Actor · Telugu cinema
Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine movies: 13 Telugu films on file, 2004–2024. Earliest on file: Ammayi Bagundi (2004). Latest release: Swag (4 October 2024).
- Films on file
- 13 (13 as actor)
- Years on file
- 2004–2024
- Born
- 15 February 1982 · February birthdays (Wikidata)
- Record
- Q3519669 on Wikidata
Meera Jasmine (born Jasmine Mary Joseph) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Introduced by the director Lohithadas in Soothradharan (2001), she became one of the most successful actresses of the 2000s in South Indian cinema. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, has twice won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress, and has also received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award and the Kalaimamani award.
Early life
She was born in Kuttapuzha, a village in Thiruvalla in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, the fourth of five children of Joseph and Aleyamma; her sister Jeny Susan Joseph has also acted in films. She studied at Bala Vihar and Marthoma Residential School in Thiruvalla, and had wanted to become a doctor. About three months into a B.Sc. in Zoology at Assumption College, Changanassery, she was spotted by Blessy, then an assistant to Lohithadas, and offered a role in Soothradharan. She has said she had never acted before, not even in school plays, and regards Lohithadas as her mentor.
Rise in Malayalam cinema
After her debut, she appeared in Kamal’s Gramophone and the romantic comedy Swapnakkoodu, a major commercial success in which her performance stood out. Her rise to stardom came with Lohithadas’s Kasthooriman, which ran for 100 days and won her first Filmfare award.
The same year, T. V. Chandran’s Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam, in which she played a 15-year-old girl forced into marriage with an older man, brought her a Kerala State Award and the National Film Award. Further notable Malayalam films followed: Achuvinte Amma (2005), Rasathanthram (2006) opposite Mohanlal, in which her character pretends to be a boy, and Ore Kadal opposite Mammootty, a critically acclaimed film that won awards at festivals.
Tamil films
Her Tamil debut, Lingusamy’s Run, was a big success in Tamil Nadu and made her a sought-after actress, opening the door to work with established stars. Mani Ratnam later cast her in Aayutha Ezhuthu, and she also appeared in Sandakozhi, Mercury Pookkal and Mambattiyan (2011).
Telugu and Kannada films
She first became known to Telugu audiences through the dubbed version of Run, and in 2004 appeared in the Telugu films Ammayi Bagundi and Gudumba Shankar. She entered Kannada cinema opposite Puneeth Rajkumar in Maurya, and their second film together, Arasu, was a hit. Her other Kannada films include Devaru Kotta Thangi and Ijjodu.
Later career
After a break, she began taking on films again in late 2012, with a stated preference for women-centric roles, as in Lisammayude Veedu. She also appeared opposite Mohanlal in the comedy Ladies and Gentleman and opposite Jayaram in Onnum Mindathe (2014). The crime thriller 10 Kalpanakal (2016) was praised by critics although it did poorly in cinemas.
A guest appearance in Poomaram (2018) marked her return after a two-year gap, and in 2022 she reunited with Sathyan Anthikad for the family film Makal, alongside Jayaram, where her understated performance was praised.
Career on file
Meera Jasmine appears in 13 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 2004 to 2024. The earliest of them is Ammayi Bagundi (2004), and the most recent release is Swag (2024). The most widely covered of these, counted by Wikipedia language editions, are Maharadhi (2007), Bhadra (2005) and Vimanam (2023). Other recent releases on file are Moksha (2013), Aakasa Ramanna (2010) and A Aa E Ee (2009).
Chandra Mohan and Sivaji are the most frequent co-stars, each sharing three films with Meera Jasmine, followed by Brahmanandam (2) and Ali (2). Music on four of them is by M. M. Srilekha, with Mani Sharma (2) next. Across these films the credits on file name 13 different directors, 9 music directors and 36 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 6 of them; they average 145 minutes, and the longest is Gudumba Shankar at 176 minutes. Two of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 2000s (9), 2010s (2) and 2020s (2).
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.