# Suhasini Maniratnam
**Suhasini Maniratnam** (சுஹாசினி மணிரத்னம்; born 1961), known mononymously as Suhasini and also credited as Suhasini Charuhasan, is an Indian actress, director, producer, and writer who has worked chiefly in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography) • [2](https://www.moviebuff.com/suhasini-maniratnam). She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for K. Balachander's *Sindhu Bhairavi* (1985) and is married to the director [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam)[3](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/actress-suhashini-reject-love-and-marry-that-man-10777498).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961; sources give her birthplace as Chennai or as Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/bio/) |
| Screen debut | *Nenjathai Killathe* (Tamil, 1980), which won her the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf) |
| National honor | National Film Award for Best Actress (Silver Lotus, 1986) for *Sindhu Bhairavi* (1985)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/awards/) |
| Output | She has said she has acted in over 375 films across the four southern industries[7](https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/woman-of-substance-suhasini-maniratnam) |
| Directing | The Doordarshan anthology mini-series *Penn* (1991) and the feature *Indira* (mid-1990s), for which she also wrote the screenplay[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf) |
| Family | Daughter of the actor Charuhasan and niece of Kamal Haasan; married Mani Ratnam in 1988; one son, Nandan[3](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/actress-suhashini-reject-love-and-marry-that-man-10777498) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/bio/) |
| Production | Runs the production house Madras Talkies with Mani Ratnam and G. Srinivasan[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf) |
## Early life and training
Suhasini was born in 1961. Database listings give her birthplace as Chennai[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography), while IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes list Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/bio/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/suhasini_maniratnam); in a 2025 interview she described herself as "the third 'unwanted' girl child in Paramakudi, a small Tamil Nadu town" in the 1960s[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/hyderabad/2025/Aug/20/suhasini-maniratnam-cinema-has-taught-me-to-accept-life-as-it-is).
She trained at the Film Institute in Madras as a cinematographer[10](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/84_33rdNfacatalogue.pdf) and is reported to have been the first woman to graduate from the Madras Film Institute, the only woman among six students in her cinematography course[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/i-dont-get-bored-of-life-i-always-find-things-that-excite-me-suhasini-maniratnam-4797682/). She entered the industry at 16 intending to work behind the camera, starting as a camera assistant[12](https://film-fest-report.com/miffest-2024-interview-of-jury-president-suhasini-maniratnam/). In her telling, her acting career began by accident: when a film's heroine could not appear at the last minute because of a contract with another producer, the director cast her, the assistant behind the lights, in the lead[12](https://film-fest-report.com/miffest-2024-interview-of-jury-president-suhasini-maniratnam/).
## Acting career
Her first film was the 1980 Tamil release *Nenjathai Killathe*, a love triangle that won her the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf). In the same year, the director [Bharathiraja](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharathiraja) cast her in *Kotha Jeevithalu* (1980), the Telugu remake of his own *Puthiya Vaarpugal* (1979), opening the Telugu industry to her; she has credited him with her Telugu career, saying "I have done more than 100 films in Telugu thanks to him"[13](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2026/Jun/10/exclusive-suhasini-maniratnam-on-bharathirajas-demise-he-is-my-guru-when-it-comes-to-telugu-films). She also worked as his assistant director on *Nizhalgal* (1980)[13](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2026/Jun/10/exclusive-suhasini-maniratnam-on-bharathirajas-demise-he-is-my-guru-when-it-comes-to-telugu-films).
Through the 1980s and 1990s she worked across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf). In a 2018 retrospective she named her own milestones: *Nenjathai Killathe* for its simplicity, *Koodevide* (Malayalam) for realistic commercial cinema, *Swathi* (Telugu) for making her a commercially viable actor who could carry women-oriented themes, *Bandhana* (Kannada) for her screen partnership with [Vishnuvardhan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vishnuvardhan-actor), *Sindhu Bhairavi* for the universal response to her acting, and *Manathil Urudhi Vendum* for a character that became a role model for south Indian women[7](https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/woman-of-substance-suhasini-maniratnam).
