Non-Malayali Actresses Who Made An Impact In Malayalam

This Punjabi Born actress became a favorite of the Keralites after she wrestled herself to fame in Sports Comedy, Godha, where she played Aditi, a Wrestling Champion. Wamiqa is also a trained Kathak dancer and this charismatic beauty works predominantly in Punjabi and Hindi films. She will soon be seen in the upcoming Malayalam flick 9, co-starring Prithviraj.

Topping the list, Sumalatha will always be the ‘Clara’ of Malayalis. Heroines may come and go but there has never been an actress who could match the élan with which the Telugu girl pulled off the difficult character in Padmarajan’s classic, ‘Thoovanathumbikal’ (1987). She has done many films in Malayalam , including very popular ones like ‘Syama’, ‘Thenum Vayambum’, ‘Kolilakkam’, ‘John Jaffer Janardhanan’, ‘Isabella’ etc.

The three time National award winning Telugu actress shot to fame through Malayalam films. She won her first National award for ‘Thulabharam’ in 1968 and the second for ‘Swayamvaram’ in 1972. She has done more than 80 films in Malayalam and was one of the top heroines in Mollywood from 60’s till the early 80’s.

The Mumbai born actress may be most famous for playing Anil Kapoor’s sister in ‘Tezaab’ (1988) but for Malayali’s she will always be ‘Bhama’ from Padmarajan’s cult film, ‘Njan Gandharavan’ (1991). More famous is her first film, ‘Vaishali’ which is considered one of the landmark films in Malayalam.

The Bengali born actress is more famous for her Telugu and Tamil films. In Malayalam though, she is most popular for the power packed performance as Maya Vinodini in Fazil’s 1991 classic, ‘Ente Sooryaputhrikku’. The actress, who is married to Telugu Superstar Nagarjuna, has done one more film in Mollywood – ‘Ulladakkam’. She was back to Mollywood after a long gap for a pivotal role in C/O Saira Banu.

Malayali’s know this actress not as Girija but as ‘Gadha’ because of her character in Priyadarshan’s ‘Vandanam’ (1989). Her maiden film was Manirathnam’s ‘Geethanjali’ (Tamil), which was released in Malayalam too. With just one proper Malayalam film, Girija has become one of the most remembered female characters in Malayalam.

The actress-director has appeared in a number of films in Malayalam. Her most memorable roles would be the ones in ‘Rakkuyilin Ragasadassil’, ‘Adaminte Variyellu’, ‘Manivathoorile Aayiram Sivarathrikal’ etc. What takes the cake is her first film in Malayalam – ‘Koodevide’. This terrific film by Padmarajan made here a household name in Kerala. She has done a total of 26 films in Mollywood.

Remember the shy girl from ‘His Highness Abdullah’? Gauthami, born Telugu but more famous in Tamil, has starred in 12 Malayalam films. Her roles in films like ‘Ayalathe Adheham’, ‘Aagneyam’ and most importantly, ‘Dhruvam’ made her a popular name for family audiences in Malayalam.

The Miss India-1984 was one of the biggest heroines in Bollywood at one point of time. She acted in the 1998 Malayalam blockbuster, ‘Harikrishnan’s’. The film, directed by Fazil had both Mammootty and Mohanlal and turned out to be one of the biggest hits in Malayalam movie history ever. Though she did only one film in Malayalam, her role is unforgettable for the élan with which she portrayed the role of Meera.

Making her debut with ‘Thattathin Marayathu’ in 2012, Isha would have never imagined the love and adulation Malayalis would shower on her for her loveable portrayal of Ayisha. Her role as well as the film was a huge hit and garnered her a very strong fan base. She was also seen in notable roles in the multi-starrer Bangalore Days, Balyakalasakhi and Ranam.

The Tamil born dancer-actress was a surprise star. Her maiden lead role was a secret till the movie released. ‘Premam’ made her one of the most loved female characters of recent times and earned her a very strong fan base. The actress starred opposite Dulquer Salmaan in her next, ‘Kali’ which again turned out to be a huge hit.