If you’re a fan of Malayalam cinema, then you must have noticed that it is dominated by the most iconic Malayalam movie actresses. Not only are they talented, but they are also gorgeous! From classic heroines to modern-day superstars, here’s a list of the top 30 Malayalam movie actress names, with photos to help you remember them. Whether it’s their beauty or talent that has won your heart, this list will help remind you of the most popular and talented actresses in Mollywood. So let’s dive right into our list!
Best 30 Malayalam Movie Actress
1. Manju Warrier
Manju Warrier is a famous Indian film actress, classical dancer, and producer who made her acting debut as a seventeen-year-old teenage beauty in the film “Sakshyam.” She went on to act in several popular films such as “How old are you?” “Thooval Kottaram,” and “Ennum Eppozhum.” Warrier has won several awards for her performances, including the Kerala State Film Award and the National Film Award, making her the most prolific and best south Indian actress of all time.
2. Shobana
Shobana is a well-known Malayalam movie actress who took the Malayalam film industry by storm with her dual portrayal of Ganga and Nagavalli in “Manichitrathazhu” (1993). Apart from acting, she is immensely famous for her Bharatnatyam dance performances, which earned her the Padma Shri Award from the Indian government for her unparalleled contribution to the field of arts. Some of Shobana’s most notable films include “Agni Sakshi” (1999), “Kanamarayathu” (1984), and “Varane Avashyamund” (2020).
3. Priya Varrier
With only a wink, this hot young beauty sparked an online sensation! She became the most searched-for Internet phenomenon of 2018 thanks to the various reels, mashups, and recreations of her trademark wink that year. As of April 2020, Priya Varrier’s winking video clip that appears in the “Oru Adaar Love” trailer teaser has amassed around 97 million views on YouTube. She is referred to as India’s “wink queen.” She has performed in films in Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi in addition to Malayalam. Her profile on Instagram portrays her as a sensational actress!
4. Amala Paul
Amala Paul is an Indian cinema actress best known for her work in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. As a result of her involvement in a number of high-profile productions in 2011, Paul was dubbed the “new top star of 2011.” She was born in Kochi, Kerala, India, on October 26, 1991. Amala began her prolific cinematic career with the Malayalam film “Neelathamara” in 2009 and her Tamil feature “Veersakaran” in 2010. She has been in a number of blockbuster films, including “Velaiyila Pattathari,” “Thiruttu Pyaale 2,” “Ratsasana and Maina,” and others.
5. Parvathy Thiruvothu
Parvathy is the most sought-after Malayalam movie actress in the Malayalam film industry. In addition to “Take Off”, “Charlie”, “Koode”, “Bangalore Days”, “Ennu Ninte Moideen”, and “Notebook”, she has appeared in a number of popular Malayalam films. In the renowned film “Take Off”, Parvathy played Sameera, a part for which she received several honors. She was the first Indian performer to get the International Film Festival of India’s Special Jury Prize for Best Female Actor. She has appeared in Tamil films including “Poo”, “Uttama Villain”, and “Maryan”, as well as Kannada films like “Milana”, “Prithvi”, and “Andar Bahar”.
6. Nithya Menon
The actress Nithya Menon was born in India on April 8, 1988. She has shown her acting chops in films and TV programs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. When she was only eight years old, she was cast in the English-language film “Hanuman” by French director and wildlife filmmaker Frédéric Fougea. Nandini Reddy recognized Ms. Menon and cast her in her debut Telugu film, “Ala Modalaindi,” which became a huge success. She has a promising future ahead of her, with up to 50 films under her belt by 2020. Nithya’s voice has also been used as a playback vocalist in a number of films.
7. Miya
Gimi George, a popular Malayalam actress, was born in the Mumbai suburb of Dombivli. Her ardent fans have lovingly shortened her stage name, Miya George, to just Miya. She got her start playing secondary characters in TV shows. Her first roles were in the short films “Oru Small Family” (2010), “Doctor Love” (2011), and “Ee Adutha Kaalathu” (2012). Her acting chops can be seen as multi-talented in a few Tamil films as well.
