Uma Padmanabhan is a South Indian celebrity who wears many hats. She is a Tamil television and film actress, and a socialite. Uma has also worked as a newsreader and television news anchor since 1993.
Wiki/Biography
Uma Padmanabhan was born as Uma Iyer on Monday, 27 September 1965 (age 56 years; in 2021) in Chennai, under the zodiac sign Libra. The lead actor-turned-actress graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Commerce from SIET in Nandanam, Chennai.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
The only child of her parents, Uma, comes from a family of artists. His father, KG Subramanyan, who died in 2016, was a renowned painter, poet and teacher, who was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards.
Uma Padmanabhan with her father, KG Subramanyan
Uma’s mother, Susheela Jasra, who died in 2005, was also an artist, who also worked as Gandhi’s social worker.
Husband & Son
Uma was married to Padmanabhan, but the couple is divorced now. Uma has a daughter named Sharanya, and two grandchildren.
Uma Padmanabhan with her daughter and grandson
Career
In a career spanning more than 25 years, Uma has been a part of about 35 films and 10 TV shows.
Newsreader and TV Presenter
Soon after completing her studies around 1993, Uma applied for a position as an anchor in the Tamil entertainment channel SUN TV. The channel was only six months old when he started working at SUN TV as a newsreader. Eventually, Padmanabhan started hosting the Tamil morning show ‘Vanakkam Tamizhagam,’ which later became one of the most watched morning programs in Tamil Nadu and completed its 1000 episodes while Uma was still around. In an interview, Uma was asked about her experience on the channel, she said,
The reading and computing of news is unique in all genres. This was in the early days after the Doordarshan era when the private channel Sun TV was in the limelight. I joined there just six months after the channel started. Now you can’t read the news by looking at the sample prompt. You have to write and read and look at the camera. There are many challenges in computing as well.”
Poster of Vanakkam Thamizha by Uma Padmanabhan
During her stint at SUN TV, Uma hosted almost every show on the channel. Apart from this, the TV presenter has also worked with Vijay TV, Jaya TV, and other Tamil channels.
actor
Tamil industry
Active in the Tamil industry since the early 1990s, Uma Padmanabhan first appeared on the Kollywood silver screen with the film ‘Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen’ in 1998; however, after a big break in the industry, Uma struggled to find work for nearly four years.
Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen by Uma Padmanabhan
At the same time, Uma started trying her hand at the Tamil television industry, which gave her a break as an actress in the show ‘Micro Thodar-Oru Kudumbam Oru Ragasiyam’ in 2000, which aired on Raj TV.
Uma Padmanabhan in Oru Kudumbam Oru Ragasiyam
In 2002, Uma finally landed a stellar role in the Tamil film ‘Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke.’ The actor was appreciated and recognized for his talent, which eventually got him more such projects. In 2021, Uma’s Tamil language drama film ‘Kasada Thapara’ was released on Sony Liv app.
Malayalam industry
Padmanabhan did not limit himself to Kollywood only, and he made his first screen presence in the Malayali film industry in 2010 with “The Thriller,” where he was seen as Mother Meera.
Uma Padmanabhan’s debut Malayalam film The Thriller
Telugu Industry
Uma, a versatile actress, also grabbed a chance in the Telugu film industry in 2016 and made her debut with the film “Oopiri Thozha,” in which she played the role of Swathi’s mother-in-law.
Uma Padmanabhan’s debut Telugu film Oopiri Thozha
Resurgence
The Kollywood actress stayed away from the Tamil TV industry for about a decade before finally making a comeback in 2016. She was seen in the serial Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya where Padmanabhan played the lead actor’s mother. Uma revealed in an interview that she took such a long break because she was not ready to commit to a long-term TV series. Uma added,
I’ve been thinking about doing a television project for some time now. At this time, I got a call for this series. Plus, the channel and the production house are big names — so it’s a win-win for me.”
Beyond Acting
Uma is not confined to acting only in films and serials, but she has also taken up a few TV commercials as well, and she dubs her own lines in Hindi and other languages. The successful actor also surprised his fans by showing his singing talent in several Tamil songs. In January 2021, Uma was part of the video for the Tamil devotional poem, Marghazhi Thingal, where she was featured singing along with other actors.
The Tamil socialite also started a Television Academy midway through her career. When asked about it, Uma said in an interview,
It all started with James Spring. One-page TV channels need new newsreaders and TV presenters. On the other hand, I see many people who are interested in using that requirement in places where they will speak in college. We started the academy to fill this gap. For some time it worked well.”
In 2013, Padmanabhan became the face of an organization in Chennai that helped create awareness about breast cancer. She became the “Pink Ambassador” for “India Goes Pink.”
Favourite
- Cast: Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan
- Red colour
Facts/Trivia
- One year of Uma’s schooling was spent in New York after her father had to go to the United States after receiving a Rockefeller Foundation grant. When asked about her experience, Uma recalled that it was there that she realized her father was an artist. He added,
Appa is making a drawing on an egg carton. She also does acrylic paintings, tapestry work and fiber weaving. I saw this for the first time.”
- When Uma’s mother died in 2005, she took on the role of caretaker for her ailing father and lived in Baroda (now Vadodara). According to reports, the actress will spend two weeks with her husband, Padmanabhan, and the rest taking care of her father, in Baroda.
- Padmanabhan is a versatile actor who has acting experience in various genres including romance, comedy, drama and action. In an interview, the Tamil actor admitted that he loves working in films with a lot of comedy-based acting. Uma added,
I left the Hello Tamil Nadu show saying that I was bored. I’ve done a lot of shows since then. Some shows on Vijay TV, gossip on Jaya TV, house to house heist comedy… I always thought I had the science of comedy. I got to try it out in a series of house-to-house raids.”
- Some big names of the South Indian film industry like Rajinikanth, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Dhanush, Jiiva, Prithviraj, Silambarasan, Vijay, Srikanth, and Vikranth have also shared the screen with Uma Padmanabhan.
Uma Padmanabhan in a still from the movie Rajinikanth Sivaji
- Kailasam Balachander (KB) is responsible for changing Uma Padmanabhan’s career from a TV news anchor to an actress.
- In February 2021, Uma’s Tamil TV show “Poove Poochudavaa” completed 1000 episodes; but on September 5, 2021, the show went off air after Uma starred in it for almost four and a half years.
Poster of Uma Padmanabhan’s show Poove Poochudavaa
- The Tamil actor has also shown interest in reality TV show Big Boss Tamil, hosted by his friend and actor Kamal Haasan, and his social media handle is up-to-date with his opinions on the show’s latest happenings.
Uma Padmanabhan with Kamal Haasan
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
