Vinodhini Vaidynathan

Biography

With triple post-graduate degrees in Human Resources management, psychology, and yoga therapy, Vinodhini Vaidynathan trained at Koothuppattarai, Tamilnadu reputed Tamil theatre repertory as a full-time actor. There, she worked with theatre personalities from all over India, and from countries such as Israel, the UK, Spain, Mexico, and France. 

She has since then worked as an actor for stage and film, a director (stage), and a playwright, acting in over 20 plays over 250 shows. She continues to work with Tamil theatre groups in Chennai and with Clowns without Borders from France.

Grand Rehearsal, a Tamil play written and directed by her, was the first Tamil play invited to be performed at the Hindu Theatre Fest in 2015. The play received a standing ovation and she was again commissioned to write and direct another Tamil play the consecutive year. 

That play, Aayirathiyoru Iravugal, along with a double bill called Nagercoil Expressum Nadaga Company, won critical acclaim and appreciation for their humor content and subversive perspective, first at The Hindu Theatre Fest and later when the group toured with them. 

She has acted in over 25 feature films, with filmmakers such as Mani Ratnam, national award winners Balu Mahendra, Manikandan, Balaji Sakthivel, Mysskin, Karthik Subbaraj, Samuthirakani, among others.

She has worked as a part-time theatre faculty at Balu Mahendras Cinema Pattarai and has workshopped with children from all walks of life. She won the Vikatan Award for Best Female Actor in a Comic Role in 2016, for the film Aandavan Kattalai. 

Her other releases include Ratsasan (2018), Comali (2019), Game Over (2019), Ponmagal Vandhal (2020), Soorarai Pottru (2020) and Operation Jujupi (2021).

Her articles, stories, and opinion pieces have been published in journals and websites such as The News Minute, The Madras Mag, Anthi Mazhai a literary magazine, Tamil Hindu, and Silver Screen among others.