Keerthy Suresh

Keerthy Suresh (born 17 October 1992) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, and more recently in Hindi. The daughter of producer G. Suresh Kumar and actress Menaka, she appeared as a child in a handful of her father's Malayalam films before making her debut as a lead in Priyadarshan's Geethaanjali (2013).

She is best known for playing the legendary actress Savitri in Mahanati (2018), a performance that won her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and for Dasara (2023), which brought her a second Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. In Tamil cinema she has been the female lead in big-star films such as Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, Sarkar and Annaatthe, and has carried films on her own in Penguin, Saani Kaayidham, Raghu Thatha and Revolver Rita.

As of November 2026, her most recent releases are Karthik Subbaraj's Tamil drama Dorothy, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and reached theatres on 25 September 2026, and the Netflix series Akka, her first web series, which began streaming on 30 October 2026.

Quick facts

Early life and education

Keerthy Suresh was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, to the Malayalam film producer G. Suresh Kumar and the actress Menaka. She went to school in Chennai until the fourth standard, then studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, in Kerala, and later completed a degree in fashion design at Pearl Academy. She has said she seriously considered a career in design before returning to films. She also plays the violin.

Career

Child artist (2000 to 2005)

Her first appearances were as a child in three of her father's Malayalam productions: Pilots (2000), Achaneyanenikkishtam (2001) and Kuberan (2002). She also acted as a child in the Malayalam telefilm Grihanadhan (2003) on DD Malayalam and in the serials Santhana Gopalam (2004) on Surya TV and Krishna Kripa Sagaram (2005) on Amrita TV, before stepping away to finish her education.

Malayalam debut as a lead (2013 to 2014)

She returned to cinema with Priyadarshan's Geethaanjali, released on 14 November 2013. The horror film had Mohanlal reprising his Manichitrathazhu character Dr. Sunny Joseph, and Keerthy played the twins Geetha and Anjali in a dual role. Reviews were mixed, but the film won her the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut (Malayalam) and the Asianet Film Award for Best New Face of the Year.

Her second film was Ring Master (2014), directed by Rafi, in which she played Karthika, a visually impaired girl, opposite Dileep. It was a commercial success.

Tamil and Telugu breakthrough (2015 to 2017)

Her Tamil debut came with A. L. Vijay's romantic comedy Idhu Enna Maayam (2015), opposite Vikram Prabhu. The film did not do well, but she won the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut (Tamil) and the Edison Award for Best Female Rising Star for it. Her Telugu debut, Kishore Tirumala's Nenu Sailaja, opened on 1 January 2016 with Ram Pothineni as her co-star; it drew mixed to positive reviews, was a commercial success and earned her Filmfare and SIIMA nominations.

In 2016 she had three Tamil releases in a row: Rajinimurugan and Remo, both with Sivakarthikeyan, and Prabhu Solomon's Thodari with Dhanush. In 2017 she played Malarvizhi opposite Vijay in Bharathan's Bairavaa, appeared in the Telugu film Nenu Local, and starred in the Tamil film Paambhu Sattai, for which she received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress.

Mahanati and a busy 2018

2018 was the year that changed her career. It began with the Telugu film Agnyaathavaasi and Vignesh Shivan's heist comedy Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, released on 12 January 2018, her first film with Suriya and a remake of the Hindi film Special 26. The film was well received.

On 9 May 2018 came Mahanati, Nag Ashwin's Telugu biopic of the actress Savitri, produced by Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema. Keerthy played the title role alongside Dulquer Salmaan as Gemini Ganesan, with Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Deverakonda in supporting parts. Critics singled out her performance, and the film became the highest-grossing South Indian film with a woman in the lead. The Tamil version was released as Nadigaiyar Thilagam. At the 66th National Film Awards, announced in August 2019, she won Best Actress, and she also won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu, the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu and the Zee Cine Award Telugu for Best Actress for the role. She has said in interviews that Mahanati changed the kind of roles she was offered.

The rest of 2018 was packed: a cameo in Seemaraja, the role of Diya in Hari's Saamy Square opposite Vikram (for which she also sang the song "Pudhu Metro Rail"), Sembaruthi in N. Lingusamy's Sandakozhi 2 with Vishal, and Nila in A. R. Murugadoss's Sarkar with Vijay. Sarkar opened on 6 November 2018 in the Diwali week to mixed to positive reviews and was a commercial success.

Streaming releases (2019 to 2020)

After a cameo in the Telugu film Manmadhudu 2 (2019), both of her 2020 films skipped theatres because of the pandemic. Penguin, written and directed by debutant Eashvar Karthic, cast her as Rhythm, a mother searching for her missing son; it premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 19 June 2020 in Tamil with Telugu and Malayalam versions, and critics praised her performance while faulting the writing. The Telugu drama Miss India, in which she played Manasa Samyuktha, was released on Netflix later that year.

Big-star films and Saani Kaayidham (2021 to 2022)

In 2021 she appeared in the Telugu romance Rang De with Nithiin, made a cameo in Jathi Ratnalu, played Thanga Meenatchi in Siva's Annaatthe with Rajinikanth, which received negative reviews, and acted in Priyadarshan's Malayalam period film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham with Mohanlal, which had a poor run at the box office.

2022 brought four releases. Good Luck Sakhi (Telugu) was a critical and commercial failure. Saani Kaayidham, written and directed by Arun Matheswaran, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 6 May 2022 and cast her as Ponni, a police constable in 1989 who sets out for revenge after her family is killed, with Selvaraghavan in his acting debut as her half-brother. Reviews were generally positive, her performance was widely praised, and she won the SIIMA Award for Best Actress Critics – Tamil and earned a Filmfare nomination. She then played Kalaavathi in Parasuram's Telugu film Sarkaru Vaari Paata with Mahesh Babu, and a lawyer in the Malayalam courtroom drama Vaashi with Tovino Thomas.

