Priya Bhavani Shankar

Priya Bhavani Shankar is an Indian actress and former television presenter who works mainly in Tamil and Telugu films. She first became known as a news reader on the Tamil channel Puthiya Thalaimurai, then as Dr Priya in Star Vijay's Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai (2014 to 2016), for which she and co-star Amit Bhargav won Favourite Find at the 2015 Vijay Television Awards.

She made her film debut opposite Vaibhav in the sleeper hit Meyaadha Maan (2017) and has since appeared in more than twenty films, including Kadaikutty Singam (2018) with Karthi, Monster (2019), Mafia: Chapter 1 (2020), Thiruchitrambalam (2022) with Dhanush, Pathu Thala (2023), Rathnam (2024), Indian 2 (2024), Demonte Colony 2 (2024) and Black (2024). In Telugu she has acted in Kalyanam Kamaneeyam (2023), Bhimaa (2024) and Zebra (2024).

As of November 2026, her latest release is the Telugu action drama Irumudi (21 August 2026), in which she played Kaveri opposite Ravi Teja, the biggest hit of her career. Her next film, the horror thriller Demonte Colony 3, has been moved from its September 2026 date to a Pongal 2027 release, and she has been cast in Maragadha Naanayam 2.

Quick facts

Career

Television (2011 to 2016)

Priya Bhavani Shankar began her career in 2011 as a news presenter on Puthiya Thalaimurai, where she worked until 2014 and built a following among Tamil viewers. She then moved to acting with Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai, Star Vijay's remake of the Hindi serial Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, which premiered on 3 November 2014. Directed by Thai Selvam, it cast her as Dr Priya, a doctor who marries her neighbour Arjun Swaminathan, played by Amit Bhargav, to protect his young daughter, in a marriage of convenience that grows into love. At the 2015 Vijay Television Awards she and Amit Bhargav won Favourite Find, and she was nominated for Favourite Actor (Female). She left the serial in late 2016 when her contract ended, and Chaitra Reddy played the role until the serial closed in January 2017. During the same period she hosted Jodi No. 1 (2015) and appeared on Super Singer 5 and Kings of Dance.

Film debut and early films (2017 to 2020)

Her first film was Meyaadha Maan, released on 18 October 2017 for Diwali. Written and directed by Rathna Kumar in his feature debut, produced by Stone Bench Creations and presented by Karthik Subbaraj, it starred Vaibhav as a light-music singer with Priya as Madhumitha, the woman he has loved one-sidedly for years. Despite opening alongside Mersal, it became a sleeper hit and won her a nomination for Best Debut Actress (Tamil) at the 2018 South Indian International Movie Awards.

She followed it with Kadaikutty Singam (13 July 2018), Pandiraj's film starring Karthi and produced by Suriya's 2D Entertainment, in which she played Chellamma; the film was a commercial success. In 2019 she played Meghala opposite S. J. Suryah in Monster, and in 2020 she appeared with Arun Vijay in Mafia: Chapter 1 and played Dr Bharathi in the Amazon Prime Video series Time Enna Boss!?.

A busy run of releases (2021 to 2023)

In 2021 she had four releases: the multi-starrer Kalathil Santhippom, the streaming anthology Kasada Tabara (in the segment Thappattam), Oh Manapenne! and Blood Money. In 2022 she appeared in Hostel, Yaanai, Kuruthi Aattam and, most prominently, Thiruchitrambalam, Mithran R. Jawahar's Sun Pictures film with Dhanush and Nithya Menen, released on 18 August 2022, in which she played Ranjani, a woman the hero meets at a village wedding. The film was a major commercial success, grossing more than one hundred crore rupees worldwide. She also played Pavithra in the SonyLIV anthology Victim (2022).

In 2023 she appeared in Agilan, Pathu Thala, Rudhran and Bommai, and made her Telugu debut with Kalyanam Kamaneeyam. On streaming she played Priya Avudhuri in the Telugu series Dhootha on Amazon Prime Video.

2024: Rathnam, Indian 2, Demonte Colony 2 and Black

2024 was her busiest year in theatres. In Telugu she appeared in Bhimaa and then played Swathi Navaluri opposite Satyadev in Zebra, a performance that drew good notices. In Tamil she took a dual role, Malliga and Loganayagi, in Hari's Rathnam with Vishal, played Aarthi in Indian 2, and returned to horror with Demonte Colony 2, released on 15 August 2024. Directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu with Arulnithi, it cast her as Debbie, the wife of Sam, and became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. She closed the year as Aaranya, the female lead opposite Jiiva in the thriller Black (11 October 2024), the directorial debut of KG Balasubramani.

Irumudi and 2026

She began 2026 with the anthology Hot Spot 2 Much (23 January 2026), directed by Vignesh Karthick, playing Shilpa in the segment The Narration. Her biggest film followed in August: Irumudi, a Telugu action drama written and directed by Shiva Nirvana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, with music by G. V. Prakash Kumar. Released on 21 August 2026, with a Tamil dubbed version titled Irumudi Kattu, it starred Ravi Teja as a plantain farmer whose bond with his daughter drives the story, with Priya as his wife Kaveri. The film opened to positive reviews and took around 23 crore rupees gross worldwide on its first day according to Sacnilk, and went on to become the highest-grossing film of Ravi Teja's career. It began streaming on Netflix on 18 September 2026.

Upcoming films

Demonte Colony 3, in which she returns as Debbie opposite Arulnithi under director R. Ajay Gnanamuthu, completed filming in April 2026. It was first scheduled for 11 September 2026 and then 10 September, but on 9 November 2026 the makers announced that it will now release worldwide for Pongal 2027. In January 2026 the makers of Maragadha Naanayam 2, directed by ARK Saravanan with Aadhi Pinisetty returning as the lead, announced that she and Sathyaraj had joined the cast.

Filmography

Television and web series

Awards

Priya Bhavani Shankar won Favourite Find, shared with Amit Bhargav, at the 2015 Vijay Television Awards for Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai, where she was also nominated for Favourite Actor (Female); she was nominated again, for Favourite Actress, at the 2017 Vijay Television Awards for the same serial. She was nominated for Best Debut Actress (Tamil) at the 2018 South Indian International Movie Awards for Meyaadha Maan.

FAQ

Who is Priya Bhavani Shankar?

Priya Bhavani Shankar is a Tamil and Telugu film actress who started as a news reader on Puthiya Thalaimurai and became known as Dr Priya in the Star Vijay serial Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai before her film debut in Meyaadha Maan (2017).

What is Priya Bhavani Shankar's latest film?

Irumudi, the Telugu action drama with Ravi Teja directed by Shiva Nirvana, released on 21 August 2026. It is the biggest hit of her career and is streaming on Netflix.

When is Demonte Colony 3 releasing?

The makers announced on 9 November 2026 that Demonte Colony 3 will release worldwide for Pongal 2027, after earlier dates in September 2026 were dropped.

Which was Priya Bhavani Shankar's first film?

Meyaadha Maan (2017), directed by Rathna Kumar, in which she played Madhumitha opposite Vaibhav.

Has Priya Bhavani Shankar won any awards?

She won Favourite Find at the 2015 Vijay Television Awards with Amit Bhargav for Kalyanam Mudhal Kadhal Varai, and was nominated for Best Debut Actress (Tamil) at the 2018 South Indian International Movie Awards for Meyaadha Maan.

Which Telugu films has Priya Bhavani Shankar acted in?

Kalyanam Kamaneeyam (2023), Bhimaa (2024), Zebra (2024) and Irumudi (2026).