Vinodhini Vaidyanathan is an Indian actress and writer who has mainly worked in Tamil cinema and theatre. She made her debut in A. R. Murugadoss's Engaeyum Eppothum portraying Ananya's sister.[1] She is best known for her performances in OK Kanmani (2015), Appa (2016), Aandavan Kattalai (2016), Ratsasan (2018), Comali (2019), Game Over (2019), Ponmagal Vandhal (2020) and Soorarai Pottru (2020), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023).
Vinodhini Vaidyanathan | |
|---|---|
 Vinodhini Vaidyanathan in 2019 | |
| Born | |
| Other names | Vinodhini |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 2011 - present (Films) 2003 - present (Theatre) |
| Parent | Vaidyanathan & Chandralekha |
Career
editVinodhini made her first film appearance in Priyadarshan's Kanchivaram (2009), after being selected by the director to be a part of the film after he watched her during a performance with the Tamil theatre troupe, Koothu-P-Pattarai. The film won critical acclaim and recognition at the National Film Awards. In early 2010, director Saravanan had watched Vinodhini's solo performance titled Saami Aattam, in which Vinodhini played multiple characters in a 45-minute monologue, and was impressed enough to cast her in his first Tamil film, Engeyum Eppodhum (2011), produced by AR Murugadoss.[2] Her performance in the film as the character of Ananya's sister, was well received.
Since 2011, Vinodhini has appeared in several other films including the comedy Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013), the horror film Pisaasu (2014) and two collaborations with Mani Ratnam in Kadal (2013) and O Kadhal Kanmani (2015).[2] She also played a significant supporting role as the wife of a gangster in Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda (2014) and in a leading role in Balu Mahendra's Thalaimuraigal (2013), where she played his daughter.[3]
By 2016, Vinodhini started to be recognized for her performances, going on to win Best Performance in a Comedy Role (Female) 2016 at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for her role in Aandavan Kattalai, as a junior lawyer.
She has also appeared in a few Telugu-language films. Regarding her performance in Crazy Fellow (2022), a critic called her "a revelation".[4]
Vinodhini is also a playwright and theatre director. Her theatre group, Theatre Zero has been actively staging plays since 2012, some of which are Petti Kathaigal,[5] the musical extravaganza "Aayirathoru Iravugal", which she wrote and directed for the prestigious Hindu Theatre Fest in 2016,[6] and Nagercoil Expressum Nadaga Companyum,[7] which toured extensively in 2016–17. Her play, titled Grand Rehearsal,[8][9] was the first ever Tamil play to be staged at The Hindu Theatre Fest, which is primarily a festival for English plays from India and abroad. It was declared a laugh riot amid standing ovation from the audience.[10] Similarly, her play Aayirathoru Iravugal, "had the audience roaring with laughter", when it opened in 2016.[11] As of January 2020, Theatre Zero has partnered with stand-up comic Alexander Babu to bring back Vinodhini's play Nagercoil Expressum Nadaga Companyum in its new version and tour with it worldwide.
Vinodhini also writes professionally. Her short stories and articles have been published in Silverscreen.in,[12] The Madras Mag, The News Minute,[13] The Hindu (Tamil)[14] among others.
Personal life
editVinodhini completed her B.Sc. from Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai and went on to do her master's degree in Human Resources Management from XIME, Bangalore. She also holds a second master's degree in Psychology from University of Madras and a PG Diploma in Yoga Therapy from Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram.[2]
Filmography
editTamil films
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Kanchivaram | Subhatra | |
| 2011 | Engaeyum Eppothum | Selvi | |
| 2013 | Yamuna | Chandrika | |
| Kadal | Fisher woman | ||
| Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam | Police Inspector | ||
| Thalaimuraigal | Sivaraman's sister | ||
| 2014 | Jigarthanda | Soundar's wife | |
| Vanmam | Palraj's wife | ||
| Pisaasu | Mahesh's mother | ||
| 2015 | Nannbenda | Ramya's colleague | |
| O Kadhal Kanmani | Saroja Vasudevan | ||
| Sivappu | Malar | ||
| Om Shanti Om | Kumar's mother | ||
| Pasanga 2 | Sailaja | ||
| 2016 | Azhagu Kutti Chellam | Anandhi | |
| Aranmanai 2 | Sandhya | ||
| Appa | Singaperumal's wife | ||
| Aandavan Kattalai | Junior Lawyer | Won, Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for Best comedian – female | |
| 2017 | Aramm | Government Health Officer | |
| Sathya | Hema | ||
| Velaikkaran | Sivaranjani | ||
| 2018 | Thaanaa Serndha Koottam | Mangaiyarkarasi | |
| Kaathadi | Anitha's mother | ||
