Pavani Reddy is an Indian actress who works mainly in Tamil and Telugu television and films. She is best known as Nandhini, the female lead of the Star Vijay serial Chinna Thambi (2017 to 2019), as the second runner-up of Bigg Boss Tamil season 5 (2021 to 2022), and for her supporting role in the Ajith Kumar film Thunivu (2023).
Reddy, who hails from Karnataka, began her career as a model and made her screen debut in the Hindi film Login (2012). After a run of small film roles and Telugu serials, she entered Tamil television in 2015 as the lead of Rettai Vaal Kuruvi and played her first Tamil film lead the same year in Vajram. Chinna Thambi made her one of the most popular faces on Tamil television and won her a Vijay Television Award with co-star Prajin. In 2022 she won the dance show BB Jodigal season 2 with Amir, whom she later married.
As of November 2026, her most recent release is the Telugu film Ari: My Name Is Nobody (October 2025). Earlier in 2025 she played Bama in the JioHotstar action series Om Kali Jai Kali.
Quick facts
Name | Pavani Reddy (also spelt Pavni Reddy) |
Occupation | Actress, former model |
Years active | 2012 to present |
First film | Login (2012, Hindi) |
First Tamil serial | Rettai Vaal Kuruvi (2015, Star Vijay) |
Known for | Chinna Thambi, Bigg Boss Tamil 5, Thunivu, BB Jodigal 2 |
Latest release | Ari: My Name Is Nobody (10 October 2025) |
Spouse | Amir (married 20 April 2025) |
Career
Early films and Telugu television (2012 to 2014)
Pavani Reddy worked as a model before turning to acting. Her first film was the Hindi release Login (2012), in which she played Seema. Small roles in Telugu and Tamil films followed over the next two years, including Double Trouble, Dream, the bilingual Gouravam (2013), Amrutham Chandamamalo (2014) and The End (2014).
She started in television in 2014 with Telugu serials: Neneu Aayana Aruguru Athalalu on Zee Telugu, in which she played Anasuya, Agni Poolu on Gemini TV, and Naa Peru Meenakshi on ETV, in which she played Swetha.
Tamil debut: Vajram and Rettai Vaal Kuruvi (2015 to 2016)
Her first Tamil film as female lead was Vajram, released on 27 February 2015 and directed by S. D. Ramesh Selvan. She played Yazhini, a minister's daughter who is kidnapped by four youngsters, played by the boys from Pasanga. The film received negative reviews.
The same year she made her Tamil television debut as the lead of Rettai Vaal Kuruvi on Star Vijay, which ran from 1 June to 16 October 2015 for 99 episodes. She played Vennilla, known as Nila, opposite Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan, in the story of a separated couple who rediscover each other. The role brought her nominations for Favourite Find of the Year and Favourite Screen Pair at the 2015 Vijay Television Awards. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle that year she said she had been hesitant about a Tamil serial because of the language, but that the shoot had gone smoothly from the first day, and that she had set aside film offers to take the serial because she found the script refreshing.
She went on to play Bharathi in the Sun TV serial Pasamalar and the lead, Thara, in EMI-Thavanai Murai Vazhkai (2016).
Chinna Thambi (2017 to 2019)
Her breakthrough came with Chinna Thambi on Star Vijay, which ran for 442 episodes from 2 October 2017 to 21 June 2019. Based on the Bengali serial Khokababu, it was directed by Arul Rasan and then Francis Kadhiravan and produced by A Tele Factory. Prajin played the title character, a simple young man from a village, and Reddy played Nandhini, a proud city girl who ends up marrying him. The pairing was a hit with viewers: at the 4th Vijay Television Awards in 2018 Prajin and Reddy won Favourite Screen Pair, and she was nominated for Favourite Actor Female. The pair were also nominated for Best Pair at the Galatta Nakshathra Awards 2018. The serial was later remade in Telugu and Hindi.
Neelakkuyil and Rasaathi (2018 to 2020)
While Chinna Thambi was on air she made her Malayalam television debut as Rani in Asianet's Neelakkuyil, which began on 26 February 2018. She was later replaced in the role by Latha Sangaraju. She then took the title role in the Sun TV serial Rasaathi, which premiered on 23 September 2019 and ended on 3 April 2020 after 160 episodes when production was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Telugu she played Sujatha in the ETV serial Srimathi (2020 to 2021).
Bigg Boss Tamil 5 and BB Jodigal (2021 to 2022)
Reddy entered the fifth season of Bigg Boss Tamil, hosted by Kamal Haasan on Star Vijay, on its opening day, 3 October 2021, and stayed for the full 105 days. She finished as second runner-up behind winner Raju Jeyamohan and runner-up Priyanka Deshpande at the finale on 16 January 2022. One of the season's talking points was her taking the "sky power" medal in the third week and later using it to take the captaincy from Amir in the tenth week. Amir, a wildcard entrant, finished third runner-up.
In 2022 she and Amir competed as a pair on BB Jodigal season 2, the Star Vijay dance show for former Bigg Boss housemates, which ran from 8 May to 4 September 2022. They were declared winners jointly with Suja Varunee and Shivaji Dev.
Thunivu and recent work (2023 to 2025)
Her return to the big screen came in Thunivu, the heist thriller written and directed by H. Vinoth and starring Ajith Kumar and Manju Warrier, released on 11 January 2023. Reddy played Achara, a member of the bank-robbery gang, alongside fellow Bigg Boss 5 housemates Amir and Ciby. The film drew mixed reviews and became one of Ajith Kumar's biggest commercial successes.
