# Malashri (ಮಾಲಶ್ರೀ)
**Malashri** (ಮಾಲಶ್ರೀ), also credited as Malashree and born Sri Durga, is an Indian actress known primarily for [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema), with work in Telugu and Tamil films, who rose to stardom in the 1990s and later became known for woman-led action films. She is popularly called *Kanasina Rani* (Dream Girl) and, in her later career, the Action Queen of Kannada cinema.[1](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) • [3](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/v-ravichandran-waits-for-kannada-dream-girl-fame-actress-malashri-call-sheets-for-ramachaari-srb-shh1h4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu; birth name Sri Durga[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) |
| Sobriquets | Kanasina Rani (Dream Girl) from her 1990s peak; Action Queen from her later woman-led action films[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) • [3](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/v-ravichandran-waits-for-kannada-dream-girl-fame-actress-malashri-call-sheets-for-ramachaari-srb-shh1h4) |
| Lead debut | *Nanjundi Kalyana* (1989), opposite Raghavendra Rajkumar; the film remains one of the biggest hits of its era[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) • [4](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/news/2017/5-top-actresses-launched-parvathamma-rajkumar-262186.html) |
| Major awards | Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada for *Hrudaya Haadithu* (1991); NTR Award (2011); Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress (2015)[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) |
| Career scale | More than 100 films across three decades, including about 34 as a child artist[5](https://www.gudvibe.app/person/5472-malashri) • [6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri) |
| Signature later roles | Angry-woman and police-officer parts in *Chamundi* (2000), *Kannadada Kiran Bedi* (2009), *Shakthi* (2012), *Veera* (2013), and *Ganga* (2015)[7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri) |
| Marriage | Married producer Ramu in 1997; he died of COVID-19 on 26 April 2021[1](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html) |
## Early career as a child artist
Malashri entered films as a child artist and appeared in about 34 films in that phase, playing the role of a boy in 26 of them.[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri) She has said she was a fan of [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan) as a child and dressed like him, which led directors to cast her in boy's roles; her child-artist films include *Imayam* and *Neela Malargal* (1979).[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri) • [7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri) In a 2026 interview she recalled entering films at age 12 and missing her school and college years because she was busy from her very first film.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/im-finally-living-the-life-i-earned-malashree/articleshow/134457781.cms)
## Stardom in the 1990s
The writer and lyricist Chi. Udaya Shankar introduced Malashri to the Rajkumar family while they were looking for a new face to cast opposite Raghavendra Rajkumar, and [Parvathamma Rajkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/parvathamma-rajkumar) decided to launch her in *Nanjundi Kalyana* (1989).[7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) Her performance in that film, as a proud, tomboyish woman, brought wide recognition, and the film ran for years while most of her subsequent releases crossed 100 days.[1](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html) • [9](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/clarification-for-kannada-actress-nanjundi-kalyana-fame-malashri-old-controversy-srb-slsra5) She followed it with films such as *Gajapathi Garvabhanga*, *Ramachari*, *Prathap*, *Kitturina Huli*, and *Thavarumane*.[1](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html)
Her double role in *Rani Maharani* (1990) drew a large fan following, and her next film, *Hrudaya Haadithu*, in which she played a young woman with heart disease, won praise from audiences and critics and brought her the 1991 [Filmfare Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-award-for-best-actress).[7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) During this period she was among the most sought-after leading ladies of Kannada cinema, and commentators have noted that no other Kannada actress dominated the industry's attention in quite the same way across that decade.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116) • [3](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/v-ravichandran-waits-for-kannada-dream-girl-fame-actress-malashri-call-sheets-for-ramachaari-srb-shh1h4)
## The action-queen phase
In the late 1990s Malashri had a run of less successful films, including *Prema Khaidi*, *Snehada Kadalalli*, *Megha Mandara*, *Arishina Kumkuma*, and *Solillada Saradara*, and she took a short break after her marriage.[7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri) She returned in the new millennium with angry-woman roles in *Chamundi* (2000), *Kannadada Kiran Bedi* (2009), *Shakthi* (2012), *Veera* (2013), and *Ganga* (2015).[7](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri)