| Echcharikkai | Doctor | ||
| Ratsasan | Kokila | ||
| 2019 | LKG | School Principal | |
| Boomerang | Doctor | ||
| Devarattam | Pechi | ||
| Game Over | Kalamma | ||
| Kalavani 2 | Manimekalai Rajendran | ||
| Comali | Bhanu | ||
| 2020 | Ponmagal Vandhal | Venba's neighbour | |
| Soorarai Pottru | Chitra Ramaswamy | ||
| Naanga Romba Busy | Dr. Shantha | ||
| Paava Kadhaigal | Sathaar's and Sahira's mother | Netflix anthology series; segment Thangam | |
| 2021 | Eeswaran | Papathi | |
| Calls | Deputy Director Shailaja | ||
| MGR Magan | Judge | ||
| Operation Jujupi | |||
| 2022 | Naai Sekar | Company Director | |
| Kaatteri | Chithra | ||
| Trigger | Prabhakaran's sister-in-law | ||
| Ponniyin Selvan: I | Vasuki | ||
| Super Senior Heroes | Reporter | Also writer | |
| Parole | Gifty Maria | ||
| Yugi | Dr. Chandrika | ||
| Laththi | Ranganathan's wife | ||
| 2023 | Vizhithelu | ||
| Ponniyin Selvan: II | Vasuki | ||
| Kulasami | Vasuki | ||
| Baba Black Sheep | Councillor | ||
| Let's Get Married | Deepa Akka | ||
| Are You Ok Baby? | Suguna | ||
| Sooragan | Chithirai Selvi | ||
| Kuiko | Pushpa | ||
| Sarakku | |||
| Tik Tok | |||
| 2024 | Local Sarakku | Vinodha | |
| Saamaniyan | Gayathri | ||
| PT Sir | Nandhini's mother | ||
| Weapon | Mother | ||
| 2K Love Story † | TBA |
Telugu films
edit| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Game Over | Kalamma |
| Rakshasudu | Padma | |
| 2022 | Khiladi | Mahalakshmi |
| Crazy Fellow | Abhiram's sister-in-law | |
| 2023 | My Name Is Shruthi | Shruthi's mother |
Malayalam films
edit| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Adrishyam | Dr. Chandrika |
| 2023 | Thaaram Theertha Koodaram | Selvi |
Television
edit- All television shows are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Title | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Appa | Sun TV | ||
| 2020 | Chithi 2 | Herself | Guest appearance[15] | |
| 2022–2023 | Anandha Ragam | Meenakshi | [16] | |
| 2022 | Amudhavum Annalakshmiyum | Herself | Zee Tamil | Guest appearance |
| 2023 | Nala Damayanthi | Annapurani | ||
| 2024–2024 | Thangamagal | Vaishali | Star Vijay |
Dead
Streaming television series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Network | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tamil Rockerz | Baanu | SonyLIV | [17] |
| 2023 | Accidental Farmer and Co | Nallamakka | SonyLIV | [18] |
Short Film
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 mark | Devika |
References
edit- ^ "I was amazed to get a call from Mani Ratnam". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b c Ramesh, Deepika (31 March 2015). "Work and Play: The Vinodhini Interview". Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ balachandran, logesh (4 December 2013). "Vinodhini grabs major roles now". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ Krishna CH, Murali (15 October 2022). "'Crazy Fellow' movie review: A comedy of errors that entertains, mostly". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Chennai's theatre scene begins with a small petti". The New Indian Express. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ Rao, Subha J. (27 July 2016). "Celebrating Tamil theatre". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "jayantiblogshere: Nagercoil Expressum Nadaga companyum ... review". 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ Mathew, Elizabeth (10 July 2015). "Let the drama begin". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ Joseph, Raveena (10 August 2015). "Of cackling women, cracked radios and crazy productions". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Take 3: Three one-act plays - Citizen reviews". The Hindu. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Aayirathioru Iravagal: In Pictures". The Hindu. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ "The N Muthuswamy Tribute: The Thespian Whose Demise Is A Frightening Huge Loss To Theatre". 3 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Abuse, threats, violence: Why social media is the devil, actor Vinodhini Vaidyanathan writes". The News Minute. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ வைத்தியநாதன், வினோதினி (5 May 2017). "கிருஷ்ணதேவராயர் சாப்பிட்ட லாலிபாப்". இந்து தமிழ் திசை.
- ^ "Chithi after 22 years; Radikaa fans are happy". The Times of India - Samayam. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ "Ilavarasu and Vinodhini to appear in a Tamil daily soap; deets inside". The Times of India. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Tamil Cinema's Venerable Production House Enters OTT Age With 'Tamil Rockerz'". OutlookIndia. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "The Accidental Farmer and Co Series Review: A quirky premise that needed more quips to stay entertaining". Cinema Express. 10 March 2023.