In 2024 she played Agent Priya in the Telugu action comedy Chaari 111, directed by TG Keerthi Kumar and starring Vennela Kishore, released on 1 March 2024, and Madhavi in the Telugu web series The Mystery of Moksha Island on Disney+ Hotstar. In 2025 she played Bama in Om Kali Jai Kali, a Tamil action-thriller series written and directed by Ramu Chellappa and headlined by Vimal, which premiered on JioHotstar on 28 March 2025. Her most recent film is the Telugu fantasy drama Ari: My Name Is Nobody, written and directed by Jayashankarr and released on 10 October 2025.
Filmography
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
2012 | Login | Seema | Hindi; debut film |
2012 | Double Trouble | Priya | Telugu |
2012 | Dream | Neighbour | |
2013 | Gouravam | Arjun's friend | Tamil and Telugu bilingual |
2014 | Amrutham Chandamamalo | Doll Reddy | Telugu |
2014 | The End | Priya | Telugu |
2015 | Vajram | Yazhini | Tamil; first lead role; directed by S. D. Ramesh Selvan |
2016 | Lajja | Telugu | |
2016 | Ini Avanea | Kamini | Tamil |
2017 | 465 | Mrs. Jai | |
2017 | Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva | Abirami | |
2018 | Premaku Raincheck | Riti | Telugu |
2019 | July Kaatril | Natasha | Tamil |
2019 | Dhrusti | Pavani | Telugu |
2021 | Senapathi | Mahalakshmi "Maha" | |
2022 | Malli Modalaindi | Vaishali | |
2023 | Thunivu | Achara | Tamil; directed by H. Vinoth |
2024 | Chaari 111 | Agent Priya | Telugu; directed by TG Keerthi Kumar |
2025 | Ari: My Name Is Nobody | Supporting role | Telugu; directed by Jayashankarr |
Television
Years | Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
2014 | Neneu Aayana Aruguru Athalalu | Anasuya | Zee Telugu | Telugu |
2014 | Agni Poolu | Gemini TV | Telugu | |
2014 | Naa Peru Meenakshi | Swetha | ETV | Telugu |
2015 | Rettai Vaal Kuruvi | Vennilla "Nila" (lead) | Star Vijay | Tamil; 99 episodes |
2015–2016 | Pasamalar | Bharathi | Sun TV | Tamil |
2016 | EMI-Thavanai Murai Vazhkai | Thara (lead) | Sun TV | Tamil |
2017–2019 | Chinna Thambi | Nandhini (lead) | Star Vijay | Tamil; 442 episodes |
2018–2019 | Neelakkuyil | Rani (lead) | Asianet | Malayalam; later replaced by Latha Sangaraju |
2019–2020 | Rasaathi | Rasaathi (title role) | Sun TV | Tamil; 160 episodes |
2020–2021 | Srimathi | Sujatha | ETV | Telugu |
2021–2022 | Bigg Boss Tamil season 5 | Contestant | Star Vijay | Second runner-up |
2022 | BB Jodigal season 2 | Contestant (with Amir) | Star Vijay | Joint winners |
Web series
Year | Series | Role | Platform |
2024 | The Mystery of Moksha Island | Madhavi | Disney+ Hotstar |
2025 | Om Kali Jai Kali | Bama | JioHotstar |
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
2015 | Vijay Television Awards | Favourite Find of the Year | Rettai Vaal Kuruvi | Nominated |
2015 | Vijay Television Awards | Favourite Screen Pair (with Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan) | Rettai Vaal Kuruvi | Nominated |
2018 | Vijay Television Awards | Favourite Screen Pair (with Prajin) | Chinna Thambi | Won |
2018 | Vijay Television Awards | Favourite Actor Female | Chinna Thambi | Nominated |
2018 | Galatta Nakshathra Awards | Best Pair (with Prajin) | Chinna Thambi | Nominated |
Personal life
Pavani Reddy married Amir, the choreographer and dancer she met on Bigg Boss Tamil 5, on 20 April 2025 in Chennai.
FAQ
Which serial made Pavani Reddy famous?
Chinna Thambi on Star Vijay, in which she played Nandhini opposite Prajin from 2017 to 2019. The pair won Favourite Screen Pair at the 2018 Vijay Television Awards.
Did Pavani Reddy win Bigg Boss Tamil 5?
No. She finished as second runner-up. Raju Jeyamohan won the season and Priyanka Deshpande was the runner-up.
Which Ajith Kumar film did Pavani Reddy act in?
Thunivu (2023), directed by H. Vinoth, in which she played Achara, a member of the bank-robbery gang.
Who is Pavani Reddy's husband?
Amir, the choreographer who was a fellow housemate on Bigg Boss Tamil 5. They married on 20 April 2025 in Chennai, after winning BB Jodigal season 2 together in 2022.
What was Pavani Reddy's first Tamil serial?
Rettai Vaal Kuruvi on Star Vijay in 2015, in which she played Nila opposite Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan.
What is Pavani Reddy's latest film?
The Telugu fantasy drama Ari: My Name Is Nobody, released on 10 October 2025. Earlier in 2025 she appeared in the JioHotstar series Om Kali Jai Kali.
