Keerthi Pandian (born 18 February 1992) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil films. After a brief career as a dancer and theatre actress, she made her film acting debut in 2019 with Thumbaa. She then garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the survival thriller film Anbirkiniyal directed by Gokul. She is the daughter of actor and politician Arun Pandian and the cousin of actress Ramya Pandian.

Keerthi Pandian
Keerthi in 2020 at Zee Awards
Born18 February 1992 (1992-02-18) (age 32)
Alma materChettinad Vidyashram
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active2015–present
Spouse
(m. 2023)
FatherArun Pandian
RelativesRamya Pandian (cousin)
Websitekeerthipandian.com

Early life

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Keerthi Pandian was born on 18 February 1992 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to actor and politician Arun Pandian, and his wife Vijaya Pandian.[1] She has two elder sisters named Kavitha Pandian and Kirana Pandian,[2] and a cousin Ramya Pandian, who is also an actress.[3] Keerthi did her schooling at Chettinad Vidyashram in Chennai where she also graduated from.[1]

Career

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After graduating, Pandian began her career as a dancer in ballet and salsa, then shifted to theatre acting in 2015. She was also the head director of operations in A&P Groups, a film distribution company owned by her father and worked for films such as Savaale Samaali (2015) while simultaneously running her own distribution company in Singapore.[4][5][6] Pandian initially did not receive many film offers by directors at the start of her appearance in the industry due to discrimination towards her skin color and her being underweight.[7][8][9] She even declined others because she felt she did not have meaty roles in them; during auditions, she always introduced herself simply by her first name to avoid the appearance of nepotism as Arun Pandian's daughter.[10][11][12]

Pandian was approached by director Harish Ram offering her a lead role in the film Thumbaa (2019); she accepted, making her debut film as an actress in Tamil cinema.[13][14][15] Pandian later acted in Anbirkiniyal (2021), a remake of the Malayalam film Helen (2019), as the main character alongside her father.[16][17] She also acted in the comedy miniseries Postman which was released on ZEE5.[18] Pandian also won the Super daughter award by Femina which was awarded to her by her father in 2019 after her debut film appearance in Thumbaa.[19][20] In 2023, she appeared in Kannagi,[21] and the following year in Blue Star,[22] and the much-delayed Konjam Pesinaal Yenna.[23]

Personal life

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Pandian's niece Driya portrayed the younger version of her character in Anbirkiniyal.[24] In early 2020 during the first COVID-19 lockdown in India period, Pandian developed an interest in farming and helping crops grow for better produce in the future in her gated property.[25][26] She also knows fire eating.[27]

On 13 September 2023, Pandian married actor Ashok Selvan in a Tamil wedding ceremony in Tirunelveli.[28][29] They co-starred in Blue Star.[30]

Filmography

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Films

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Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Role Notes
2019 Thumbaa Varsha Kumaran
2021 Anbirkiniyal Anbirkiniyal Sivam (Anbu)
2023 Kannagi Kannagi
2024 Blue Star Anandhi
Konjam Pesinaal Yenna Sanjana

Television

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Year Film Role Streaming channel
2019 Postman Ragini ZEE5

Accolades

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Year Award Category Film Result Ref.
2019 Femina Awards Femina Super Daughter Thumbaa Won [31]
2021 Zee Cine Awards Tamil Best Female Debut Nominated
Vikatan Awards
Edison Awards
2022 SIIMA Best Actress Award Tamil Anbirkiniyal Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b "Actress Keerthi Pandian". Nettv4u. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Helen Tamil remake titled Anbirkiniyal". Cinema Express. 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Bigg Boss Tamil 4 contestant Ramya Pandian's profile, photos and everything you need to know". The Times of India. 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Keerthi Pandian On Why It's Important To Understand The Business Of Films". Film Companion. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  5. ^ "On Stage". Keerthi Pandian. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ "A&P Groups". IndiaMART. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Keerthi Pandian gets emotional on stage, reveals being body shamed!". Cinema Express. 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  8. ^ Balachandran, Logesh (18 August 2021). "People are more accepting of dark skin tones now: Keerthi Pandian". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Keerthi Pandian reveals that she was body shamed by directors". The Times of India. 19 June 2019. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  10. ^ "I will outshine as a performer, not just as heroine: Keerthi Pandian". News Today. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Another dad-daughter duo to hit the silver screen". Deccan Chronicle. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Humans are the worst creatures on the planet: Keerthi Pandian". Cinema Express. 23 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Keerthi Pandian debuts in fantasy adventure". Deccan Chronicle. 23 June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  14. ^ S, Srivatsan (20 February 2019). "'Thumbaa' was an instinctive yes, says Keerthi Pandian". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Arun Pandian's daughter Keerthi makes her film debut". The New Indian Express. 18 February 2019. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  16. ^ "Keerthi Pandian signs her second film in Tamil". DT Next. 8 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Arun Pandian and daughter Keerthi's film titled Anbirkiniyal". DT Next. 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Here's what ZEE5 Original 'Postman' starring Munishkanth and Keerthi Pandian is all about". Daily News and Analysis. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Celebrating parents: The Femina Super Daughter Awards 2019". Femina. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  20. ^ "Thumbaa actress Keerthi says dance is her first form of meditation". The Times of India. 29 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  21. ^ "First look of Keerthi Pandian's 'Kannagi' out". The New Indian Express. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Blue Star song Railin Oligal featuring Ashok Selvan and Keerthi Pandian shows a blossoming love story". Cinema Express. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  23. ^ "First look of Vinoth Kishan & Keerthi Pandian film". The Times of India. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  24. ^ Darshan, Navein (5 March 2021). "Anbirkiniyal Movie Review: A satisfying remake with an extra pinch of drama". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Keerthi Pandian is excited about learning a new skill in farming". Cinema Express. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Farming keeps 'Thumbaa' actress Keerthi Pandian busy during lockdown". The Times of India. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Actress Keerthi Pandian performs fire eating with street performers". The Times of India. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Ashok Selvan, Keerthi Pandian tie the knot in close-knit traditional ceremony. See photos". The Indian Express. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Ashok Selvan and Keerthi Pandian are married. Check out dreamy first official wedding pics". Hindustan Times. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Pa Ranjith's next production, starring Ashok Selvan and Shanthnu, titled 'Blue Star'". The Hindu. 20 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Femina Super Daughter Awards 2019 recognizes and honors prominent parent-daughter duos". moviegalleri.net. 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
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