# Maheswari (மகேஸ்வரி)
**Maheswari** (மகேஸ்வரி) is an Indian former actress who appeared predominantly in Telugu and Tamil language films, and was one of the leading actresses in those industries from 1994 to 2000.[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) She is best known for her performances in *Karuththamma* (1994), *Gulabi* (1995), *Pelli* (1997), and *Ullaasam* (1997), and she won the Nandi Award for Best Actress for *Nee Kosam* (1999).[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) • [2](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/maheswari) She is the niece of the actress Sridevi.[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/sridevis-niece-maheswari-posts-unseen-pictures-of-her-pappakka-on-her-63rd-birth-anniversary-watch-101786703960631.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film debut | *Karuththamma* (1994), directed by Bharathiraja, in the role of Rosy; she was 17 at the time[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) |
| Telugu breakthrough | *Gulabi* (1995), directed by Krishna Vamsi and produced by Ram Gopal Varma, opposite J. D. Chakravarthy[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929) • [5](https://tv9telugu.com/entertainment/tollywood/actress-maheshwari-reveals-her-first-crush-is-actor-ajith-kumar-know-his-reaction-1831199.html) |
| Award | Nandi Award for Best Actress for *Nee Kosam* (1999)[2](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/maheswari) |
| Film career span | 1994 to 2000 in films, ending with *Maa Annayya* (2000); television work followed from 2010 to 2014[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) • [6](https://indiaglitz.com/i-did-my-first-film-to-escape-harassing-professor-maheswari-telugu-news-306569) |
| Family | Niece of Sridevi, daughter of Sridevi's elder sister Suryakala; brother Avishek Karthik[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/sridevis-niece-maheswari-posts-unseen-pictures-of-her-pappakka-on-her-63rd-birth-anniversary-watch-101786703960631.html) |
| Marriage | Married the software engineer Jayakrishna in 2008[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929) |
## Debut and early career
Maheswari entered films through the Tamil industry. In 1994, while still a student who had just completed Intermediate, she was cast in Bharathiraja's *Karuththamma* after the director saw her at a ceremony at her house in 1993 and told Sridevi he wanted to cast her.[6](https://indiaglitz.com/i-did-my-first-film-to-escape-harassing-professor-maheswari-telugu-news-306569) She played the character Rosy.[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) In a later interview she said she took the film partly as an excuse to leave a college where a professor harassed her, and that the film's [A. R. Rahman](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-r-rahman)-composed song became a big hit; the film dealt with the theme of female infanticide.[6](https://indiaglitz.com/i-did-my-first-film-to-escape-harassing-professor-maheswari-telugu-news-306569) The song "Thenmerku Paruva Kaatru" made her famous among Tamil audiences.[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari)
The same year, 1994, she debuted as a heroine in Telugu with *Ammayi Kapuram*.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929) A Telugu-language profile places her Telugu introduction with *Gulabi* (1995), the Krishna Vamsi-directed love story starring [J. D. Chakravarthy](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-d-chakravarthy).[5](https://tv9telugu.com/entertainment/tollywood/actress-maheshwari-reveals-her-first-crush-is-actor-ajith-kumar-know-his-reaction-1831199.html)
## Success in Telugu and Tamil cinema
**Gulabi and Pelli.** *Gulabi* (1995), produced by [Ram Gopal Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-gopal-varma), earned her a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929) She followed it with *Pelli* (1997), opposite Vadde Naveen, which the Telugu press describes as another success and an important film in her career.[7](https://tv9telugu.com/entertainment/tollywood/do-you-remember-pelli-movie-actress-maheshwari-now-how-she-is-looking-telugu-movie-news-1158297.html) Her other Telugu films include *Deyyam* (1996), *Priyaraagalu* (1997), *Nee Kosam* (1999), *Balaram* (2000), and *Tirumala Tirupati Venkatesa* (2000).[8](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/maheswari) • [9](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/celebs/maheswari/filmography.html)
**Tamil films.** In Tamil she appeared in *Nesam* (1997) and *Ullaasam* (1997) opposite [Ajith Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/ajith-kumar), *Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar* (1998), *En Uyir Nee Thaane* (1998), *Mannavaru Sinnavaru* (1999), and *Athey Manithan* (2000).[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929) • [8](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/maheswari) *Ullaasam*, in which she appeared alongside both Ajith Kumar and Vikram, is described as the most important film of her screen journey.[10](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/actress-maheswari-shares-her-experience-working-with-ajith-and-vikram-in-ullasam-movie-137516) Recalling the shoot, she said Ajith was reserved and the two barely spoke, while Vikram talked with everyone and kept the set lively.[10](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/actress-maheswari-shares-her-experience-working-with-ajith-and-vikram-in-ullasam-movie-137516)
Across Tamil, Telugu, and [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema) she acted in more than 40 films.[10](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/actress-maheswari-shares-her-experience-working-with-ajith-and-vikram-in-ullasam-movie-137516) She appeared alongside major South Indian stars including Jagapati Babu, J. D. Chakravarthy, [Ravi Teja](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravi-teja), Ajith Kumar, Chiyaan Vikram, Prabhu, Arjun Sarja, Prabhu Deva, and [Shiva Rajkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/shiva-rajkumar).[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari)
