in theGuruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, in front of hundreds of spectators.
Later in July 2013, she acted in a commercial forKalyan JewellerswithAmitabh Bachchan. She also acted alongsideNagarjuna Akkineni,Prabhu GanesanandShiva Rajkumarin Telugu, Tamil and Kannada versions of the same ad-film.She continued to appear in many advertisements and stage performances.The same year she published a book titledSallapamthat was "a series of memoirs of her life".
She made her much awaited comeback to movies after 15 years in 2014 withRosshan Andrrews'sHow Old Are You?.
Manju's next film wasSathyan Anthikad'sEnnum Eppozhumwhich reunited her withMohanlalafter a gap of 17 years.Her next project wasRani PadminibyAashiq Abualong withRima Kallingal, released in October 2015. Despite not faring well at the box office, it has been considered an 'underrated gem' of a movie that celebrates female friendships.She appeared as an animator inJo and the Boy, her last release of the year.
In 2016, she hadRajesh Pillai'sVettah,Karinkunnam 6'sand Shakuntala, a Drama
In 2017, Warrier hadC/O Saira Banu,Villain, andUdaharanam Sujatha.
In 2018, Manju appeared in the lead role in theKamala SurayyabiopicAami.Her next film for release was the musical-romantic-comedy dramaMohanlal, in which she played a die-hard fan ofMohanlal. Though the movie received mixed responses, the actress was appreciated for her comic timing and for understanding how a 'crazy fan lives and breathes.'Her final release of the year was the much-hyped fantasy dramaOdiyan, which has the highest opening day collection for a film at the Kerala box office and for a Malayalam film at the worldwide box office. The movie opened to mixed reviews, but Warrier was praised for being uniformly good as the lonesome Prabha 'who has always known that her fate was written the moment she was born into a particular social class and often summons up the spirit to defy that written word.'Her first release in 2019 wasLuciferdirected byPrithviraj Sukumaran. Manjusha Radhakrisnan wrote in her review, "To watch top Malayali talent Manju Warrier as a grieving daughter of a political leader, who dies suddenly, leaving a political vacuum in her family and her political outfit, is pure gold. Warrier as a troubled mother and wife Priyadarshani — who unearths a string of dark secrets within her family circles — is heartbreaking. In limited screen-time, she comes across as a paragon of vulnerability and strength — an indication to the strength of her acting prowess."Luciferwent on to become the first Malayalam film to earn more than ₹200 crore,and is currently thethird highest-grossing Malayalam film.  In the same year, she made herTamildebut with Vetrimaaran'sAsuranoppositeDhanush. Sreedhar Pillai called her performance 'intense' in his review forFirstpost. "Manju, as Dhanush's wife, makes a sensational debut in Tamil. You can feel her anger and the wetness in her tears."Her final release of the year saw her collaborating with her comeback directorRosshan Andrrewsfor the revenge thrillerPrathi Poovankozhi. Critics unanimously praised her arresting screen presence and acting.In his review forFilm Companion, Vishal Menon noted, "..if anyone thought Manju Warrier hasn't had too many great performance in her second coming, show them Prathi Poovankozhi along with Asuran, to remind them that no one can play anger like she can." For her portrayals of bold, brave women on screen who defy the notions of what roles women can play, Manju Warrier was named a 'disruptor' byFilm Companion.
In March 2021, Warrier began filming forAmriki Pandit, herHindidebut oppositeR. Madhavan.In 2021, she acted withMammoottyfor the movieThe Priest. In 2022, Manju reunited with Biju Menon throughLalitham Sundaramafter a gap of 20 years.
On 20 October 1998, Manju married actorDileepat the Aluva Sri Krishna Temple. The former couple have a daughter, Meenakshi. They filed for divorce in 2014 and it was granted in January 2015.Manju lives inThrissur, Kerala.
Manju's characters appear on many lists featuring strong women characters in Indian Cinema.
She is also a professionalKuchipudidancer, having learnt the art from Geetha Padmakumar.She actively performs in many classical dance programs and plays. Her return to stage was atGuruvayurin 2012 as part of theNavaratridance festival.She received theKerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Awardin 2014 and was the first person to receive the award for Kuchipudi.
Apart from films, she is a brand ambassador ofKalyan Jewellers,Sony India,Lasagu Coaching App, MyG,Ujala Detergent,Kitchen Treasures,Ajinorahand KLM Axiva. She has also appeared in commercials for Lifebuoy, Meriiboy Icecreams, Dhathri etc. She also became the first ever brand ambassador of a Malayalam Entertainment channel, throughZee Keralam.
She is also the goodwill ambassador and face of various government and social causes like State Literacy Mission,She Taxi,Kudumbashree's organic farming project (inspired by her role inHow Old Are You),Horticorpand Naipunnya Development projects.