**Sindhu Bhairavi and the National Award.** K. Balachander's *Sindhu Bhairavi* (1985) brought her the National Film Award for Best Actress, listed by the [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) as a 1986 Silver Lotus Award[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/awards/) • [3](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/actress-suhashini-reject-love-and-marry-that-man-10777498). She also won Filmfare Awards South for Best Actress in the Kannada industry for *Suprabhata* (1989) and *Mutthina Haara* (1991)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/awards/), and state honors including [Kerala State Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-awards) and [Nandi Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/nandi-awards) have been reported[14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpa6gKx7yM).
Later work has been mostly in supporting and character roles across the southern industries, including *Vanaprastham* (Malayalam, 1999)[15](https://filmi.ai/person/suhasini-maniratnam), *Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham* (2021)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography), and the Telugu films *Mr Pregnant* and *Honeymoon Express* (2023)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography). In 2024 she moved into Malayalam streaming with the Sony LIV series *[Jai Mahendran](https://www.edgepedia.org/jai-mahendran)* and *Soul Stories*, dubbing in Malayalam for the first time[16](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/suhasini-maniratnam-jai-mahendran-soul-stories-malayalam-web-series/0865ace3cc775). In 2026 she was reported to be headlining the Malayalam psychological thriller *Anchaam Pramaanam*, playing the lead character Gracy[17](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/Apr/08/malayalamnews2026apr07suhasini-maniratnam-to-lead-new-malayalam-film-anchaam-pramaanam).
## Writing, directing, and production
Suhasini has worked behind the camera throughout her career. She directed the anthology mini-series *Penn* for Doordarshan Chennai in 1991, and directed and wrote the screenplay for her first feature, *Indira*, in the mid-1990s[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf). IMDb credits her with the dialogues for Mani Ratnam's *Thiruda Thiruda*, *Iruvar*, and *Raavanan*, among other films[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/bio/), and she has a writer credit on *Iruvar* (1997)[15](https://filmi.ai/person/suhasini-maniratnam).
She returned to directing 25 years after *Indira* with the segment *Coffee, Anyone?* in Amazon Prime Video's first Tamil anthology, *Putham Pudhu Kaalai* (2020), which she also wrote; the segment cast her own family members, including her father [Charuhasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/charuhasan) and her cousin Anu Haasan[18](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2020/Oct/15/interview--i-cannot-think-of-direction-as-my-day-jobsuhasini-mani-ratnam-2210297.html) • [19](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2020/Oct/13/suhasini-mani-ratnam-nepotism-accusations-havent-reached-the-south-yet-20767.html). She runs the production company Madras Talkies with her husband and G. Srinivasan, and was a producer on *[Ponniyin Selvan: Part I](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-i)* (2022)[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/suhasini_maniratnam). She has described her collaboration with Mani Ratnam as complementary: "I write for him... But the work is all his"[7](https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/woman-of-substance-suhasini-maniratnam).
## Public roles and views
Beyond film work, Suhasini has served as the honorary consul for the country of [Luxembourg](https://www.edgepedia.org/luxembourg) and headed the jury of the Kerala State Film Awards[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf). She has supported charities focused on women and children, runs an NGO for single women, and has anchored television shows and written columns[5](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf) • [20](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2011/Aug/17/suhasini-on-malayalam-films-282130.html).
She has been an outspoken commentator on Indian cinema. In a 2010 interview with *The Times of India* she criticized Bollywood for copying international films without buying rights or acknowledgment, citing similarities between *Anjaana Anjaani* and *Before Sunrise* and *The Girl on the Bridge*, and said mainstream Hindi films lacked regional grounding[21](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/mani-ratnam-wife-suhasini-once-called-out-bollywood-for-blatantly-copying-hollywood-films-criticised-priyanka-chopra-ranbir-kapoor-film-10012097/lite/). In interviews she has also assessed the southern industries, calling [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema) the closest to life and the strongest in intellectual content while voting [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) best overall for its larger budgets and technology[22](https://www.ottplay.com/news/suhasini-maniratnam-recalls-mammootty-kerala-state-film-awards/0b3e1afc0465).
