Priya Prakash Varrier

Priya Prakash Varrier (born 28 October 1999) is an Indian actress who has worked in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. She shot to fame when a clip of her winking in a song from the Malayalam film Oru Adaar Love went viral, making her the most searched-for personality on Google in India in 2018. She made her Telugu debut in Check (2021).

Early life

Varrier was born in Punkunnam, Thrissur, in Kerala, to Prakash Varrier, an employee of the Central Excise Department, and Preetha, a homemaker. She went to school at Sandeepani Vidya Nikethan in Thrissur and in 2018 enrolled for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Vimala College, Thrissur.

The viral wink

Her first film was Oru Adaar Love, a romantic drama set in a school, in which she played a character named Priya alongside a cast of largely new faces. When the song “Maanikya Malaraya Poovi” was released on YouTube ahead of the film, a moment in which she winks spread rapidly online and made her an overnight sensation. The film itself was released in 2019.

Singing and Hindi cinema

In 2019 she sang “Nee Mazhavillu Polen” with Naresh Iyer for the film Finals. She was also cast opposite Arbaaz Khan in the Hindi film Sridevi Bungalow, which was held up in post-production amid criticism and legal action by the family of the late actress Sridevi; it has not been released.

Telugu and Kannada films

Her Telugu debut came in Check (2021), in which she played a honey trapper, with Nithiin and Rakul Preet Singh in the cast. Her first Kannada film, Vishnupriya, was released in 2025.

Tamil films

In 2025 she also entered Tamil cinema with Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam, directed by Dhanush, in which she played Preethi. She followed it with the role of Nithya in the Ajith Kumar action comedy Good Bad Ugly, a part that was well received and brought her renewed attention; her recreation of the song “Thottu Thottu Pesum Sultana” from the film also went viral.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.