Kousalya

Biography

Kavitha Shivashankar (born December 30, 1979, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India), professionally known as Kousalya or Kausalya, is an Indian actress and former model who primarily works in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada cinema. She is also credited as Nandini in Malayalam films.

She began her career as a model and appeared in advertisements before making her acting debut in the Malayalam film April 19 (1996), directed by Balachandra Menon. She subsequently entered Tamil cinema with Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga (1997), which helped establish her as an actress. She gained wider recognition through films such as Nerukku Ner (1997), Priyamudan (1998), Pooveli (1998), and Vanathai Pola (2000).

Her performance in Pooveli earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil in 1998. She also appeared in Malayalam films including Lelam (1997), Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu (1998), Thachiledathu Chundan (1999), Karumadikuttan (2001), and Shivam (2002).

After initially playing leading roles, she gradually transitioned to supporting and character roles. Her later Tamil film appearances include Thirumalai (2003), Santosh Subramaniam (2008), Poojai (2014), Saivam (2014), Natpe Thunai (2019), and Saandrithazh (2023). She has also appeared in television serials, including Manaivi, Akka, and Sundari.

Notable Filmography

April 19 (1996)

Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga (1997)

Nerukku Ner (1997)

Lelam (1997)

Priyamudan (1998)

Pooveli (1998)

Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu (1998)

Thachiledathu Chundan (1999)

Vanathai Pola (2000)

Karumadikuttan (2001)

Shivam (2002)

Thirumalai (2003)

Santosh Subramaniam (2008)

Poojai (2014)

Saivam (2014)

Natpe Thunai (2019)

Rang De (2021)

Saandrithazh (2023)

Awards and Recognition

- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil (1998) for Pooveli.