Varalaxmi Sarathkumar

Early life and family

Varalaxmi was born to actor Sarathkumar and Chaya on 5 March 1985 in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka, India. Her stepmother is actress Raadhika.

Varalaxmi did her schooling from St. Michael's Academy, Chennai. She is a graduate in Microbiology from Hindustan Arts and Science college, Chennai with a Masters in Business Management from the University of Edinburgh. She honed her acting skills at Anupam Kher's Acting School in Mumbai, before becoming a professional actress.

Personal life

On 2 March 2024, Varalaxmi got engaged to Nicholai Sachdev, who is a gallerist based in Mumbai. They married on 3 July 2024.

Career

Varalaxmi auditioned for Shankar's Boys (2003) and was selected to play the lead role, before her father requested her to turn down the opportunity. Similarly, she also missed out on opportunities to act in Balaji Sakthivel's Kaadhal (2004) and Venkat Prabhu's Saroja (2008).

Varalaxmi signed on to star in Vignesh Shivan's romantic drama film Podaa Podi (2012) during June 2008, citing that the opportunity to portray a London-based dancer had excited her. The film went through a protracted development, taking four years to make, before being released in October 2012. Co-starring Silambarasan, Varalaxmi won critical acclaim for her performance. Rediff.com noted she was the "scene stealer" and added "she comes across as a genuine, warm person, able and willing to accept those around her for themselves, and rattles off her dialogues with such spontaneity and charm that she wins you over right away". Likewise, a critic from Sify.com wrote she "is the big surprise here as she makes a promising debut and brings alive her character with not just those smart lines, but with the kind of confidence and candour". The film performed moderately at the box office but performed well in the multiplexes.

In 2014, she embarked on her second venture, the Kannada film Maanikya (2014), starring alongside actor Sudeep. This film proved to be a major success and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of that year.

In 2016, she announced on Twitter that she has been cast alongside Mammootty in the Malayalam film Kasaba. In her tweet, the actress said that the big opportunity to work alongside Mammootty came to her apparently due to her performance in the Tamil film Tharai Thappattai. Varalaxmi was also committed to starring in Aakasha Mittaayee, the Malayalam remake of the Tamil film Appa but left, citing the behaviour of its producers whom she called "mannerless". In 2017, Varalaxmi appeared in Vikram Vedha, Nibunan, Vismaya, Sathya, Kaattu and Masterpiece. Varalaxmi turned as Host for a TV show titled Unnai Arindhaal (2018) on Jaya TV. She played the antagonist's role in Sandakozhi 2 (2018) and Sarkar (2018). She worked on her first Telugu film, Tenali Ramakrishna BA. BL (2019).

Varalaxmi played the lead role in Velvet Nagaram (2020). She has played a role in Danny (2020) in which she tried out the role of a cop. She has also starred in leading roles such as Chasing (2021) and Singa Paarvai (2021). She appeared in The Telegu film Yashoda (2022) starred Samantha Ruth Prabhu playing the title role, while Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar played the other important role. She playing a crazy character in Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Veera Simha Reddy (2023) as well as lead role in Sabari (2024).

Varalaxmi worked on Sundar C's masala film Madha Gaja Raja, alongside Vishal, which was released 13 years later in January 2025 owing to financial difficulties.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards

