Known for her role of Thulasi in the Tamil period drama Subramaniapuram, Swathi Reddy is a Russian-born Indian film actress, predominantly active across South Indian movies. One of her most notable movies includes the Telugu comedy film Ashta Chamma, which won her The Filmfare Award and Nandi Award for Best Actress. She got her nickname Colours Swathi with the Telugu television show Colours that was telecast on Maa TV.
Early Life
Born as Svetlana in Vladivostok, Russia, Swathi`s father Siva Rama Krishna was an Indian Navy officer, who was training as a submariner in the Soviet Union. Her mother is Indira Devi and she has an older brother named Siddharth. Her family shifted to Mumbai, and then moved to the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, where Swathi grew up. In 11th grade, she shifted to Hyderabad where she enrolled at St. Mary`s College in Yousufguda to pursue graduation in biotechnology.
Swathi started off her career in the television industry when she was just 17 years old as a host for a show on Maa TV titled Colours. This show gained huge popularity among audiences and was moved to the primetime slot, with Swathi as the host for more than 150 episodes. She ventured into films after completing her first year of graduation.
Movie career
A lead role as Lakshmi in the Telugu thriller film Danger (2005) marked Swathi`s entry into the movie business. Director of the movie Krishna Vamsi cast her as one of the four friends, others played by Sairam Shankar, Allari Naresh, and Shireen, who set out from a party when they spot a man committing a black magic ritual. The movie received negative reviews. Swathi then went on to play a supporting role in the family drama Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007) starring Daggubati Venkatesh and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles. The movie turned out to be a huge commercial and critical success. In 2008, the actress forayed into Tamil cinema with a lead role in the period drama Subramaniapuram, under the direction of M. Sasikumar. The movie was shot in 85 days and emerged as a huge commercial success, with critical applause for original script, director, screenplay and excellent sets. Swathi`s performance got her nominated for The Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Tamil and Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress.
One of the actress` most successful films was the Telugu comedy Ashta Chamma in 2008, under the direction of Mohan Krishna Indraganti. Revolving around the struggle of a girl who is not allowed to marry her love, the movie went on to become a super hit. Her performance in the movie won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu and Nandi Award for Best Actress. She was cast by director Satish Kasetty to play the protagonist in her next movie, Kalavaramaye Madilo, as an ambitious girl who wants to pursue music but faces too many hurdles. After a cameo appearance in Kanimozhi (2010), she starred opposite Sumanth in the sports drama Golconda High School, followed by a lead role alongside Sunil in Ram Gopal Varma`s comedy movie Katha Screenplay Darsakatvam Appalaraju. Swathi once again shared the screen with actor M. Sasikumar for the Tamil film Poraali (2011), which received positive reviews.
Amen (2013), a huge commercial success, marked her entry into Malayalam cinema opposite Indrajith Sukumaran and Fahadh Faasil, in which she played the daughter of a wealthy contractor. She then went on to feature in the role of an NGO activist Narayani in the successful movie North 24 Kaatham, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam. She ended the year with the Tamil comedy movie Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara, as one of the leads opposite Vijay Sethupathi, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Nandita.
She opened the next year with the adventure movie Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal, about the friendship between two convicts who escape from jail. The critically lauded Tamil comedy thriller Vadacurry, in which she played the girlfriend of a medical representative Satish, was successful. Directed by Saravana Rajan, the movie was appreciated for its comic scenes and engaging storyline. The Telugu-Tamil bilingual Karthikeya, about a shut down Kartikeya temple on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, was Swathi`s last movie in 2014. Her recent projects include Yatchan (2015), Tripura (2015) and Yaakkai (2017). In 2019 she appeared in Thrissur Pooram.