Dasara and Maamannan (2023)

Dasara, the debut film of director Srikanth Odela, was released on 30 March 2023 with Nani in the lead. Keerthy played Vennela, and the film received positive reviews and was a commercial success. It won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu.

In Tamil she played Leela in Mari Selvaraj's Maamannan, released on 29 June 2023, alongside Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil and Udhayanidhi Stalin in his last acting role. The film received mixed to positive reviews and did well commercially. Her other 2023 release, the Telugu film Bhola Shankar with Chiranjeevi, a remake of the Tamil film Vedalam, received negative reviews and failed at the box office.

Siren, Raghu Thatha, Kalki 2898 AD and Baby John (2024)

She began 2024 with Siren, the directorial debut of Antony Bhagyaraj, released on 16 February 2024, playing Inspector K. Nandhini opposite Ravi Mohan. Reviews were negative. In June she voiced Bujji, the artificial intelligence companion of Prabhas's character, in Nag Ashwin's science fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD, released on 27 June 2024 and the second-highest-grossing Indian film of the year; she also voiced the character in the Amazon Prime Video animated series Bujji & Bhairava.

Raghu Thatha, written and directed by debutant Suman Kumar and produced by Hombale Films, was released on 15 August 2024. She played Kayalvizhi Pandian, a bank clerk who takes a Hindi exam to win a transfer and escape an arranged marriage, with M. S. Bhaskar as her grandfather. Reviews were mixed to negative, but the role earned her Filmfare and SIIMA nominations. The film began streaming on ZEE5 on 13 September 2024.

Her Hindi debut, Baby John, was released on 25 December 2024. Directed by Kalees and produced by Atlee among others, it was an adaptation of Atlee's Tamil film Theri, with Varun Dhawan in the lead and Keerthy as Dr. Meera Verma. It received mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office.

Uppu Kappurambu and Revolver Rita (2025)

Uppu Kappurambu, a Telugu comedy drama directed by Ani I. V. Sasi about a village whose cemetery runs out of space, was released directly on Amazon Prime Video on 4 July 2025. She played Apoorva opposite Suhas, with Rana Daggubati as the narrator, and reviews were generally positive.

Revolver Rita, a Tamil crime comedy written and directed by JK. Chandru, reached theatres on 28 November 2025. She played Rita, a woman who has to hide a gangster's body with the help of her family, with Radhika Sarathkumar as her mother and Sean Roldan as composer. Reviews were largely negative. The film has been streaming on Netflix since 26 December 2025.

Dorothy and Akka (2026)

Dorothy is Karthik Subbaraj's tenth film as director, produced by Sikhya Entertainment, Dhammam Films and Jio Studios, with Ilaiyaraaja composing both the score and the songs in his first collaboration with Subbaraj. Set in rural Tamil Nadu in the early 1990s, it follows two childhood friends, played by Sananth and Rishikanth, and Keerthy plays the title role of Dorothy, a young bride from Kerala who joins the household. The film had its world premiere in the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026, where it received a standing ovation, and was released in Indian theatres on 25 September 2026 with an A certificate. Critics were divided on the film, though many called it among Subbaraj's boldest work. It grossed about ₹17.6 crore in India, according to The Week, and began streaming on Netflix on 23 October 2026 in five languages. Keerthy has described her part as an extended cameo of around 20 to 25 minutes of screen time that she took because she believed in the story.

Akka, her first web series, premiered on Netflix on 30 October 2026. Written and directed by debutant Dharmaraj Shetty and produced by Yash Raj Films' streaming division, the five-episode Hindi crime drama is set in Pernuru, a fictional kingdom ruled by women, and moves from the 1980s to the present. Keerthy plays the gangster Bhavani opposite Radhika Apte as Rudra, with Tanvi Azmi in a key role. She had signed the series before Baby John, so it was planned as her Hindi debut. Reviews were mixed on the series itself, but critics called her a commanding presence and singled out her scenes with Apte.

Upcoming films

As of November 2026, she has completed Raftaar, a Hindi film with Rajkummar Rao, and is filming Rowdy Janardhana, a Telugu film with Vijay Deverakonda. She has also finished shooting Sathyavan Savithiri, a Tamil courtroom drama directed by Praveen S. Vijaay in which she plays Savithiri opposite Mysskin, with music by Sam C. S.

Filmography

Television and web series

Awards

She was also named in Forbes India's 30 Under 30 list in 2021.

Personal life

Keerthy Suresh married Antony Thattil in Goa on 12 December 2024.

FAQ

Which film won Keerthy Suresh the National Award?

Mahanati (2018), Nag Ashwin's biopic of the actress Savitri. She won Best Actress at the 66th National Film Awards, announced in August 2019.

What is Keerthy Suresh's latest film?

Dorothy, directed by Karthik Subbaraj with music by Ilaiyaraaja. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theatres on 25 September 2026, and has been on Netflix since 23 October 2026.

What is Akka?

Akka is Keerthy Suresh's first web series, a five-episode Hindi crime drama on Netflix in which she plays the gangster Bhavani opposite Radhika Apte. It began streaming on 30 October 2026.

When did Keerthy Suresh make her debut?

She acted as a child in her father's films from 2000, and made her debut as a lead in Priyadarshan's Malayalam film Geethaanjali in November 2013.

Who is Keerthy Suresh married to?

She married Antony Thattil in Goa on 12 December 2024.

What are Keerthy Suresh's upcoming films?

As of November 2026, she has completed the Hindi film Raftaar with Rajkummar Rao and the Tamil courtroom drama Sathyavan Savithiri with Mysskin, and is filming the Telugu film Rowdy Janardhana with Vijay Deverakonda.