Neravanda Chetticha Prema is an Indian actress known for her work predominantly in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and a few Tamil language films. She ruled Kannada industry in the 90s and early 2000s and she has appeared in many commercially successful feature films. She was a leading Kannada actress at the turn of the century and has received the Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Best Actress awards for her performances in Kannada films. She has featured in Om and Yajamana, which are the two major blockbuster and highest-grossing films of their time in Kannada cinema. After an eight-year hiatus, she returned to films with Upendra Matte Baa in 2017.
Personal life Prema was born into Neravanda family, of the Kodava community to Chetticha and Kaveri, in military hospital, Bangalore. She received high school education in Mahila Seva Samaja High School and completed her Pre-university course in Murnad junior college, Kodagu. As a student she was involved actively in sports and represented her school and college in high jump and volleyball events at the national level. Her younger brother Neravanda Aiyappa was a cricket player who represented Karnataka in Ranji Trophy. Her younger sister Indu NC lives in Dubai.
Prema was married to Jeevan Appacchu. She filed a divorce petition in the Family Court, Bangalore in March 2016.
Career
Prema began her career in the Rajkumar camp in 1995 starring opposite Shivarajkumar in Savyasachi and Raghavendra Rajkumar with Aata Hudugata respectively. Though both films did not perform well at the box-office, she was given the lead role in another Shivarajkumar starrer Om directed by Upendra. The film turned out to be a blockbuster and also got her the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress.
In 1996 she acted in the Sunil Kumar Desai directed Nammoora Mandara Hoove co-starring Shivarajkumar and Ramesh Aravind. She also made her Malayalam debut with The Prince opposite Mohanlal, directed by Tamil director Suresh Krissna fresh from the success of Baashha. The same year, she made her Telugu debut with Dharma Chakram. In 1999 the super success of her films had catapulted her to the top spot in Kannada movies. Chandramuki Pranasakhi, Upendra and V. Ravichandran's Naanu Nanna Hendthiru in Kannada and the Telugu language film, Devi which collected Rs. 18 crores at the box-office and was dubbed into Hindi as well.
In 2000 she saw 6 releases of which Yajamana opposite Vishnuvardhan was a runaway hit. 2001 proved lucky with the female-centric Kanasugara, the remake of Tamil film Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, which fetched her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and many other awards for her portrayal of a simple girl who becomes a famous singer. Her main release in 2002 was Sunil Kumar Desai's musical Parva co-starring Vishnuvardhan and Roja Selvamani. In 2003, she was praised by critics for her complex role in Singaravva. In 2004, Prema played Vishnuvardhan's leading lady in Apthamitra, the Kannada remake of Malayalam Manichitrathazhu by P. Vasu.
She has shared screen space with Vishnuvardhan in seven films - Yajamana, Apthamitra, Jamindaru, Kshana Kshana, Ekadantha, Parva, and Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda.
Post her marriage in 2006, Prema cut down on her film assignments. Her last release was Shishira in 2009 before taking a hiatus. In 2017 she made her comeback with Upendra Matte Baa. She has, thus far, acted in more than 70 movies in Kannada and more than 28 movies in Telugu.
Awards
1996: Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress — Om 2001: South Filmfare Award for Best Kannada Actress — Kanasugara
Filmography +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released Year Film Role Language Notes1995 Savyasachi Raadha Kannada Om Madhuri Kannada Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress Aata Hudugata Prema Kannada Police Power Bhagya Kannada 1996 Nammoora Mandara Hoove Suma Kannada Udaya Film Award for Best Actress The Prince Swarna Malayalam Dharma Chakram Surekha Telugu Jagadeka Veerudu Telugu Adirindi Guru Telugu 1997 Atta Nee Koduku Jagratta Prema Telugu Korukunna Priyudu Priya Telugu Chelikaadu Likhita Telugu Omkaram Madhuri Telugu Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda Nethra Kannada 1998 Thutta Mutta Pooja Kannada Kowrava Shashi Kannada Shanti Shanti Shanti Suzy Kannada Maa Aavida Collector Meena Telugu Dheerga Sumangali Bhava Telugu Kangalin Vaarthaigal Janaki Tamil 1999 Chandramukhi Pranasakhi Sahana Kannada Cinema Express Award for Best Actress Chandrodaya Divya Kannada Naanu Nanna Hendthiru Manisha Kannada Upendra Swathi Kannada Z Prema Kannada Devi Devi Telugu Gemini Film award for Best Actress Raghavayya Gari Abbayi Telugu 2000 Naga Devathe Nagalakshmi Kannada Maya Bazaar Roopa and Deepa Kannada Nuvve Kavali Cameo Telugu Ammo! Okato Tareekhu Dhanalaakshmi Telugu Ee Tharam Nehru Sumanjali Telugu Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary Nagasulochana Telugu Nannavalu Nannavalu Chandu Kannada Asianet Kaveri Film Award for Best Actress Chiru Navvutho Aruna Telugu Uttara Dhruvadim Dakshina Dhruvaku Nandini Kannada Yajamana Sangeetha Kannada ETV Film Award for Best Actress Daivathinte Makan Anjali Malayalam Gajina ManeKannada2001 Anjali Geethanjali Anjali Kannada Kanasugara Sangeetha Kannada Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada Premi No.1 Radha Kannada Kothigalu Saar Kothigalu Lalitha Kannada Grama Devathe Kaveri Kannada Neelambari Durga Kannada Prematho Raa Sandhya Telugu Devi Putrudu Goddess Telugu 2002 Parva Suma Kannada Mutthu Saraswathi Kannada Chelvi Chelvi Kannada Tapori Chameli Kannada Jamindaru Ganga Kannada Balarama Sevanthi Kannada Prema Prema Kannada Kambalahalli Kannada Singaravva Singaravva Kannada Marma Sudha Kannada 2003 Mooru Manasu Nooru Kanasu Lakshmi Kannada Hey Nan Bheeshma Kano Kannada Sri Renuka Devi Kannada Ananda Nilaya Kannada Vijayadashami Kannada Love Passagali Pooja Kannada Janaki Weds Sriram Prema Telugu2004 Apthamitra Soumya Kannada Azhagesan Nandhini Tamil 2005 Inspector Jhansi Jhansi Kannada Pandu Ranga Vittala Prema Kannada Devi Abhayam Naag Devi Telugu Ayodhya Jyothi Telugu 2006 A Aa E Ee Kannada 2007 Ekadantha Bhakti Kannada Kshana Kshana Phalguni Kannada Dhee Shankar's wife Telugu2008 Sundarakanda Seetha Telugu Krishnarjuna Telugu Navashakthi Vaibhava Chamundeshwari Kannada Adivishnu Prema Telugu 2009 Anjani Putrudu Telugu Shishira Kannada 2017 Upendra Matte Baa Sathyabhama Kannada 2022 Anukoni Prayanam Gayatri Telugu Wedding Gift Prema Kannada 2023 My Name Is Shruthi Dr. Kiranmayi Telugu 2024 Razakar Anthamma Telugu 2025KishkindhapuriVisravaputra's motherTelugu2026SuyodhanaMahathiTelugu
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