8. Nazriya Nazim
Nazriya started working on television when she was just 10 years old. She also starred as a young actress in “Palunku”, a film starring Mammootty (2006). She is well admired for her impressive talent and her roles in Malayalam and Tamil films. With a dozen films in her kitty, she has become the most sought-after Malayalam movie actress in Mollywood, earning accolades such as the Filmfare Award and the Kerala State Film Award along the way.
9. Anupama Parmeshwaran
Anupama Parmeshwaran’s excellent performance in the Malayalam movie “Premam” will be remembered by anybody who has watched it. Following her breakout Bollywood performance in “Premam”, Anupama’s career took off, and she went on to appear in dozens of films in the Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil film industries. She co-starred in the movie “Jomonte Suvisheshangal” alongside Dulquer Salmaan, the heartthrob of the Mollywood films.
10. Nivetha Thomas
Nivetha Thomas, who rose to fame as a child star in the smash TV series “My Dear Bootham”, is now a full-fledged mallu actress in the Malayalam film industry. She has established her acting chops in a number of Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil films. In 2019, she co-starred with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in the action film “118”. Reviewers were mostly positive at the film’s release, and many singled out Thomas for praise for her outstanding performance in what was ultimately a minor yet impactful role.
11. Pearle Maaney
The popular “Yes Jukebox” presenter Pearle Maaney is also a renowned young Malayalam movie actress, composer, YouTuber, and TV host in India. She gained fame through her smashing performances in successful Malayalam films, including “The Last Supper,” “Njaan Valli,” and “Loham.” She showed her skills as a co-host on the Malayalam dance reality show D 4 Dance for three seasons. In 2018, Pearle finished as the runner-up in the first season of Big Boss Malayalam.
12. Madonna Sebastian
Madonna Sebastian is well-known in the playback singing world because of her notable work on voice tracks for composers such as Deepak Dev and Gopi Sunder. Participating as a host on the Surya TV program “Music Mojo” led to her acting debut in the romantic drama “Premam.” Madonna Sebastian went on to act in “Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogumm,” which proved to be her blockbuster debut in the Tamil film industry.
13. Anu Sithara
Although Anu Sithara is best known for her work in the Malayalam film industry, she is also highly regarded as a Bharatnatyam dance artist. As a child performer, Anu made her debut appearance in the 2013 production of Pottas Bomb. She has a string of comedic entertainment successes to her name, including the flicks “Oru Kuttanadan Blog” and “Johny Johny Yes Appa,” both of which were huge box office draws.
14. Saniya Iyappan
Few people remember Saniya Iyappan’s stint as a competitor in the dance reality program “D2” – “D4”, where she finished as the show’s second runner-up. She made her acting debut in 2014 with “Baalyakaalasakhi”, in which she played Isha Talwar’s childhood. Saniya received multiple honors for her debut performance in the 2018 film “Queen”, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut—South.
15. Aishwarya Lekshmi
Aishwarya Lekshmi began her career as a model before moving on to acting in her first film, “Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela”. She received critical praise in 2022 for her performance as “Poonguzhali” in Mani Ratnam’s historical action-drama film “Ponniyin Selvan”. Lekshmi has also made her blockbuster debut as a producer with the Tamil film “Gargi”, making her a versatile Malayalam movie actress with many hats.
16. Rajisha Vijayan
Rajisha Vijayan began her journey as a host for the youth-oriented music chat show “Susi’s Code”. She later made her blockbuster debut in the Malayalam film industry with “Anuraga Karikkin Vellam”, for which she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress in 2016. She also went on to receive a nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Malayalam).
17. Meera Jasmine
She is a critically acclaimed Malayalam movie actress who has proved her acting skills time and again with her splendid performances. Meera Jasmine was conferred the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her role in “Paadam Onnu”. She has also bagged the prestigious Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress, the Tamil Nadu State Film Award, and the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
18. Nyla Usha
The gorgeous and stunning Nyla Usha Gopakumar started as a popular television host and radio jockey in Kerala. She went on to make her acting debut in 2013 with “Kunjananthante Kada”, which became a huge commercial success. She won the Asiavision Award for Best Female Debut for the same film.
19. Namitha Pramod
Namitha Pramod began acting at a young age. In her seventh grade, she starred in three films, namely “Vellankanni Mathavu”, “Amme Devi”, and “Ente Manasa Puthri”. She made her debut as a lead Kerala actress with “Puthiya Theerangal”, where she played the role of a fisherwoman.