## Awards
She won the Nandi Award for Best Actress, the award of the Telugu-language film industry, for her performance in *Nee Kosam* (1999), in which she played Sasirekha.[2](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/maheswari) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3817521)
## Retirement and later work
Maheswari left acting in 2000. Her last Telugu film was *Maa Annayya*, released in 2000.[6](https://indiaglitz.com/i-did-my-first-film-to-escape-harassing-professor-maheswari-telugu-news-306569) In Tamil, *Athey Manithan* (2000) was her final film, and after *Tirumala Tirupati Venkatesa* in Telugu she withdrew from cinema entirely.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929)
She returned to the small screen between 2010 and 2014, including the serial *My Name Is Mangamma*, in which she appeared in 178 episodes across 2012 and 2013, and *Adhey Kangal* (2014).[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3817521) In recent years she has appeared in shows and interviews, and photographs she posted on social media drew renewed attention from fans.[12](https://web.sakshi.com/telugu-news/movies/actress-maheswari-about-her-crush-star-hero-2568915) • [4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929)
## Personal life and family
Maheswari was born into a Telugu-speaking family to Mahesh Reddy and Suryakala.[8](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/maheswari) Her mother was the elder sister of the actress Sridevi, making Maheswari Sridevi's niece; her brother is Avishek Karthik.[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/sridevis-niece-maheswari-posts-unseen-pictures-of-her-pappakka-on-her-63rd-birth-anniversary-watch-101786703960631.html) Sridevi supported her during her acting career and her fashion-design work, and wore Maheswari's designs at events and parties.[10](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/actress-maheswari-shares-her-experience-working-with-ajith-and-vikram-in-ullasam-movie-137516)
In 2008 she married Jayakrishna, a software engineer, and has since focused on her family life.[4](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929)
Published sources disagree on her date and place of birth: one filmography database gives 1977 in Chennai,[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari) while her IMDb entry gives 28 September 1980 in New Delhi.[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0536897/)
## References
1. [Maheswari, informasilengkap.com](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Maheswari)
2. [Biography of Maheswari, biographies.net](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/maheswari)
3. [Sridevi's niece Maheswari posts unseen pictures of her 'Pappakka' on her 63rd birth anniversary, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/sridevis-niece-maheswari-posts-unseen-pictures-of-her-pappakka-on-her-63rd-birth-anniversary-watch-101786703960631.html)
4. [Remember Maheswari: the 90s actress returns to the spotlight, Indian Express Tamil](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/remember-maheswari-the-90s-actress-returns-to-the-spotlight-9732929)
5. [Actress Maheshwari reveals her first crush is actor Ajith Kumar, TV9 Telugu](https://tv9telugu.com/entertainment/tollywood/actress-maheshwari-reveals-her-first-crush-is-actor-ajith-kumar-know-his-reaction-1831199.html)
6. [I did my first film to escape harassing professor: Maheswari, IndiaGlitz](https://indiaglitz.com/i-did-my-first-film-to-escape-harassing-professor-maheswari-telugu-news-306569)
7. [Do you remember Pelli movie actress Maheshwari, TV9 Telugu](https://tv9telugu.com/entertainment/tollywood/do-you-remember-pelli-movie-actress-maheshwari-now-how-she-is-looking-telugu-movie-news-1158297.html)
8. [Maheswari, Flickchart](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/maheswari)
9. [Maheswari Filmography in Telugu, Filmibeat Telugu](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/celebs/maheswari/filmography.html)
10. [Maheswari about Ajith: Ullasam movie experience, ABP Nadu Tamil](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/actress-maheswari-shares-her-experience-working-with-ajith-and-vikram-in-ullasam-movie-137516)
11. [Maheswari (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3817521)
12. [Actress Maheswari about her crush on this star hero, Sakshi](https://web.sakshi.com/telugu-news/movies/actress-maheswari-about-her-crush-star-hero-2568915)
13. [Maheshwari (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0536897/)
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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 › Telugu film actors › Surnames H to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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