Karthika Menon (born 6 June 1986), 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 | |
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![]() Bhavana in 2022 | |
Born | (1986-06-06) 6 June 1986 (age 36)[citation needed] |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2002 – present |
Spouse | Naveen (m. 2018) |
Bhavana was born as Karthika Menon on 6 June 1986 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]
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 a Kerala State Special Jury Award 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.[citation needed] 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][15]
In 2016, she starred in a film with Benedict Doray. Recent films of Bhavana include Swapnathekaal Sundaram and Adventures of Omanakuttan.[16]
In 2022, it was announced Bhavana would return to making Malayalam movies, with Adhil Maimoonath Asharaf's debut feature Ntikkakkakkoru Premondaarnn.[17]
In February 2017, she was kidnapped[18] 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.[19] In July 2017, Dileep was arrested by the investigating team,[20] which said in its charge sheet that there was circumstantial evidence for Dileep's alleged conspiracy with the other accused men.[21] Dileep was released on bail in October 2017.[22] In 2022, amid further media reports alleging Dileep's attempt to intimidate an investigating officer, new charges were filed against him and five others.[23]
After the assault, Bhavana withdrew from the industry for five years.[24] Bhavana made her first comment about the case in 2022.[25]
Bhavana's assault partly contributed to the creation of the Malayalam film industry Women in Cinema Collective, formed to protect female actors.[25] A couple of months after Bhavana spoke out, the Kerala state assembly is planning legislation to protect women working in the film industry.[24]
The engagement ceremony of Bhavana and Kannada film producer Naveen was held in March 2017.[26] They married on 22 January 2018.[27]
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Years | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
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2002 | Nammal | Parimalam | Malayalam | Malayalam Debut |
2003 | Thilakkam | Gauri | Cameo appearance | |
Chronic Bachelor | Sandhya | |||
C.I.D. Moosa | Meena | |||
Swapnakoodu | Padma | |||
Ivar | Nandhini | |||
Valathottu Thirinjal Nalamathe Veedu | Sangeetha Varma | |||
2004 | Parayam | Sudha | ||
Chathikkatha Chanthu | Indira | |||
Runway | Item Number | Special appearance in the song Osalama Ailasa | ||
Youth Festival | Parvathy | |||
Amrutham | Mridula | |||
2005 | Hridayathil Sookshikkan | Amritha | ||
Police | Sethulakshmi | |||
Daivanamathil | Sameera | |||
Chanthupottu | Rose | |||
Naran | Leela | |||
Bus Conductor | Sugandhi | |||
Udayananu Tharam | Gayathri | |||
2006 | Chithiram Pesuthadi | Charumathi (Charu) | Tamil | Tamil debut |
Chinthamani Kolacase | Chinthamani Warrier | Malayalam | ||
Kisan | Kilimathi | |||
Chess | Dr. Radhika | |||
Kizhakku Kadalkarai Salai | Priya | Tamil | ||
Veyil | Meenakshi | |||
2007 | Deepavali | Susi | ||
Koodal Nagar | Manimekalai | |||
Chotta Mumbai | 'Parakkum' Latha | Malayalam | ||
Aarya | Deepika | Tamil | ||
Rameswaram | Vasanthi | |||
2008 | Vaazhthugal | Kayalvizhi Thirunavukkarasu | ||
Ontari | Bujji | Telugu | Telugu debut | |
Mulla | Mentally challenged lady | Malayalam | Cameo appearance | |
Jayamkondaan | Annapurani | Tamil | ||
Hero | Krishnaveni | Telugu | ||
Twenty:20 | Ashwathy Nambiar | Malayalam | ||
Lollipop | Rosebella | |||
2009 | Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded | Aarathi Menon | ||
Winter | Shyama Ramdas | |||
Robin Hood | Rupa | |||
Mahatma | Krishnaveni | Telugu | ||
2010 | Happy Husbands | Krishnendu Mukundhan | Malayalam | |
Aasal | Sulabha Pillai | Tamil | ||
Jackie | Lakshmi | Kannada | Kannada debut | |
Marykkundoru Kunjaadu | Mary Ittichan | Malayalam | ||
2011 | Kudumbasree Travels | Aswathy | ||
The Metro | Anupama | |||
Doctor Love | Ebin | |||
Vishnuvardhana | Bharathi | Kannada | ||
Oru Marubhoomikkadha | Eliana | Malayalam | ||
2012 | Nippu | Vaishnavi | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
Romeo | Shruti | Kannada | ||
Ozhimuri | Balamani | Malayalam | ||
Trivandrum Lodge | Malavika | |||
Yaare Koogadali | Bharathi | Kannada | ||
2013 | Topiwala | Suman Bedi | ||
Bachchan | Dr. Ashwini | |||
Honey Bee | Angel | Malayalam | [28] | |
Ezhamathe Varavu | Bhanu | |||
2014 | Polytechnic | Ashwathi Nair | ||
Koothara | Swathy | |||
Angry Babies in Love | Sarah | |||
2015 | Mythri | Herself | Kannada | Bilingual film, Cameo appearance |
My Hero Mythri | Malayalam | |||
Ivide | Roshni Mathew | |||
Kohinoor | Lilly | Cameo appearance | ||
2016 | Hello Namasthe | Priya | ||
Mukunda Murari | Rukmini | Kannada | Special appearance in the song "Murari Lola" | |
Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka | Shahida Gautham | Malayalam | ||
2017 | Chowka | Bhoomika | Kannada | |
Honey Bee 2: Celebrations | Angel | Malayalam | ||
Adventures of Omanakuttan | Pallavi | |||
Vilakkumaram | Aswathy Ananthakrishnan | |||
Honey Bee 2.5 | Angel/Herself | Guest appearance | ||
Oru Visheshapetta Biriyani Kissa | Kumari Kamalambika | Guest appearance | ||
Adam Joan | Shwetha | [29] | ||
2018 | Tagaru | Panchami | Kannada | [29] |
2019 | 99 | Janaki Devi ( Jaanu) | [30] | |
2021 | Inspector Vikram | Bhavana | [31] | |
SriKrishna@gmail.com | Malavika | [32] | ||
Bhajarangi 2 | Chinminki | [33] | ||
Govinda Govinda | Padmavathi | [34] | ||
2022 | Ntikkakkakkoru Premandaarnnu ![]() |
Nithya | Malayalam | Filming[35][36] |
Pink Note![]() |
Bhavana/Akanksha | Kannada | Filming[37][38] | |
Case Of Kondana![]() |
TBA | Filming[39][40] |
Year | Award | Award Category | Awarded Work |
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2002 | Kerala State Film Awards | Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention | Nammal |
2005 | Second Best Actress | Daivanamathil | |
2006 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Actress | Chithiram Pesuthadi[41] |
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
Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress | |
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