20. Malavika Nair
The Mohan Sithara-directed music video, “Rithukkal,” changed the fate of Malavika Nair. After her stint in music videos and various advertisements, Malavika Nair started as a young child performer in the South Indian film industry at the age of fourteen. Her breakthrough success as a lead Malayalam movie actress came with the Malayalam movie “Black Butterfly” in 2013.
21. Anarkali Manikar
Coming from a background of film actresses in the family, Anarkali Manikar began her journey in Mollywood with “Aanandam”. In the movie “Uyare”, she played Sariya D’Costa, a friend of protagonist Pallavi (Parvathy), and was lauded for her nuanced performance by critics.
22. Samyukta Menon
Starting her career as a model, Samyukta soon moved on to become a successful actress in Mollywood. She made her acting debut in the film “Popcorn” and later appeared in the romantic comedy “Theevandi”. She is also enjoying her acting stints in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.
23. Malavika Mohannan
Juggling both Tamil and Malayalam cinema, Malavika Mohannan is a famous Malayalam movie actress who is winning the hearts of M-town audiences. She is the daughter of critically acclaimed cinematographer K. U. Mohanan. In the Malayalam thriller film “The Great Father” (2017), her performance was lauded by both critics and audience members.
24. Reba Monica John
After a few stints in hair oil advertisements, Reba went on to become the second runner-up of the famous reality television series “Midukki”. Her role as Chippy in the Malayalam film “Jacobinte Swargarajyam”, directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, went on to become her acting debut and established her as a leading actress in M-town.
25. Shamna Kasim
Shamna Kasim is known for donning many hats as a dancer, Malayalam movie actress, and model. She has showcased her acting chops in Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil films. She made her debut with the thriller film “Manju Poloru Penkutty” and went on to act in more than two dozen movies from 2004 to 2022.
26. Aditi Ravi
Aditi Ravi was a famous model before kickstarting her M-town career. She gained popularity with her debut commercial for The Times of India. She went on to work as a supporting actress in “Angry Babies in Love” before landing her first solo lead role in “Alamara”, making her a part of the Malayalam actress name list with photo.
27. Anawara Ranjan
This Gen Z actress rose to prominence with her Malayalam short film “Globe”.With films like “Thanneer Mathan Dinangal” and “Super Sharanya”, she became a newcomer sensation in Mollywood.
28. Anna Ben
Anna Ben is the daughter of famous screenwriter Benny P. Nayarambalam. Her film “Helen” won the Kerala State Film Award for Special Mention, while her 2020 film “Kappela” won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress. She is surely a new talent among Malayalam heroines to watch out for in Mollywood!
29. Srinda Arhan
She is a multi-talented model Bollywood actress. She has worked as a model and dubbing artist prior to a flourishing career in Malayalam films. She is renowned for her meticulous acting skills in the movies “Bheeshma”, “Parvam”, and “Aadu”.
30. Grace Antony
Grace Antony is a splendid classical dancer, a successful model, and a stunning Malayalam movie actress. She rose to prominence following her brilliant performance in the Mollywood blockbuster film “Kumbalangi Nights”. She went on to have successful hits with films like “Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham”, “Rorschach”, and “Appan”.
So here are top actresses that dominated the Mallu industry. With the current success of Mallu actresses, they have the caliber to become the Top richest actress in Bollywood.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is the best Malayalam movie actress in the Malayalam film industry?
Shobana is regarded as the best movie actress in the Malayalam film industry due to her versatility in roles ranging from horror comedy films like “Manichitrathazhu” to the most recent romantic film “Varane Avashyamundu”.
- Who is the most beautiful actress in the Malayalam film industry?
Priya Varrier became India’s wink sensation and is regarded as the most beautiful Indian actress, taking audiences by storm with her adorable-yet-confident looks.
- Who is the Malayalam actress who got a national award?
Meera Jasmine received one of the most honorable Best Actress trophies at India’s 51st National Film Awards for her role in “Paadam Onnu Oru Vilapam”. She is said to have brought honor to the state of Kerala. In this dramatic film by T.V. Chandran, she played a young woman forced into an abusive marriage.