References

References

1. Subramanian, Anupama. (3 April 2018). "Varalaxmi's fan moment with Kamal Haasan". [[Deccan Chronicle]].
2. (9 November 2012). "Simbu follows Ajith". [[The Times of India]].
3. Mangandan, K.R.. (20 October 2012). "Worth the wait". [[The Hindu]].
4. (4 June 2018). "Nominations for the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare.
5. (7 March 2019). "Varalaxmi gets a moniker". Deccan Chronicle.
6. (29 April 2014). "Varalaxmi is Excited about Maanikya". The New Indian Express.
7. (5 March 2019). "Happy Birthday Varalaxmi Sarathkumar: The Complete Actress of South Cinema". [[The Times of India]].
8. (6 May 2014). "Varalakshmi: I always wanted to become an actress". Rediff.
9. (9 June 2010). "Carving their own niche". The New Indian Express.
10. "Best Arts and Science College in Chennai {{!}} Hindustan College of Arts & Science".
11. (3 March 2024). "Actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar engaged to Mumbai-based gallerist Nicholai Sachdev". The News Minute.
12. (4 July 2024). "AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam among stars at Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Nicholai Sachdev's wedding reception. See photos". The Indian Express.
13. (15 July 2024). "Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Ties The Knot In An Intimate Wedding In Thailand". News18.
14. "Father restricted this actress to act in Shankar's films..!?".
15. Srinivasan, Pavithra. "Review: Varalakhsmy shines in Poda Podi".
16. "Review : (2012)".
17. Raghavan, Nikhil. (27 June 2015). "Star scions". The Hindu.
18. (1 May 2021). "This Day That Year: Kiccha Sudeep's 'Maanikya' completes seven years". The Times of India.
19. (17 February 2016). "'Kasaba': Mammootty's next with Renji Panicker's son starts rolling". OnManorama.
20. (4 April 2017). ""Can't Work With Male Chauvinists.": Actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Walks Out Of A Movie Set!". Just For Women.
21. (10 July 2020). "Here's how 'Unnai Arindhal' host Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and mother Chaya helped migrant labour". The Times of India.
22. (13 October 2018). "It was fun playing villain in 'Sandakozhi 2': Varalaxmi".
23. (16 January 2019). "Varalaxmi Sarathkumar to debut in Telugu with 'Tenali Ramakrishna BA BL'". The News Minute.
24. (4 March 2020). "Velvet Nagaram Movie Review : A wannabe thriller flick". The Times of India.
25. (3 July 2020). "Varalaxmi's Danny and Yogi Babu's Cocktail to have its digital premiere on Zee5". India Today.
26. (5 March 2019). "Varalaxmi is now Makkal Selvi!". The Times of India.
27. Menon, Thinkal. (13 April 2021). "Chasing Movie Review : The film, which lacks thrills, adequate character detailing and engaging narration, is a forgettable snooze fest". The Times of India.
28. "Singa Paarvai UA". The Times of India.
29. (3 January 2025). "Sundar C-Vishal's Madha Gaja Raja finally gets a release date after 13-year delay". The Economic Times.
30. (21 April 2018). "Varalaxmi, Aathmika, Sonam and Manali in Katteri".
31. (15 December 2021). "Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Joins The Cast Of Samantha's 'Yashoda' Movie".
32. "Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's Kannitheevu to premiere directly on TV". The Times of India.
33. (10 March 2023). "Kondraal Paavam Movie Review: An effective suspense drama shouldered by compelling performances".
34. Nyayapati, Neeshita. (28 April 2023). "Agent Movie Review : Akhil Akkineni has fun; the audience - not so much". [[The Times of India]].
35. (4 March 2022). "Kiccha Sudeepa Unveils Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's Fierce First Look From 'HANU-MAN'". Outlook.
36. (8 December 2022). "It's a wrap for Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's Sabari".
37. (3 January 2025). "Vishal-Sundar C's Madha Gaja Raja finally gets a release date". Cinema Express.
38. Jafferfirst=Askari. (24 February 2025). "'Shivangi' trailer released: A thrilling glimpse". Hans India.
39. (16 January 2025). "Indrajith Sukumaran’s Dheeram commences shooting in Kozhikode". The New Indian Express.
40. (24 April 2019). "Telugu web series 'High Priestess' explores psychic world". Gulf News.
41. (10 April 2021). "Lakshmi Manchu shares an emotional note on daughter Nirvana's debut TV appearance; says, 'My real purpose in life came to light after I became a mother'". The Times of India.
42. (4 October 2023). "Trailer of Varalaxmi sarathkumar's Mansion 24 series out". Cinema Express.
43. (13 May 2013). "Vijay Awards 2013: Winners List".
44. (13 February 2013). "Edison awards for 2013 - Winners List".
45. (2 July 2017). "Latest NewsSIIMA Awards 2017; Mohanlal bags Best Actor, Vijay wins Best Entertainer".
46. (11 June 2017). "Varalaxmi Bags This Prestigious Award at the Behindwoods Gold Medals 2017".
47. (26 February 2018). "Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Mersal sweeps Edison Awards [winners' list]".
48. (16 December 2018). ["Varalaxmi Sarathkumar – Best Actor in a Villain Role – Female]"](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/slideshow/list-of-winners-for-behindwoods-gold-medals-iconic-edition/varalaxmi-sarathkumar-best-actor-in-a-villain-role-female.html).
49. ["Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Opens Up About Playing Dark Characters On Screen]"](https://www.news18.com/news/movies/varalaxmi-sarathkumar-opens-up-about-playing-dark-characters-on-screen-6539419.html).
50. ["SIIMA Awards 2019: Mohanlal, Dhanush and Trisha win top laurels. Check out full list of winners]"](https://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/siima-awards-2019-mohanlal-dhanush-and-trisha-win-top-laurels-check-out-full-list-of-winners/story-7qrk5rdpBR4FddLoFw44pI.html).
51. ["IIFA Utsavam 2024 Telugu full list of Winners]"](https://www.indiaglitz.com/iifa-utsavam-2024-telugu-full-list-of-winners-telugu-news-359160).