Janani Iyer

Janani, earlier credited as Janani Iyer, is an Indian actress and model who works in Tamil and Malayalam films. An engineering graduate from Chennai, she had her first major role as Constable Baby in Bala's Avan Ivan (2011) and is best known for the Tamil film Thegidi (2014), opposite Ashok Selvan.

In Malayalam she has acted in films such as 3 Dots, 7th Day and Koothara. In 2018 she reached a wider television audience as a contestant on Bigg Boss Tamil 2, where she stayed for the full season and finished as third runner-up.

Her recent films include Bagheera (2023), Ippadiku Kadhal (2024) and the anthology Hot Spot (2024). She married Sai Roshan Shyam in March 2026.

Quick facts

Early life and education

Janani was born in Chennai. She studied at DAV Gopalapuram and earned a B.E. in Computer Science from Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai. She had been admitted to the University of Wollongong in Australia but dropped those plans when she was cast in Avan Ivan.

Before films she worked as a model and appeared in more than 150 regional television advertisements.

Career

Avan Ivan (2011)

Janani was announced as part of the cast of Bala's Avan Ivan in January 2010. Produced by AGS Entertainment and released on 17 June 2011, the film starred Vishal and Arya, and she played Constable Baby, the love interest of Vishal's character. The film received mixed reviews.

Paagan, 3 Dots and Thegidi (2012 to 2014)

She next played Mahalakshmi opposite Srikanth in Mohammed Aslam's Paagan, released on 7 September 2012. Her first Malayalam film was Sugeeth's 3 Dots (22 March 2013), in which she played Lakshmi alongside Kunchacko Boban and Biju Menon.

Thegidi, directed by P. Ramesh and released on 28 February 2014, gave her the best-known role of her career. She played Madhushree opposite Ashok Selvan, and the film drew mixed to positive reviews and made a profit. Its song "Vinmeen Vithaiyil" made her known to a wider audience. The film's title cards credited her simply as Janani, and she has used that name since.

Malayalam films (2014 to 2016)

In April 2014 she played Jessy opposite Prithviraj in Syamdhar's Malayalam film 7th Day, which was a commercial success. The same year she played Deena in Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal with Asif Ali, and Noora in Srinath Rajendran's Koothara (13 June 2014), alongside Bharath, Tovino Thomas and Sunny Wayne, with Mohanlal in an extended cameo.

In 2016 she appeared with Asif Ali again in Ithu Thaanda Police, as Niya Menon, and played Nivedita Haran in the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual Ma Chu Ka.

Tamil films (2017 to 2019)

She played Sadhana in Rohin Venkatesan's Adhe Kangal (26 January 2017), with Kalaiyarasan and Sshivada, and Shenbagavalli in Sinish's Balloon (29 December 2017), with Jai and Anjali. In Vijai Balaji's Vidhi Madhi Ultaa (5 January 2018) she played Divya opposite Rameez Raja and also sang "Un Nerukkam (Shimmr Mix)" for the film. She made cameo appearances in Mupparimanam (2017), as herself, and Dharmaprabhu (2019).

Bigg Boss Tamil 2 (2018)

Janani entered the second season of Bigg Boss Tamil, hosted by Kamal Haasan on Star Vijay, on its opening day, 17 June 2018. She was the first captain of the house, won the Ticket to Finale task in the thirteenth week and stayed for all 105 days. She finished as third runner-up when the season ended on 30 September 2018; Riythvika won the title. She returned as a guest on Bigg Boss Tamil 3 in 2019.

Recent work (2022 to 2024)

She played Stella in Bryan B. George's Koorman (11 February 2022), with Rajaji, and Preethi in Sandeep Shyam's Vezham (24 June 2022), which reunited her with Ashok Selvan. In 2023 she played Rubha Reddy in Adhik Ravichandran's Bagheera, starring Prabhu Deva, appeared as Kajal in Karungaapiyam and played Keerthana in the web series MY3.

In 2024 she starred with Bharath in Bharath Mohan's Ippadiku Kadhal, which premiered on aha on 9 February, and played Anitha in "Thakkali Chutney", a segment of Vignesh Karthick's anthology Hot Spot (29 March 2024).

Hosting and guest appearances

Janani co-hosted the 8th South Indian International Movie Awards telecast on Sun TV in 2019 and appeared as a guest on Super Singer Season 10 on Star Vijay in 2024.

Filmography

Television

Web series

Personal life

Janani married Sai Roshan Shyam in March 2026.

FAQ

Is Janani the same actress as Janani Iyer?

Yes. She was earlier credited as Janani Iyer and has used the name Janani since Thegidi (2014), whose title cards credited her that way.

Which film launched Janani Iyer's career?

Bala's Avan Ivan (2011), in which she played Constable Baby opposite Vishal's character, was her first major role.

Did Janani Iyer win Bigg Boss Tamil 2?

No. She stayed for all 105 days and finished as third runner-up. Riythvika won the season.

Which Malayalam films has Janani Iyer acted in?

Her Malayalam films include 3 Dots (2013), 7th Day, Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal and Koothara (all 2014), Ithu Thaanda Police and the bilingual Ma Chu Ka (both 2016).

What did Janani Iyer study?

She earned a B.E. in Computer Science from Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai.

Who is Janani Iyer's husband?

She married Sai Roshan Shyam in March 2026.