Jasmine Mary Joseph,Meera Jasmine: Destiny's child , rediff.com; 1 August 2004. known professionally as Meera Jasmine, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Jasmine made her debut in 2001 with the Lohithadas film Soothradharan. She went on to star in various commercial and critically successful films in South Indian languages, making her one of the successful actresses of the 2000s.
She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her role in Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, and has twice been the recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress as well as a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. She also received the Kalaimamani award from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Early life Meera Jasmine was born at Kuttapuzha village of Thiruvalla in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala to Joseph and Aleyamma. She was the fourth of their five children. She has two sisters, Jiby Sara Joseph and Jeny Susan Joseph, who has also acted in films,Epitomising the sibling bond , newindianexpress.com, 23 November 2013. and two brothers.
Meera studied at Bala Vihar and then at Marthoma Residential School in Thiruvalla. Later, she enrolled for a B.Sc. in Zoology at the Assumption College, Changanassery, and completed nearly three months when she was spotted by director Blessy (who was then an assistant director to director Lohithadas) and offered a role in Soothradharan.
Meera had initially wanted to study and become a doctor and had never thought of becoming a film star. She stated, "I was just an ordinary girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being in films. I had not acted even in school plays. I never was the artistic type, I never thought I could dance, and I had not even thought of myself as being beautiful".Shining star , DeccanHerald.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018. She also said that Lohithadas "is like a father figure and my guru. He initiated me into films with Soothradharan, and I owe it all to him".
Career Malayalam Following her Malayalam film debut in Soothradharan, Meera's second film was Gramophone, directed by Kamal, in which she appeared alongside Navya Nair and Dileep. Her role as a Jewish girl was appreciated by Malayalam critics. Her third film was Swapnakkoodu, a romantic comedy alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kunchako Boban, Jayasurya, and Bhavana under director Kamal. Her performance was appreciated and the film was a high commercial success. Among the five main characters, the one who scored the most was again Meera.
She rose to fame in Malayalam cinema with the film Kasthooriman directed by her mentor Lohithadas, where she played a happy go lucky yet emotionally complex character. She received her first Filmfare award for her performance in Kasthooriman. The film was a success at the box office, running for 100 days. The same year, she acted in T. V. Chandran's acclaimed Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam. She played a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was forced to marry an older man, for which she was awarded a State Award and the National Award in addition with several other awards. It was followed by her performance as Raziya in Perumazhakkalam alongside Kavya Madhavan.
In the film Achuvinte Amma (2005), she enacted the young, adorable character Achu.മനസുകൊണ്ട് ഞാനിപ്പോഴേ ഒരു കുടുംബിനി – articles, infocus_interview, mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018. She then paired with Mohanlal in Rasathanthram (2006). She played as a girl pretending to be a boy due to the pressure of circumstances in the first half of the film . The film went on to become a commercial success. Her next film with Dileep – Vinodayathra, which again was directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. She was next featured opposite Mammootty in the critically acclaimed film Ore Kadal. The film was showcased in film festivals and won awards. Her performance as an innocent middle-class woman won praise from audiences. Media quoted her as, "Matching step with the megastar in this histrionic race is Meera Jasmine, who amazes you with a stunning delineation of her difficult role" . Her next film was Calcutta News with Dileep. Blessy, who introduced her to film field, was the director of Calcutta News. More than a year later, she played the role of a playback singer in Rajeev Anchal's Paattinte Palazhy.
After a brief hiatus, she began committing films by late 2012. She was keen in choosing more women-centric roles and in Babu Janardhanan's Lisammayude Veedu, a sequel to the 2006 film Achanurangatha Veedu, her role was that of a serial rape victim. She acted opposite Mohanlal in Siddique's comedy film Ladies and Gentleman. Her latest project is Shajiyem's Ms. Lekha Tharoor Kanunnathu, a fantasy film. In 2014, she starred opposite Jayaram in Sugeeth's family film, Onnum Mindathe, but the film failed at the box office. She signed up for Ithinumappuram, a period film based in the 1970s, in which she plays a highly orthodox and rich Nair woman who falls in love with someone from a lower caste and gets married against her parents' will.
