Tulasi

Biography

Tulasi Shivamani is an Indian actress who has worked extensively in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and other Indian-language films. She was born on 20 June 1967 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She began her acting career as a child artist and later transitioned into lead and supporting roles. Over the course of her long career, she has appeared in more than 300 films.

Tulasi entered the film industry as a baby in a Telugu film in 1967. She continued as a child actress and earned recognition for films such as Seetamalakshmi (1978) and Sankarabharanam (1980). She received two Nandi Awards for Best Child Actress for her performances during this period.

As an adult, Tulasi worked as a lead actress before gradually moving into character and supporting roles. After marrying Kannada director Sivamani, she took a break from acting. She later returned to cinema and became particularly well known for portraying mothers and other emotionally important supporting characters.

Some of her notable Telugu films include Darling (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Julayi (2012), Srimanthudu (2015), Nenu Local (2017), Mahanati (2018), Dear Comrade (2019), and Karthikeya 2 (2022). Her Tamil credits include Easan (2010), Mankatha (2011), Sundarapandian (2012), Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer (2013), Pandiya Naadu (2013), and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum (2014).

Her performance as Chellamma in Pannaiyarum Padminiyum was particularly praised, while Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer helped strengthen her identity as a screen mother. She also won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada for Jhossh.

Selected Filmography

• Seetamalakshmi (1978) – Child actress
• Sankarabharanam (1980) – Sankaram
• Sakalakala Vallavan (1982) – Tamil debut
• Easan (2010) – Shyamala
• Darling (2010) – Rajeshwari
• Mankatha (2011)
• Mr. Perfect (2011) – Vicky's mother
• Sundarapandian (2012) – Archana's mother
• Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer (2013) – Shweta's mother
• Pandiya Naadu (2013) – Sivagami Chidambaram
• Pannaiyarum Padminiyum (2014) – Chellamma
• Srimanthudu (2015) – Narayana Rao's sister-in-law
• Mahanati (2018)
• Dear Comrade (2019) – Jaya's mother
• Karthikeya 2 (2022) – Karthik's mother
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Tulasi remains a respected veteran of South Indian cinema, particularly recognized for her natural performances and her extensive body of work as a character and mother-role actress.