Bhavana (actress)

Karthika Menon, better known by her stage name Bhavana, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam and Kannada films, and has also appeared in some Tamil and Telugu films. Bhavana made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Nammal in 2002.

Bhavana
Bhavana in 2022
Born
Karthika Menon[1][2]

Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active2002 – present
Spouse
Naveen
(m. 2018)

Early life

Bhavana was born as Karthika Menon in Thrissur, Kerala, as the daughter of Pushpa and assistant cinematographer G. Balachandran. She has an elder brother, Jayadev.[2][3] She did her schooling at Holy Family Convent Girls High School, Thrissur.

Bhavana has described herself as a restless person and someone who's "hard to handle". She grew up with a dream to become an actress.[4] As a five-year-old, she used to imitate actress Amala's scenes from the Malayalam film Ente Sooryaputhrikku in front of the mirror and was even willing to jump from a building and break her arm, like Amala's character, did in the film.[4]

Career

At age 16,[4] she debuted in the Malayalam film Nammal taking the stage name Bhavana opposite newcomers Sidharth Bharathan, Jishnu and Renuka Menon.[5] The film was a big success and she got several offers in Malayalam.[6] She won many honors and received a Kerala State Special Jury Mention for the film.[7] Bhavana was an 11th Standard student when she got her break in the film.[8]

In 2010, she starred in her first Kannada film alongside Puneeth Rajkumar, Jackie which was a blockbuster. Following the film's huge success, the film was dubbed into Telugu and Malayalam.[9] Bhavana was said to star with Emraan Hashmi and Amitabh Bachchan in a Bollywood film.[10] Her second Kannada film Vishnuvardhana with Sudeep opened to a big response. She appeared in the Malayalam films Ozhimuri[11] and Trivandrum Lodge in 2012,[12] and Honey Bee[13] and Ezhamathe Varavu in 2013. She played Roshni Mathew, a single mother employed in an IT company, in Shyamaprasad's Ivide, a crime thriller based on the serial killing of IT techies in major US cities.[14]

In 2016, she starred in a film with Benedict Doray. Recent films of Bhavana include Swapnathekaal Sundaram and Adventures of Omanakuttan.[15]

In 2022, it was announced Bhavana would return to making Malayalam movies, with Adhil Maimoonath Asharaf's debut feature Ntikkakkakkoru Premondaarnn.[16]

Abduction and assault

In February 2017, she was kidnapped[17] while returning home from a shoot and subjected to sexual assault by a gang of men. In April 2017, there were multiple reports in the media that actor Dileep had links to the main accused.[18] In July 2017, Dileep was arrested by the investigating team,[19] which said in its charge sheet that there was circumstantial evidence for Dileep's alleged conspiracy with the other accused men.[20] Dileep was released on bail in October 2017.[21] In 2022, amid further media reports alleging Dileep's attempt to intimidate an investigating officer, new charges were filed against him and five others.[22]

After the assault, Bhavana withdrew from the industry for five years.[23] Bhavana made her first comment about the case in 2022.[24]

Bhavana's assault partly contributed to the creation of the Malayalam film industry Women in Cinema Collective, formed to protect female actors.[24] A couple of months after Bhavana spoke out, the Kerala state assembly is planning legislation to protect women working in the film industry.[23]

Personal life

The engagement ceremony of Bhavana and Kannada film producer Naveen was held in March 2017.[25] They married on 22 January 2018.[26]

