# Chaya Singh
**Chaya Singh** is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films and television, known for her role opposite Dhanush in the Tamil film *Thiruda Thirudi* (2003) and its widely remembered song "Manmadha Rasa". She was born in 1976 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, and is also credited as Chaya Krishna and by the alternative name Minnu.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography) One database, FilmiBeat, gives her birth date as 1981 instead.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/chaya-singh/upcoming-movies.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (FilmiBeat lists 1981)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/chaya-singh/upcoming-movies.html) |
| Also known as | Chaya Krishna, Minnu[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography) |
| Film debut | *Munnudi* (Kannada, 2000), a film that won a National Film Award[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/) |
| Breakthrough | *Thiruda Thirudi* (Tamil, 2003) with Dhanush, featuring the song "Manmadha Rasa"[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Chaya-Singh) |
| Languages worked in | Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali, Bhojpuri, and Oriya[6](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/chaya-singh) |
| Directing credit | *Ki Kore Bojhabo Tomake* (Bengali, 2012), as actor and director[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography) |
| Marriage | Married television and film actor Krishna in 2012[7](https://tamil.oneindia.com/television/thiruda-thirudi-actress-sayasingh-shares-a-video-with-husband-actor-krishna-671513.html) |
## Early life and debut
Chaya Singh did her schooling at Lourdes School in Bengaluru and graduated from Aurobindo College there.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/) She began her acting career in [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema) with *Munnudi* in 2000, a film that was a major success and won a National Film Award.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/) Her first role, according to a biographical account, was in the film *Haseena*, directed by Tara.[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z59fZbGVzDM) After a few Kannada films that did not repeat her debut's success, her attention turned to the Tamil industry.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/)
## Breakthrough and career pattern
**Thiruda Thirudi.** Her Tamil debut came in 2003 with *Thiruda Thirudi*, starring Dhanush, in which she appeared in the song "Manmadha Rasa", in which the two leads dance in competition; the song remains popular and is a fixture of stage shows from that era.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/) • [7](https://tamil.oneindia.com/television/thiruda-thirudi-actress-sayasingh-shares-a-video-with-husband-actor-krishna-671513.html) [IndiaGlitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiaglitz) describes the film as her "dream debut" and a blockbuster.[9](https://indiaglitz.com/chaya-singh-says-she-plays-a-not-so-powerful-character-in-power-paandi-tamil-news-171621)
The film's success shaped her subsequent choices in an unexpected way. In a 2010 interview she said that after *Thiruda Thirudi* she was offered only glamorous roles or dance numbers, but wanted to act, so she took roles in Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali films to develop her skills.[10](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/news-interviews/I-dont-watch-Tamil-serials-Chaya/articleshow/6143392.cms) The New Indian Express reported that she soon became a rare presence on Tamil screens and concentrated on Kannada and Malayalam films.[11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2010/Jul/19/horror-film-heroine-goes-to-bengali-171205.html) IndiaGlitz summarizes the arc as a comeback after seven years in director Shankar's production *Ananthapurathu Veedu* (2010), followed by [Udhayanidhi Stalin](https://www.edgepedia.org/udhayanidhi-stalin)'s *Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal* (2014).[9](https://indiaglitz.com/chaya-singh-says-she-plays-a-not-so-powerful-character-in-power-paandi-tamil-news-171621)
In *Ananthapurathu Veedu*, a mystery thriller directed by the television serial director Naga, she played Revathi, a claustrophobic woman adapting to the house she lives in; she described the character as a contrast to herself and noted that the film was shot in scene order because the character develops with each scene.[12](https://www.nowrunning.com/news/tamil/in-conversation-with-chaya-singh/32863/story.htm)
