Rohini Molleti is an Indian actor, screenwriter, lyricist, and dubbing artist who primarily appears in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. In 2015, she came into the limelight for playing the role of Prabhas’ character, Mahendra Baahubali’s adoptive mother, Sanga, in the pan-India film Baahubali: The Beginning. In 2022, she appeared as Indrani in the Tamil film Witness, which was based on the deaths caused by manual scavenging.
Wiki/Biography
Rohini Molleti was born on Monday, 15 December 1969 (age 53 years; as of 2022) in Thummapala, Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Rohini’s father, Appa Rao Naidu, was a panchayat officer, and her mother, Radha was a homemaker, who passed away when Rohini was five. Later, her father got remarried.
Husband & Children
In 1996, Rohini Molleti got married to Raghuvaran Velayutham, an Indian actor, who passed away on 19 March 2008, at the age of 49, in Chennai due to cardiac arrest. The couple has a son, Rishi Varan, who was born in 1998. In 2004, the couple got legally divorced.
Career
Film
In 1972, Rohini made her acting debut as a child artist with the Hindi film Darar in which she played the role of Laajo.
In 1976, she made her Tamil debut as a child artist with the film Mayor Meenakshi.
In 1982, Rohini made her Malayalam debut with the film Kakka in which she played the role of Devi.
In 1987, she made her Kannada debut with the film Sri Chamundeshwari Pooja Mahime as Kumari Malathi.
In 1991, Rohini appeared in a lead role as Pavunnu in the Tamil film Pavunnu Pavunuthan. In 1993, she played the lead role of Elsamma in the Malayalam film Samaagamam. In 1995, she received positive acclaim for the Telugu film Stri in which she played the lead role of Rangi.
In 2015, Rohini appeared in the pan-India film Baahubali: The Beginning in which she played the role of Sanga, Prabhas‘ character, Mahendra Baahubali’s adoptive mother.
In 2022, she appeared in the Telugu film Sita Ramam as Vijayalakshmi and Tamil film Witness as Indrani.
Lyricist
Rohini has written lyrics for songs in a few Tamil films like Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007) for “Unakkul Naane,” Villu (2009) for “Jalsa,” Mundhinam Paartheney (2010) for “Maya, Kanavena,” Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey (2012) for all songs, and Galatta Kalyanam (2020) for “Murali Mogha.”
Director
In 1995, Rohini made her directorial debut with the Tamil television show Chinna Chinna Aasai on Sun TV. In 2008, she directed a documentary film, Silent Hues: The Invisible Spectrum of Child Actors. In 2013, Rohini directed the Tamil film Appaavin Meesai.
Television
TV Show
In 1995, Rohini made her television debut with the Tamil show Chinna Chinna Aasai in which she played the role of Ganga on Sun TV.
Host
Rohini hosted a few Tamil television shows like Kelvigal Aayiram on Star Vijay, Rohini’s Box Office on Raj TV, and Kelvigal Neram on Vendhar TV. In 2013, she hosted the Malayalam television show Kadha Ithu Vare on Mazhavil Manorama.
Web Series
In 2020, Rohini made her digital debut with the Telugu mini TV web series Addham in which she played the role of Shanti on AHA.
In 2021, she played the role of Valambal in the Tamil web series Navarasa on Netflix. In 2022, Rohini appeared in the Telugu mini TV web series Meet Cute as Padma on SonyLIV and 9 Hours as Kamakshi on Disney+ Hotstar.
In the same year, she played the role of Dhanalakshmi in the Malayalam web series Freedom Fight on SonyLIV.
Others
Rohini worked as the writer for the telefilm Geethanjali (Tamil) and Nerukku Neer (Malayalam) on Doordarshan. In 2019, she was invited to judge the Malayalam comedy reality show Comedy Stars season 2 on Asianet.
Dubbing Artist
Rohini worked as a dubbing artist primarily for Tamil and Telugu films. Some of the notable actresses to whom she lent her voice are Girija Shettar for ‘Geethanjali’ (1989), Juhi Chawla for ‘Shanti Kranti’ (1991), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for ‘Iruvar’ (1997), ‘Guru’ (2007), and ‘Raavanan’ (2010), and Manisha Koirala for ‘Bombay’ (1995), ‘Mappillai’ (2011), and ’99 Songs’ (2021).
Awards
- 1995: National Film Award – Special Mention for the Telugu film Stri
- 1995: Nandi Special Jury Award for Rohini’s performance in the Telugu film Stri
- 2009: Kalaimamani Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu for her contribution to the film industry
- 2017: Best Supporting Actress Award for the Malayalam film Guppy at the Vanitha Film Awards
- 2017: Best Supporting Actress Award for the Malayalam film Guppy at the CPC Cine Awards
- 2017: Best Supporting Actress Award for the Malayalam film Action Hero Biju at the Vanitha Film Awards
- 2017: Best Supporting Actress Award for the Malayalam film Action Hero Biju at the CPC Cine Awards
Facts/Trivia
- Rohini describes herself as a nemophilist (one who is inclined towards nature and its serene views), and being a nature lover, she loves to spend her time observing, exploring, and connecting with nature.
- Rohini served as the former State Vice President of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association.
- Rohini is an avid animal lover, and she has a pet dog, Cleo.
- Rohini is associated with different social awareness campaigns and programs. Being a social activist, she works for promoting AIDS awareness among people and has directed short films for M.G.R. Medical University and Tamil Nadu Aids Control Society regarding raising awareness among people about AIDS.
- Since childhood, Rohini’s father aspired to become an actor, and he often visited several audition locations to earn a role in the film. One day, he went on to an audition location with his daughter, Rohini, when she was 5 years old. The casting directors found Rohini suitable for a child role, and she was cast for their next film, which eventually fulfilled her father’s dream.
- Rohini, and her husband, Raghuvaran, had acted together in three films, which include the Malayalam films ‘Kakka’ (1982) and ‘Rugma’ (1983) and the Tamil film ‘Thotta Chinungi’ (1995).
- Rohini workouts regularly to keep herself fit and healthy.
- In 1995, Rohini made her singing debut with the song Kanmaniye Kanmaniye from the Tamil film Chinna Vathiyar.
- In 2022, Rohini appeared in a commercial for Gold Winner’s cooking oil.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI