Mamitha Baiju () (born 22 June 2001) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has acted as a child artist in an uncredited role in the 2016 film Paavada. She debuted with the 2017 film Sarvopari Palakkaran. She won the Kerala Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Kho-Kho (2021). Her role in Premalu (2024) became her breakout role and the film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. She went on to star in commercial successes such as Dude (2025), Jana Nayagan (2026), Vishwanath & Sons (2026) and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (2026). The latter emerged as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.
Early life and education Mamitha hails from Kidangoor in the Kottayam district of Kerala. She is the daughter of Dr. Baiju Krishnan, a diabetologist, and Mini. She has an elder brother, Mithun.
Mamitha studied at Mary Mount Public School in Kattachira and at N.S.S. Higher Secondary School, Kidangoor. She was pursuing a B.Sc. in Psychology from the Sacred Heart College in Kochi but later dropped out during her third year due to attendance shortage.
Career Career beginnings and early work (2017 - 2023) Mamitha has acted in an uncredited role, as a child artist in the Prithviraj starrer Paavada in 2016. She starred in Sarvopari Palakkaran (2017), followed by small supporting roles in films like Honey Bee 2: Celebrations, Dakini, Varathan and Vikruthi. She had her first prominent roles in 2021 in films like Operation Java and Kho Kho. Her performance in Kho Kho earned her Best Supporting Actress at Kerala Film Critics Award. In 2022, she played Sona in the film Super Sharanya which became a commercial success. Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express wrote about her performance, "She has proved already to be an actor with much potential, and she could reach greater heights if she continues to pick sensible scripts."
Career breakthrough and rising commercial success (2024 - present) In 2024, she played her first leading role as Reenu in the film Premalu directed by Girish A.D., and it became her breakout role. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim and it currently ranks as one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. Aswin Devan of The New Indian Express wrote of her performance, "Despite the film featuring a pool of talented actors, Mamitha Baiju stands out as a charmer, effortlessly stealing the show."
Her Tamil debut film was Rebel (2024) starring G. V. Prakash Kumar. The same year she dubbed for Krithi Shetty for ARM. In 2025, she starred opposite Pradeep Ranganathan and R. Sarathkumar in the film Dude (2025). It opened to mixed reviews, earning more than ₹100 crores at the box-office and widespread acclaim for her portrayal. Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India noted "Mamitha is terrific. The actress has dubbed for herself and it has added a sense of authenticity to her character."
Mamitha next starred with Dhanush in Kara (2026). A Gulte.com review noted "Mamitha Baiju is a surprise package. She got a very limited role in the film but she delivered a very good performance in whatever screentime she had." She then starred with Vijay in Jana Nayagan (2026).. Aswin Bharadwaj of Lensmen Reviews praised her climax fight sequence, writing that she "cracked the superhero landing pose" and matched Vijay's screen presence.
Mamitha then starred in the romantic family drama film Vishwanath & Sons opposite Suriya directed by Venky Atluri. The film became a commercial success and she received critical acclaim for her performance. Janani K noted of her performance, "Mamitha Baiju's Maddy could easily have been written off as a typical loosu ponnu (immature woman), borderline toxic. Credit to her for making the character loveable instead of annoying. She knows exactly when to let her bubbliness out and when to rein it in." She reunited with director Girish A.D for a third time, starring in the rom-com Bethlehem Kudumba Unit opposite Nivin Pauly. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release and became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. Santanu Das of Hindustan Times wrote of her performance, "It is Mamitha Baiju who carries the film, her face lighting up the screen. Ashley is such a tricky part to play, given what she chooses to say and what she hides. It is a graceful, understated performance without which the film wouldn't work."
She will reunite with her Premalu co-star Sangeeth Prathap to star in the Malayalam film Hello Dear. In 2026, Mamitha Baiju was announced as the lead actress in the inaugural production of Pradeep Ranganathan's production company, PR Show.
In the media
At the Telugu success meet for Premalu in March 2024, S. S. Rajamouli praised Mamitha Baiju's performance, predicting that she would emerge as a heartthrob in South cinema.In a 2026 profile, The Hollywood Reporter India described Mamitha as a "pop-culture phenomenon," citing her "likeably awkward charm" on and off camera and her unrehearsed, natural public persona, "free from the trappings of PR-mandated stiffness."
The Hollywood Reporter India noted that reels featuring her routinely resurface on social media feeds long after a film's release, calling her a fixture of "the movie fandom consciousness" of the moment. This online popularity has coincided with her commercial rise. Following the successive box office success of Jana Nayagan, Vishwanath & Sons, and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit in 2026, she became only the third Indian actress, after Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, to star in three films each grossing over ₹200 crore worldwide within a single calendar year.
Filmography
Year Title Role Language Notes 2016 Paavada Background member of a song sequence Malayalam Uncredited; Child artist 2017 Sarvopari Palakkaran Raji Debut film Honey Bee 2: Celebrations Sisily Thambi Antony 2018 Dakini Arathy Krishnam Chithra Varathan Sandra School Diary Indu 2019 An International Local Story Devika Vikruthi Suhara 2020 Kilometers and Kilometers Kochumol 2021 Operation Java Alphonsa Kho Kho Anju 2022 Randu Kunjumol Super Sharanya Sona "Sona Re" Thomas Four Aswathy 2023 Pranaya Vilasam Gopika Ramachandra Boss & Co Sophia 2024 Premalu Reenu Roy Rebel Sara Mary John Tamil 2025 Dude Kuralarasi "Kural" Athiyamaan 2026 Kara Selli Jana Nayagan Vijayalakshmi "Viji" Srikanth Vishwanath & Sons Madanakameshwari "Maddy Jay" Jothilingam Bethlehem Kudumba Unit Ashley Thankachan "Room 17" Malayalam Kayal Tamil Completed 2027TBA Malayalam Filming TBA TBATamil Filming
Short film
Year Title Role Language Notes 2021 Colour Padam Shalini Malayalam
Dubbing Year Film Dubbed for Character Language Ref. 2024 ARM Krithi Shetty Lakshmi Malayalam
Awards and nominations
Filmfare Awards South Year Award Category Work Result Ref2024 70th Filmfare Awards South Best Actress - Malayalam Premalu
Kerala Film Critics Association Awards Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2020 Kerala Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Kho Kho
South Indian International Movie Awards Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2022 10th South Indian International Movie AwardsSIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam Kho Kho 2023 11th South Indian International Movie AwardsSIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actress – MalayalamSuper Sharanya
Other Awards and Recognitions Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2024 IIFA Utsavam Performance in a Supporting Role – Female-Malayalam Pranaya Vilasam Mazhavil Entertainment AwardsThe Entertainer of the Year - Upcoming Actor PremaluThe Entertainer of the Year (Pair with Naslen)
References
External links
Mamitha Baiju on Instagram