Utthara Unni is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer from Kerala. She has directed some short films, documentaries and music videos. She also acted in two films. She heads a dance academy called Temple Steps[citation needed] in Kochi, Kerala.

Utthara Unni
Utthara Unni in the film Edavappathy
Born
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • actress
Years active2012–2018
Parent(s)Ankarath Ramanunni[1]
Urmila Unni
Websitewww.uttharaunni.in

Career

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As a dancer

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She has performed in Natyanjali festivals held at Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thirunallar, Nagapattinam, Mayavaram, Thiruvarur and Thanjavur. Some of her stages include Soorya Dance Festival – Parampara,[2] Mylapore Fine Arts – Chennai, Sangeetha Nataka Akademi – Thrissur, Nishagandhi – Trivandrum, Eranakulam Shiva temple, Guruvayur, Mookambika temple, Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan – Trivandrum. Utthara has also made a name for herself by giving solo concerts in other countries such as Nepal, Thailand, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain and Kuwait.[3][4]

She is also the director of the dance school "Temple Steps" situated in Cochin,[5]

She is a member of the UNESCO International Dance Council.[6]

As a film maker and singer

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Utthara's directorial debut was through a short film Randaam Varavu[7] featuring her mother Urmila Unni. The film won her five awards for best direction.[8] She later directed a supernatural short-film featuring Urmila Unni and Devan called Ninth Month.[9] She was praised[by whom?] about her writing and film making skills in her next short film Paw Prints[10][11] featuring Siddique. The short film is about relationship between a man and a dog.[12] She has also created music videos and documentaries.[13] Utthara Unni is also an acclaimed singer and has released a music album titled Pathirapontheril..[14]

As an actress and model

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She made her debut in the Tamil film Vavval Pasanga (2012) directed by Suresh. Her first Malayalam film[15][16] was Edavappathy, directed by Lenin Rajendran. Utthara portrayed dual roles of Vasavadatta (a famous character from Kumaran Asan's poem Karuna) and a modern girl Yamini in the parallel story of the film. Her performance was critically acclaimed and won her the Kerala Film Critics Association Award for the best upcoming actor (debut).[17][18]

As a TV show host

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Utthara started her TV career in 2015 with a show called Mambazham in Kairali TV. Currently, she is hosting a reality show on Amrita TV called Autumn Leaf[19] to find the best music band in Kerala.

Personal life

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Utthara Unni and her mother, actress Urmila Unni

Utthara Unni is daughter of Malayalam actress Urmila Unni and is married to businessman Nithesh S Nair.[20]

Awards

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Filmography

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As actress

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Year Film Role Language Notes
2012 Vavval Pasanga Tamil
2016 Edavappathy Vasavadatta/Yamini Malayalam

As TV show host

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Year Show Name Role Channel Language Notes
2015 Mambazham Host Kairali TV Malayalam
2018 Autumn Leaf Host Amrita TV Malayalam

References

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  1. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110402113621/http://urmilaunni.com/profile.html
  2. ^ "When Uthara Unni became a 'viraha nayika'". The Times of India. n.d.
  3. ^ "Uthara Unni: A dancer extraordinaire". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Actress Utthara Unni's Bharathanatyam Recital Event | RITZ". RITZ Magazine. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  5. ^ Maattumantha, MS Das (16 March 2015). "ബഹറിനിൽ ഊർമിള ഉണ്ണിയും ഉത്തര ഉണ്ണിയും ഡാൻസ് സ്കൂൾ തുടങ്ങി". Cinema Mangalam. pp. 42, 43, 44, 45. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  6. ^ "About – Utthara Unni | Official Website". www.uttharaunni.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  7. ^ Utthara Unni (30 January 2015), Short Film [Horror] – "Randaam Varavu" by Utthara Unni, retrieved 16 January 2018
  8. ^ a b "Actress Uthara Unni takes up direction". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  9. ^ Utthara Unni (30 October 2016), 9th Month – A Short Film | Directed by Utthara Unni | Devan | Urmila Unni, retrieved 16 January 2018
  10. ^ "Uttara Unni's short film explores the special relationship between man and dog". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  11. ^ Playground Digital Cinema (4 June 2017), Paw Prints – Official Full Short Film | Utthara Unni Malayalam Short Film 2017 (English Subtitles), retrieved 16 January 2018
  12. ^ "Story from her life: Utthara Unni". Deccan Chronicle. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  13. ^ Utthara Unni (25 May 2014), Utthara Unni's Kathakali Documentary, retrieved 16 January 2018
  14. ^ "Pathirapontheril Malayalam Album Song-Uthara Unni". 25 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "I wanted Edavapathi to mark my debut: Utthara Unni". Deccan Chronicle. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Uthara Unni makes her debut in Mollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Edavappaathy Shooting Location". Retrieved 10 May 2015 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Manisha Koirala praises Uthara Unni". The Times of India. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  19. ^ "Autumn Leaf: A new reality show to crown the best music band". The Times of India. n.d.
  20. ^ Parvathy S Nayar (17 September 2011). "Urmila Unni gets busy in Kollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  21. ^ "In love with her 'chilanka': Utthara Unni". Deccan Chronicle. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
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