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Divyaa Unni
Divyaa Unni | |
|---|---|
 Unni | |
| Born | 2 September 1981 |
| Occupation | Actress, Indian classical dance performer and teacher |
| Years active | 1987-present |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Relatives |
|
Divyaa Unni is an Indian film actress and classical dancer who teaches various forms of dance such as Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattom.
Early life[edit]
Divyaa Unni was born to Ponnethmadhatil Unnikrishnan and Kizhkemadhatil Uma Devi at Kochi, Kerala, India. Her mother Uma Devi, is a Sanskrit teacher and is the Head of Sanskrit Department; at Bhavans Vidya Mandir, Girinagar & was awarded the National Award for Teachers (India),[1][2] in the year 2013 by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. She has a sister, Vidhya Unni, who has worked as a lead in couple of Malayalam movies. Divyaa completed her schooling in Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Girinagar.
She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communicative English from St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam. Divyaa is related (cousin) to Malayalam actress Meera Nandan and Remya Nambeesan.
Post her wedding, she quit cinema and got settled in the US. Divya Unni tied the knot with Arun Kumar in 2018, an engineer from the USA. The couple was blessed with a baby girl on January 14, 2020. The actress has two kids in her first marriage as well.[3]
Film career[edit]
Divyaa has acted as a lead in over 50 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
As a child, Divyaa got her first break in the film Neeyethra Dhanya (1987) when she was a student in second grade. It was followed by Pookkalam Varavayi (1991) directed by Kamal and O' Faby (1993). She also did a TV serial Iniyonnu Vishramikkatte directed by Vinayan.
Divyaa's first feature film as a lead actress was Kalyana Sowgandhikam (1996) with actors like Dileep and Kalabhavan Mani in the lead roles - one she did when she was fourteen; studying in the tenth grade. Subsequently, she worked with the actors Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Dileep and directors Bharathan; I V Sasi; Sibi Malayil and Lohithadas.
Dance career[edit]
Divyaa started her Bharatanatyam dance training at the age of three,[4] thereafter she was trained in Kuchipudi, and Mohiniyattam. Subsequently, Divyaa Unni was crowned, in 1990 and 1991, ''Kalathilakom'' in Kerala School Kalolsavam statewide competitions. On India's premier Television Channel Doordarshan, she has presented a variety of Indian dance art-forms to such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, and Indian folk dance. She continues to perform at various Indian dance festivals[5][6][7][8] in India[9] and international stages throughout North America, Europe and Persian Gulf countries.
She has received many awards including the Aravindaksha Memorial Award – the Abhinaya Tilaka Puraskaram for the best state dance performance.
In the pursuit of promoting Indian culture in the West, Divyaa is developing the artistic talents of young children in the United States, where she currently resides. With this goal, she is currently the Director of Sreepadam School of Arts in Houston, Texas, United States.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Aakasha Ganga 2 | Maya / Daisy | Vinayan | Malayalam | Photo archive |
| 2019 | Thanka Bhasma Kuriyitta Thamburatti | Herself | Vinayan | Malayalam | Photo archive |
| 2013 | Musafir | Herself | Pramod Pappan | Malayalam | Guest appearance |
| 2010 | Upadeshiyude Makan | Irin | Joshy Mathew | Malayalam | |
| 2008 | Magic Lamp | Viji | K. K. Haridas | Malayalam | Delayed release |
| 2006 | Illalu Priyuralu | Divya | Bhanu Shankar | Telugu | Delayed release |
| 2001 | Vedham | Anitha Sanjay | Arjun Sarja | Tamil | |
| Aandan Adimai | Gayathri | Manivannan | Tamil | ||
| Oru Apoorva Pranayakatha | Meenakshi | Noufal | Malayalam | ||
