Urvashi

Kavitha, better known by her stage name Urvashi, is an Indian actress who has appeared in a number of films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She is the sister of actresses Kalaranjini and Kalpana. She is one of the most loved heroines of the Malayalam film industry, having played some of the most unforgettable characters during the 1980s and 1990s.

Urvashi was born in Trivandrum, Kerala to well-known actor Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. Her sisters, Kalaranjini and Kalpana are also acclaimed actresses.

She fell in love with popular actor Manoj K. Jayan and both married in 2000. On 11 October 2008 it was reported that actress Urvashi had obtained mutual separation from her husband. The couple developed difference of opinion and filed for divorce at a court in Chennai. Later, they got separated by a court order. Their only daughter Kunjatta is now living with her husband Manoj K Jayan.

She started acting films during the 1980s. Munthanai Mudichchu (Tamil, 1984), directed by K. Bhagyaraj, was her first film. Ethirppukal (Malayalam, 1985) was one of her earlier films in Malayalam. During the peak of her career, she starred in M. P. Sukumaran Nair's award-winning film Kazhakam in 1995, without taking a single penny as remuneration. She was awarded Best Actress for this role.

She was a leading Malayalam actress in the late 80s, giving performances in movies like Thalayanamanthram, Mazhavilkavadi, to name a few.

She made her debut in Tamil films with Mundhanai Mudichu (1983) with Bhagyaraj. The movie was a big hit and made Urvashi a sought-after actress in all the South Indian languages. Urvashi has also acted in many Kannada movies with top heroes like Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ravichandran and Ramesh Aravind. Her latest Kannada movie, Rama Shama Bhama (2005) with Ramesh Arvind and Kamal Haasan, was a crowd-puller and her performance was well appreciated by critics and audience.

Urvashi was also seen as the host of the game show Thanga Vettai, aired on Sun TV. She served as the host for the show for a very short time, preceded by Ramya Krishnan and succeeded by Kanika Subramaniam.

Urvashi is currently the host of a successful "Ladies Show" on Surya TV Channel known as Rani Maharani.

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress

2006: Achuvinte Amma

Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress

1989: Mazhavil Kavadi, Varthamanakalam
1990: Thalayanamanthram
1991: Kadinjool Kalyanam, Kakkathollayiram, Bharatham, Mukhachithram
1995: Kazhakam
2006: Madhuchandralekha