After that, she acted in the movie Mazhaneerthullikal directed by V. K. Prakash but the movie was not released. In 2016, she co-starred with Anoop Menon, Joju George and Kaniha in the crime thriller 10 Kalpanakal directed by Don Max, but the film was not a theatrical success. However, the film received rave reviews from critics and was praised for its script, direction and cast.
In 2018, Meera made a comeback after a gap of two years with a guest appearance in Kalidas Jayaram starrer Poomaram directed by Abrid Shine. After a long hiatus, in 2022 Meera joined hands with Sathyan Anthikad for a family entertainer 'Makal' alongside Jayaram. The film received decent reviews and Meera was praised for her subtle act.
Tamil, Telugu and Kannada Meera Jasmine's Tamil debut was Run, directed by Lingusamy, which became a high success in Tamil Nadu and made her a sought-after actress. The success of Run and gave her the chance to work with the established actors of the Tamil film industry.Though her successive films did not fare as well, she was noticed by director Mani Ratnam who gave her a role in Aayutha Ezhuthu. She later appeared in N. Lingusamy's Sandakozhi and SS Stanley's Mercury Pookkal. Her latest Tamil film, Mambattiyan got released in December 2011.
Meera Jasmine became noted in the Telugu film industry with Run, the dubbed version of the same-titled Tamil film. She was seen in the Telugu films in 2004 with Ammayi Bagundi and Gudumba Shankar, also entered Kannada cinema by co-starring with Puneet Rajkumar in Maurya. Her Kannada film Arasu again with Puneet Rajkumar and Ramya was a hit. Her other Kannada films include Devaru Kotta Thangi and Ijjodu. Ijjodu, in which she played Chenni, a Basavi woman, who ends up becoming a sex worker, was screened at four prestigious domestic film festivals and garnered critical acclaim.
Meera Jasmine's biggest commercial success in Telugu remains Bhadra with Ravi Teja in the male lead. Her other Telugu films are Raraju, Maharadhi, Yamagola Malli Modalayindi, Gorintaku and Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu, in which she is paired for a second time with Sivaji.
Personal life In 2008, she said in an interview that she will be marrying Mandolin Rajesh, "but not for the next two or three years". On 9 February 2014, Meera married Anil John Titus, who works as an engineer in Dubai.
Controversy In 2006, she offered prayers at Rajarajeshwara Temple at Taliparamba in Kerala where the entry of non-Hindus is prohibited. This led to a controversy and sparked a protest by Hindu devotees. Later, she paid as penalty to the temple authorities to conduct the purification rituals.
In 2008, she faced an unofficial ban in the Malayalam film industry issued by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), after she refused to shoot for Twenty:20, a film distributed by actor Dileep for AMMA. Meera however said that she was not aware of a ban and that she was continuing shooting for Malayalam films.