Filmography

Key
Films that have not yet been released Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Language Notes
2002NammalParimalamMalayalamMalayalam Debut
2003Thilakkam Gauri Cameo appearance
Chronic BachelorSandhya
C.I.D. MoosaMeena
SwapnakooduPadma
IvarNandhini
Valathottu Thirinjal Nalamathe VeeduSangeetha Varma
2004ParayamSudha
Chathikkatha ChanthuIndira
Runway Item Number Special appearance in the song Osalama Ailasa
Youth FestivalParvathy
AmruthamMridula
2005Hridayathil SookshikkanAmritha
PoliceSethulakshmi
DaivanamathilSameera
ChanthupottuRose
NaranLeela
Bus ConductorSugandhi
Udayananu Tharam Gayathri
2006Chithiram PesuthadiCharumathi (Charu)TamilTamil debut
Chinthamani KolacaseChinthamani WarrierMalayalam
KisanKilimathi
ChessDr. Radhika
Kizhakku Kadalkarai SalaiPriyaTamil
VeyilMeenakshi
2007DeepavaliSusi
Koodal NagarManimekalai
Chotta Mumbai'Parakkum' LathaMalayalam
AaryaDeepikaTamil
RameswaramVasanthi
2008VaazhthugalKayalvizhi Thirunavukkarasu
OntariBujjiTeluguTelugu debut
Mulla Mentally challenged lady Malayalam Cameo appearance
JayamkondaanAnnapuraniTamil
HeroKrishnaveniTelugu
Twenty:20Ashwathy NambiarMalayalam
LollipopRosebella
2009Sagar Alias Jacky ReloadedAarathi Menon
WinterShyama Ramdas
Robin HoodRupa
MahatmaKrishnaveniTelugu
2010Happy HusbandsKrishnendu MukundhanMalayalam
AasalSulabha PillaiTamil
JackieLakshmiKannadaKannada debut
Marykkundoru KunjaaduMary IttichanMalayalam
2011Kudumbasree TravelsAswathy
The MetroAnupama
Doctor LoveEbin
VishnuvardhanaBharathiKannada
Oru MarubhoomikkadhaElianaMalayalam
2012 Nippu Vaishnavi Telugu Cameo appearance
RomeoShrutiKannada
OzhimuriBalamaniMalayalam
Trivandrum LodgeMalavika
Yaare KoogadaliBharathiKannada
2013TopiwalaSuman Bedi
BachchanDr. Ashwini
Honey BeeAngelMalayalam[27]
Ezhamathe VaravuBhanu
2014PolytechnicAshwathi Nair
KootharaSwathy
Angry Babies in LoveSarah
2015 MythriHerselfKannadaBilingual film,
Cameo appearance
My Hero MythriMalayalam
IvideRoshni Mathew
Kohinoor Lilly Cameo appearance
2016Hello NamasthePriya
Mukunda Murari Rukmini Kannada Special appearance in the song "Murari Lola"
Kuttikalundu SookshikkukaShahida GauthamMalayalam
2017ChowkaBhoomikaKannada
Honey Bee 2: CelebrationsAngelMalayalam
Adventures of OmanakuttanPallavi
VilakkumaramAswathy Ananthakrishnan
Honey Bee 2.5 Angel/Herself Guest appearance
Oru Visheshapetta Biriyani Kissa Kumari Kamalambika Guest appearance
Adam JoanShwetha[28]
2018 TagaruPanchami Kannada[28]
2019 99 Janaki Devi ( Jaanu) [29]
2021 Inspector Vikram Bhavana [30]
SriKrishna@gmail.com Malavika [31]
Bhajarangi 2 Chinminki [32]
Govinda Govinda Padmavathi [33]
2023 Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn Nithya Malayalam [34][35]
Pink NoteFilms that have not yet been released Bhavana/Akanksha Kannada Filming[36][37]
Case Of KondanaFilms that have not yet been released TBA Filming[38][39]
Hunt Not yet releasedKeerthi JayarajanMalayalamPre production[40]

Awards

Year Award Award Category Awarded Work Ref.
2002Kerala State Film AwardsKerala State Film Award – Special MentionNammal[7]
2005Second Best ActressDaivanamathil[7]
2006Filmfare Awards South Best ActressChithiram Pesuthadi[41]

