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6 TV Personalities Who Made It To The Big Screen!

Did you know your favorite movie stars were these popular TV personalities before they went to the big screen! From TV show presenters, to participants and actors. Here is a round up of celebrities that went from the small screen to the big screen.

Sai Pallavi 

Sai Pallavi Senthamarai She has won several awards including four Filmfare Awards South and two SIIMA Awards. She was featured by Forbes magazine as one of India’s 30 under 30 in 2020. Sai Pallavi was a contestant on the Vijay TV show Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva? And Dhee 4 both were major dance competitions in the Tamil and Telugu industry. 

Pallavi made her acting debut with 2015 Malayalam film Premam, which was the second highest-grossing Malayalam film till then, for which she received critical praise. She has since established herself in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema with acclaimed performances in successful films like Kali (2016), Fidaa (2017), Middle Class Abbayi (2017), Maari 2 (2018), Love Story (2021), Shyam Singha Roy (2021) and Gargi (2022). 

Aishwarya Rajesh

Aishwarya Rajesh  is an Indian actress who works primarily in Tamil films, alongside Telugu and Malayalam films. She is a recipient of four SIIMA Awards, one Filmfare Award South and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.

Aishwarya started her career as a television presenter in a comedy show called Asatha Povathu Yaaru? on Sun TV. After winning the reality show Maanada Mayilada, she was cast in the film Avargalum Ivargalum and came into prominence after starring in Attakathi portraying the role of Amudha. She has received Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for the 2014 film Kaaka Muttai at Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.She acted in her two career breakthrough roles as Padma in Vetrimaran’s Vada Chennai co-starring with Dhanush and as Kousalya Murugesan, a female cricketer in her solo film Kanaa (2018).

Nayanthara 

The versatile actress started her career as a presenter on the Malayalam channel named Chamayam, a fashion and lifestyle show based on beauty products, jewellery and accessories and also the celebrity secrets of beauty. She hosted the show with her birth name ‘Diana’. After that, she appeared with her screen name ‘Nayanthara’.

It is during this show in 2003 that the actress got selected to play her debut in the Sathyan Anthikad Movie ‘Manassinakkare’ with Jayaram. She made her debut in Tamil cinema with Ayya along with Sarathkumar in 2005 and Telugu with Lakshmi (2006). Both were successful. She has acted in more than 75 films. She had numerous commercially successful Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films from Chandramukhi to Annaatthe. She’s among the few women actors who’ve acted with heroes across generations, from Rajinikanth to Ajith, Vijay, Suriya, Vijay Sethupathi and Sivakarthikeyan.

Vani Bhojan

Vani Bhojan is an Indian actress who works in Tamil-language television and Tamil and Telugu cinema.Her first film appearance was in 2010, in the Tamil horror film Orr Eravuu.

In 2013, her role in the Sun TV series Deivamagal gained her the Galatta Nakshatra Award, Sun Kudumbam Viruthukal and Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Actress. In 2017, she appeared as a judge in Asathal Chutties on Sun TV and Kings of Comedy Juniors 2 on Vijay TV.She had a leading role in the 2019 Telugu film Meeku Maathrame Cheptha. In 2020, for her role in the successful Tamil film Oh My Kadavule, she was nominated at Siima for the Best Supporting Actress and won the JFW Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

Sathyapriya Bhavani Shankar

Known by her stage name Priya Bhavani, is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Tamil films, in addition to a few Telugu films. She made her acting debut with commercially successful Tamil film Meyaadha Maan (2017).

She has appeared in successful films such as Meyaadha Maan (2017), Kadaikutty Singam (2018), Mafia: Chapter 1 (2020), Yaanai (2022) and Thiruchitrambalam (2022). Her first recognition was as a television news presenter at the Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai. She also worked as a serial actress in Star Vijay Television‘s Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai In 2017, she made her film debut with Meyaadha Maan opposite Vaibhav Reddy, for which she was nominated for a SIIMA Award for Best Female Debutant.

Nazriya Nazim 

Nazriya Nazim  is an Indian actress, producer and former television presenter who works predominantly in Malayalam films and in addition to Tamil films. She has won One Filmfare Award South, one Kerala State Film Awards, and One Tamil Nadu State Film Award respectively.

She started her career as an anchor on Malayalam television channel Asianet before pursuing a career as an actress. She made her debut as a child artist with Palunku (2006) and then as a lead actress in the 2013 Malayalam film Maad Dad. She has gone on to star in successful films such as Neram (2013), Raja Rani (2013), Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014), and Bangalore Days (2014). Following her marriage to actor Fahadh Faasil, she took a break from acting. She made a comeback in 2018 with Anjali Menon‘s movie Koode.