Filmography
+ List of Meera Jasmine film credits Year Title Role Language Notes 2001 Soothradharan Shivani Malayalam Debut 2002 Run Priya Tamil Debut in Tamil cinema Bala Aarthi 2003 Kasthoorimann Priyamvada Malayalam Pudhiya Geethai Sushi Tamil Gramophone Jennifer/ Jenny Malayalam Swapnakkoodu Kamala Anjaneya Divya Tamil Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam Shahina Malayalam Joot Meera Tamil Chakram Indrani Malayalam 2004 Ammayi Bagundi Janani,Satya Telugu Debut in Telugu cinema Aayutha Ezhuthu Sasi Tamil Maurya Alamelu Kannada Debut in Kannada cinema Gudumba Shankar Gowri Telugu Perumazhakkalam Raziya Malayalam 2005 Achuvinte Amma Ashwathy/ Achu Bhadra Anu Telugu Kasthuri Maan Uma Tamil Sandakozhi Hema 2006 Mercury Pookkal Anbu Chelvi Rasathanthram Kanmani/ Velayuthankutty Malayalam Raraju Jyothi Telugu 2007 Arasu Aishu Kannada Maharadhi Kalyani Telugu Thirumagan Ayyakka Tamil Vinodayathra Anupama/ AnuMalayalam Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram Shweta Tamil Yamagola Malli Modalayindi Aishwarya Telugu Ore Kadal Deepti Malayalam 2008 Calcutta News Krishnapriya Innathe Chintha Vishayam Kamala Nepali Priya Tamil Minnaminnikoottam Charulatha/ Charu Malayalam Rathri Mazha Meera Gorintaku Lakshmi Telugu Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu Rajeswari 2009 Mariyadhai Chandra Tamil Bangaru Babu Meera Telugu A Aa E Ee Kalyani Chandram Devaru Kotta Thangi Lakshmi Kannada 2010 Aakasa Ramanna Tara Telugu Sivappu Mazhai Samyuktha Tamil Ijjodu Chenni Kannada Pen Singam Meghala Tamil Hoo Jasmine Kannada Paattinte Palazhy Veena Malayalam Four Friends Gowri 2011 Ilaignan Meera Tamil Mohabbat Sajna Malayalam Mambattiyan Kannaathal Tamil 2012 Aathi Narayana Laila 2013 Lisammayude Veedu Lisamma Malayalam Ladies and Gentleman Aswathy/Achu Moksha Moksha Telugu Ms Lekha Tharoor Kaanunnathu Lekha Malayalam 2014 Inga Enna Solluthu Rajeshwari Tamil Vingyani Kaveri Onnum Mindathe Syama Malayalam 2015 Ithinumappuram Rukmini 2016 Pathu Kalpanakal Shazia Akbar 2018 Poomaram Herself Cameo 2022 Makal Juliet 2023 Vimanam Shwetha Telugu Cameo Queen Elizabeth Elizabeth Angel Simon Malayalam 2024 Paalum Pazhavum SumiSwagUthphalaa Devi / RevathiTeluguDual role 2025 Test Padma Arjun Tamil Netflix Original Hridayapoorvam Anonymous woman Malayalam Cameo2026KannadaFilming NaicyMalayalam Filming
Awards and honours + List of Meera Jasmine awards and honours Year Award Award Category Awarded Work 2004National Film Awards Best Actress Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam 2004 Kerala State Film Awards Best Actress Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, Kasthuri Maan 2007 Best Actress Ore Kadal 2005 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize Kasthuri Maan 2009 Tamil Nadu Government Honour Kalaimamani Art - Various movies in Tamil Cinema Industry 2005 Kerala Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam 2006 Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Award for Best Actress Achuvinte Amma 2007 Filmfare Award for Best Actress Kasthoorimann 2008 Filmfare Award for Best Actress Ore Kadal 2003 Asianet Film Awards Best Actress Award Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam 2004 Best Actress Award Perumazhakkalam 2005 Best Actress Award Achuvinte Amma 2007 Best Actress Award Ore Kadal 2004 Vanitha Film Awards Vanitha-Chandrika Film Award For Best Actress Perumazhakkalam 2007 Vanitha-Nipon Paint Film Award for Best Actress Ore Kadal 2004 Mathrubhumi Film Awards Mathrubhumi – Medimix Award for Best Actress Perumazhakkalam 2007Mathrubhumi – Medimix Award for Best Actress Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam 2007 V. Shantaram Awards V Shantaram Award for Best Actress Ore Kadal 2001Bharathan Award Best Female Debut Actor Soothradharan 2002 Dinakaran Award Best Female Debut Run 2005 Thikkurissi Award Best Actress Perumazhakkalam 2007 Srividya Puraskaaram Best Actress Ore Kadal 2008 Amrita TV Film Awards Best Actress Ore Kadal
References
External links