References

  1. "Interview with Bhavana". Idlebrain. 8 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  2. "10 things to know about Malayalam actress Bhavana". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. "Tamil Actress Bhavana Balachandran Photo Gallery | Bhavana's Latest Movie in Telugu is Ontari with P.Gopichand". Actress.telugucinemastills.com. 6 June 1976. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  4. Y. Sunita Chowdhary (16 July 2011). "Arts / Cinema : New-look Bhavana's dream comes true". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  5. "Kinescope". The Hindu. 23 December 2002. Archived from the original on 21 July 2003. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  6. "A filmi shot in the arm". The Hindu. 15 February 2003. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
  7. "State Film Awards (2000–12)". Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  8. "Bhavana going glamorous in film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  9. "Bhavana debuts in Kannada today – Tamil Movie NEWS". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  10. cinema (3 September 2011). "Actress bhavana is all set to make her bollywood debut. | Kottaka.com Blog". Kottaka.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  11. "Asif Ali, Bhavana in 'Ozhimuri'". Sify. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  12. "Bhavana in Trivandrum Lodge". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
  13. "Asif, Bhavana in Honeybee". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  14. "Shyamaprasad gives artistes their space". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  15. "Bhavana Menon's best movies; must watch". B4Blaze. 13 May 2020.
  16. "Bhavana set to return to Malayalam cinema after five years". The Hindu. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  17. "Bhavana Menon breaks her silence on sexual assault case; Mammootty, Mohanlal, Konkona show solidarity". The Economic Times. No. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022. For the uninitiated, Menon was reportedly kidnapped, attacked and molested in Kochi in 2017 and she had named actor Dileep as the main accused ... the case happened in 2017, and actor Dileep was released from jail within two months
  18. Babu, Ramesh (10 July 2017). "Actress kidnapping case: Kerala superstar Dileep arrested on conspiracy charges". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  19. Hiran, U. (10 July 2017). "Actor Dileep arrested in Malayalam actress abduction case". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  20. Tom, Disney (23 November 2017). "Dileep news: Exposing Dileep's affair led to actor's rape, says SIT | Kochi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. Varier, Megha (3 October 2017). "After four attempts and 85 days in custody, Dileep gets bail in actor assault case". The News Minute. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  22. "Actor Dileep, others appear before Crime Branch". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  23. "After Actor Bhavana's Sexual Assault Complaint, Kerala Mulls Law for Protecting Women in Cinema". Theswaddle.com. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. "Survivor Bhavana Menon speaks out in alleged sexual assault case involving Malayalam actor Dileep". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  25. "Malayalam actor Bhavana Menon engaged to Kannada producer Naveen. See pics". 10 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  26. "Bhavana ties the knot with Naveen; see all photos, videos from their wedding | the Indian Express". 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  27. "Bhavana on a signing spree - Times of India". The Times of India.
  28. "Bhavana joins 'Tagaru'". Bangalore Mirror.
  29. "Bhavana said yes to 96 Kannada remake before seeing Tamil original". India Today. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  30. "Bhavana, a drug dealer in Inspector Vikram". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  31. "Darling Krishna and Bhavana starrer srikrishna@gmail.com to release on Vijayadashami - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  32. "Chinminiki, The Lady Fire: Director A. Harsha unveils Bhavana's character in 'Bhajarangi 2' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  33. "Govinda Govinda Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  34. "Bhavana returns to Malayalam cinema with Ntikkakkakkoru Premandaarnnu". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  35. "Actor Bhavana Menon to Return to Malayalam Films". The Wire. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  36. "Bhavana to play a double role in her next Kannada film titled 'Pink Note' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  37. "Exclusive: Bhavana Menon to play twin sisters in next - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  38. "Deviprasad Shetty, Vijay Raghavendra reunite for Case of Kondana". Cinema Express. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  39. "'ಕೇಸ್ ಆಫ್ ಕೊಂಡನಾ' ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಒಂದಾದ ದೇವಿಪ್ರಸಾದ್ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ಮತ್ತು ವಿಜಯ್ ರಾಘವೇಂದ್ರ!". Kannadaprabha (in Kannada). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  40. "Bhavana Menon teams up with Kaapa director Shaji Kailas for a thriller titled Hunt". India Today. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  41. "Ajith Bhavana win Filmfare awards – Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
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