## References
1. [Suhasini Maniratnam - Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suhasini-maniratnam/8392/filmography)
2. [Suhasini Maniratnam, Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/suhasini-maniratnam)
3. [காதல் வேண்டாம், நேரா கல்யாணம் தான்... Tamil Indian Express](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/actress-suhashini-reject-love-and-marry-that-man-10777498)
4. [Suhasini - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/bio/)
5. [The Stage Is Set: Suhasini Maniratnam, Femina Icons of South (April 2022)](https://www.femina.in/media/magazines/2022/april/Femina_Icons_of_South.pdf)
6. [Suhasini - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007124/awards/)
7. [Woman of Substance: Suhasini Maniratnam, DT Next](https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/woman-of-substance-suhasini-maniratnam)
8. [Suhasini Maniratnam Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/suhasini_maniratnam)
9. [Suhasini Maniratnam: Cinema has taught me to accept life as it is, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/hyderabad/2025/Aug/20/suhasini-maniratnam-cinema-has-taught-me-to-accept-life-as-it-is)
10. [33rd National Film Awards catalogue, Directorate of Film Festivals](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/84_33rdNfacatalogue.pdf)
11. [I don't get bored of life... Suhasini Maniratnam, The Indian Express (2017)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/i-dont-get-bored-of-life-i-always-find-things-that-excite-me-suhasini-maniratnam-4797682/)
12. [MIFFest 2024: Interview of Jury President Suhasini Maniratnam, Film Fest Report](https://film-fest-report.com/miffest-2024-interview-of-jury-president-suhasini-maniratnam/)
13. [Exclusive | Suhasini Maniratnam on Bharathiraja, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2026/Jun/10/exclusive-suhasini-maniratnam-on-bharathirajas-demise-he-is-my-guru-when-it-comes-to-telugu-films)
14. [நடிகை சுஹாசினி வாழ்க்கை வரலாறு, Sathya Talkies Movie TV, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpa6gKx7yM)
15. [Suhasini Maniratnam, filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/person/suhasini-maniratnam)
16. [Suhasini Maniratnam on challenges in Jai Mahendran, Soul Stories, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/suhasini-maniratnam-jai-mahendran-soul-stories-malayalam-web-series/0865ace3cc775)
17. [Suhasini Maniratnam to lead new Malayalam film Anchaam Pramaanam, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/Apr/08/malayalamnews2026apr07suhasini-maniratnam-to-lead-new-malayalam-film-anchaam-pramaanam)
18. [INTERVIEW | I cannot think of direction as my day job: Suhasini Mani Ratnam, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2020/Oct/15/interview--i-cannot-think-of-direction-as-my-day-jobsuhasini-mani-ratnam-2210297.html)
19. [Suhasini Mani Ratnam: Nepotism accusations haven't reached the South yet, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2020/Oct/13/suhasini-mani-ratnam-nepotism-accusations-havent-reached-the-south-yet-20767.html)
20. [Suhasini, on Malayalam films, The New Indian Express (2011)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2011/Aug/17/suhasini-on-malayalam-films-282130.html)
21. [Mani Ratnam's wife Suhasini once called out Bollywood for 'blatantly copying' Hollywood films, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/mani-ratnam-wife-suhasini-once-called-out-bollywood-for-blatantly-copying-hollywood-films-criticised-priyanka-chopra-ranbir-kapoor-film-10012097/lite/)
22. [Suhasini Maniratnam recalls getting an earful from Mammootty..., OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/suhasini-maniratnam-recalls-mammootty-kerala-state-film-awards/0b3e1afc0465)
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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 K to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 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