| Nakshathragal Parayathirunnathu | Shivaranjini | C.S. Sudheesh | Malayalam | ||
| Jameendar | Haridas | Malayalam | |||
| Baanallu Neene Bhuviyallu Neene | Lalitha / Anita | S. Narayan | Kannada | ||
| 2000 | Palayathu Amman | Savithri | Rama Narayanan | Tamil | |
| Sabhash | Shanthi | K. Subash | Tamil | ||
| Kannan Varuvaan | Parvathi | Sundar C. | Tamil | ||
| Mark Antony | Nimmi | T. S. Suresh Babu | Malayalam | ||
| 1999 | Niram | Herself | Kamal | Malayalam | Guest appearance |
| Aakasha Ganga | Maya / Daisy | Vinayan | Malayalam | ||
| Aayiram Meni | Mallika | I. V. Sasi | Malayalam | ||
| Usthad | Padmaja / Pappa | Sibi Malayil | Malayalam | ||
| Friends | Uma | Siddique | Malayalam | ||
| 1998 | Sooryaputhran | Maya | Thulasidas | Malayalam | |
| The Truth | Nimmi | Shaji Kailas | Malayalam | ||
| Ayushman Bhava | Sumangala | Suresh Vinu | Malayalam | ||
| Oru Maravathoor Kanavu | Annie | Lal Jose | Malayalam | ||
| Pranayavarnangal | Maya | Sibi Malayil | Malayalam | ||
| 1997 | Varnapakittu | Nancy | I. V. Sasi | Malayalam | |
| Churam | Maya | Bharathan | Malayalam | ||
| Katha Nayagan | Gopika | Rajasenan | Malayalam | ||
| Karunyam | Indu | Lohithadas | Malayalam | ||
| Nee Varuvolam | Revathi | Sibi Malayil | Malayalam | ||
| Shibiram | Minikutty | T. S. Suresh Babu | Malayalam | ||
| 1996 | Kalyana Sowgandhikam | Athira | Vinayan | Malayalam | Debut as Lead actress |
| 1993 | Sowbhagyam | Indhu's Sister | Sandhya Mohan | Malayalam | Child artist |
| 1993 | O' Faby | Child artist | Sreekumar Krishnan Nair | Malayalam | |
| 1991 | Pookkalam Varavayi | School girl | Kamal | Malayalam | |
| 1987 | Neeyethra Dhanya | Young Shyamala | Jesey | Malayalam |
Television[edit]
- Serials
- Iniyonnu Vishramikkate (DD Malayalam)
- Shankupushpam (Asianet)
- Telefilm
- Pranayam (Surya TV)
- TV shows as Host
- American Jalakam (Asianet)
- America Today (Kairali TV)
- Pravaham
Dance video[edit]
- Kaathidam Keralathe (2020)
References[edit]
- ↑ "National award for Sanskrit teacher Ms. Umadevi K. Ms. Umadevi K. Sanskrit teacher bagged the national Award for Best Teacher 2013 instituted by MHRD, New Delhi. She was invited to attend the award ceremony at New Delhi on Teachers Day". www.bhavans.info/news/show_other_news.asp?nid=774&kid=32. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ↑ "List of teachers who were awarded National Award on Teachers Day 2014 | Curriculum Magazine". www.curriculum-magazine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ↑ "Divya Unni shares a lovely picture with her baby girl - Malayalam News - IndiaGlitz.com".
- ↑ "Reinventing the Panchakanya Women Through Bharatanatyam". Brown Girl Magazine. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ↑ M, Athira (9 November 2017). "Artistic endeavours" – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "A lifelong passion for dance". 9 November 2017.
- ↑ "Divya Unni back on stage with mesmerizing dance steps - Video".
- ↑ Nampoothiri, Hareesh N. (16 November 2017). "Review: Young dancers take the stage at Soorya's 'Parampara' festival" – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "Review - The flavors of a festival - Padma Jayaraj". www.narthaki.com.
External links[edit]
- Divya Unni on IMDb
- Divyaa Unni on Facebook
- Divyaa Unni on Instagram
- Living people
- 20th-century American dancers
- 20th-century Indian actresses
- 20th-century Indian dancers
- 20th-century Indian educators
- 20th-century Indian women artists
- 20th-century women educators
- 21st-century Indian actresses
- Actresses from Kochi
- Actresses in Kannada cinema
- Actresses in Malayalam cinema
- Actresses in Malayalam television
- Actresses in Tamil cinema
- Actresses in Telugu cinema
- Bharatanatyam exponents
- Child actresses in Malayalam cinema
- Dancers from Kerala
- Educators from Kerala
- Indian dance teachers
- Indian film actresses
- Indian television actresses
- Kuchipudi dancers
- Teachers of Indian classical dance
- Women artists from Kerala
- Women educators from Kerala
- St. Teresa's College alumni
- 1981 births