The 2004 film *Durgi*, a rowdy-and-fight story, drew attention even from the Telugu film industry, which is known for lavish action productions, and it was remade in Telugu as *Narasimhudu*.[10](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/features/malashri-starrer-durgi-was-remade-as-narasimhudu-in-telugu-043759.html) In *Election* (2013), directed by Om Prakash Rao, she played a politician who fights her way through the story, a role the film's reviewers described as relentless action fare.[11](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/kannada-film-election-review-074302.html) Later films include *Marakastra* (2023), which streamed on OTT Player, and *Night Curfew*, set during the COVID-19 lockdown.[12](https://tv9kannada.com/entertainment/ott/malashri-starrer-marakastra-kannada-movie-now-streaming-on-ott-player-entertainment-news-in-kannada-mdn-964554.html) • [13](https://www.vijayavani.net/amp/story/cinevani/malashri-starring-night-curfew-move-review)
## Standing and later work
Malashri's portrayal of strong, independent characters attracted a significant female viewership.[5](https://www.gudvibe.app/person/5472-malashri) In a December 2024 interview she said she was looking for different kinds of roles, asking directors to break the pattern of offering her only action or police-officer parts.[14](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/i-want-directors-to-give-me-different-character-says-malashree-vcs-sos30p)
Her continued relevance shows in upcoming work: *Mangala Gowri*, directed by Rahul PK and co-written by Pooja Sudhir, pairs her with Rukmini Vasanth, and her first look from the film drew wide attention in 2026.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/im-finally-living-the-life-i-earned-malashree/articleshow/134457781.cms) Younger actresses such as Tanisha Kuppanda have said fans compare them to Malashri because of police and action roles, a comparison Tanisha welcomed given Malashri's stature.[15](https://www.kannadaprabha.in/amp/entertainment-news/people-are-comparing-me-to-actress-malashri-tanisha-kuppanda/articleshow-3hhowuc)
## Personal life
Malashri married the Kannada film producer Ramu in 1997; Ramu died of COVID-19 on 26 April 2021.[1](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html) Earlier, her planned marriage to the actor Sunil was called off after his death in a car accident in 1994.[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri) The couple had two children; their daughter Aaradhana Ramu entered films with *Kaatera*.[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri) • [14](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/i-want-directors-to-give-me-different-character-says-malashree-vcs-sos30p)
## References
1. [ಮಾಲಾಶ್ರೀ (Malashri): biography and filmography, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/celebs/malashri.html)
2. [Malashri – Movies, Biography, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/malashri/11116)
3. [Dream Girl Malashri and Ramachari, Asianet Suvarna News](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/v-ravichandran-waits-for-kannada-dream-girl-fame-actress-malashri-call-sheets-for-ramachaari-srb-shh1h4)
4. [5 Top Actresses Launched By Parvathamma Rajkumar, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/news/2017/5-top-actresses-launched-parvathamma-rajkumar-262186.html)
5. [Malashri – Movies, Age, Biography & OTT, GudVibe](https://www.gudvibe.app/person/5472-malashri)
6. [Kannada Movie Actress Malashri Biography, NETTV4U](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/kannada/movie-actress/malashri)
7. [Malashri, Uzpedia](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/malashri)
8. [I'm finally living the life I earned: Malashree, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/im-finally-living-the-life-i-earned-malashree/articleshow/134457781.cms)
9. [Clarification for Kannada actress Malashri old controversy, Asianet Suvarna News](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/clarification-for-kannada-actress-nanjundi-kalyana-fame-malashri-old-controversy-srb-slsra5)
10. [Malashri starrer Durgi was remade as Narasimhudu in Telugu, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/features/malashri-starrer-durgi-was-remade-as-narasimhudu-in-telugu-043759.html)
11. [Election film review: Sarvam Malashri Mayam, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/kannada-film-election-review-074302.html)
12. [Malashri starrer Marakastra now streaming on OTT Player, TV9 Kannada](https://tv9kannada.com/entertainment/ott/malashri-starrer-marakastra-kannada-movie-now-streaming-on-ott-player-entertainment-news-in-kannada-mdn-964554.html)
13. [Night Curfew movie review, Vijayavani](https://www.vijayavani.net/amp/story/cinevani/malashri-starring-night-curfew-move-review)
14. [I want directors to give me different characters: Malashree, Asianet Suvarna News](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/i-want-directors-to-give-me-different-character-says-malashree-vcs-sos30p)
15. [People are comparing me to actress Malashri: Tanisha Kuppanda, Kannada Prabha](https://www.kannadaprabha.in/amp/entertainment-news/people-are-comparing-me-to-actress-malashri-tanisha-kuppanda/articleshow-3hhowuc)
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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 › Kannada film actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 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