**Reunion with Dhanush.** In 2017 she appeared in *Power Paandi* (also written *Pa. Paandi*), the debut directorial venture of Dhanush, the hero of her debut film, fourteen years after *Thiruda Thirudi*. She played Prasanna's pair, a friendly supporting character, and said she accepted it as a comeback vehicle.[9](https://indiaglitz.com/chaya-singh-says-she-plays-a-not-so-powerful-character-in-power-paandi-tamil-news-171621) • [13](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/kollywood/091216/chaya-singhs-reunion-with-dhanush.html)
**Recent films.** Her later film credits include *[Mufti](https://www.edgepedia.org/mufti-film)* (2017, as Vedhavathi), *Action* (2019, as Kayalvizhi), *Iravukku Aayiram Kangal* (2018, as Roopala), *Lilly Rani* (2022), *Tamilarasan* (2023), *Bhairathi Ranagal* (2024, as Vedhavathi Ranagal), and *Royal* (2025).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography) She is cast in *Khaimara*, a Kannada heroine-centric psychological horror-thriller alongside [Priyanka Upendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-upendra) and [Priyamani](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyamani), which marks the directorial debut of Gautham V P; FilmiBeat lists its release date as 20 November 2026.[14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/news/) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/chaya-singh/upcoming-movies.html)
## Television
Television has been a substantial part of her career. In 2019 she replaced Sharanya Turadi Sundaraj as the female lead in *Run*, appearing on screen with her real-life husband Krishna for the first time in the same project.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Chaya-Singh)
She has also worked behind the camera: [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) credits her as actor and director on the Bengali film *Ki Kore Bojhabo Tomake* (2012), and the Tamil Indian Express notes that she directed that Bengali film.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography) • [4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/)
## Personal life
Chaya Singh married the actor [Krishna](https://www.edgepedia.org/krishna-tv-actor) in 2012; the two had worked together on *Ananthapurathu Veedu*, and both have continued to act in films and serials since the marriage.[7](https://tamil.oneindia.com/television/thiruda-thirudi-actress-sayasingh-shares-a-video-with-husband-actor-krishna-671513.html) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Chaya-Singh) Krishna is known for Tamil television, including the serial *Deivamagal*.[7](https://tamil.oneindia.com/television/thiruda-thirudi-actress-sayasingh-shares-a-video-with-husband-actor-krishna-671513.html)
## References
1. [Chaya Singh, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/)
2. [Chaya Singh filmography, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/chaya-singh/6601/filmography)
3. [Chaya Singh Upcoming Movies, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/chaya-singh/upcoming-movies.html)
4. [ஒரே பாட்டில் ஊரையே திரும்பிப் பார்க்க வைத்த சாயா சிங்!, Tamil Indian Express (16 December 2019)](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/chaya-singh-krishna-run-serial-sun-tv/)
5. [Chaya Singh topic page, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Chaya-Singh)
6. [Chaya Singh, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/chaya-singh)
7. [Thiruda Thirudi Actress Sayasingh Shares a Video with Husband, Actor Krishna, Tamil Oneindia](https://tamil.oneindia.com/television/thiruda-thirudi-actress-sayasingh-shares-a-video-with-husband-actor-krishna-671513.html)
8. [Untold story about Actress Chaya Singh, Cine Samugam, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z59fZbGVzDM)
9. [Chaya Singh opens up about her role in 'Power Paandi', IndiaGlitz](https://indiaglitz.com/chaya-singh-says-she-plays-a-not-so-powerful-character-in-power-paandi-tamil-news-171621)
10. [I don't watch Tamil serials: Chaya, Times of India (9 July 2010)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/news-interviews/I-dont-watch-Tamil-serials-Chaya/articleshow/6143392.cms)
11. [Horror film heroine goes to Bengali, The New Indian Express (2010)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2010/Jul/19/horror-film-heroine-goes-to-bengali-171205.html)
12. [In Conversation with Chaya Singh, Nowrunning (7 July 2010)](https://www.nowrunning.com/news/tamil/in-conversation-with-chaya-singh/32863/story.htm)
13. [Chaya Singh's reunion with Dhanush!, Deccan Chronicle (9 December 2016)](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/kollywood/091216/chaya-singhs-reunion-with-dhanush.html)
14. [Chaya Singh News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495762/news/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Tamil film actors › Surnames R to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license