Shalini

Shalini
Shalini (right) along with Ajith in 2000
Born	Shalini (1979-11-20) 20 November 1979 (age 41)[1] Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1983–1990 (child artist) 1997–2001(actress)
Spouse(s)	Ajith Kumar ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	Anoushka (b.2008) Aadvik (b.2015)
Parent(s)	Babu (father) Alice (mother)[2]
Relatives	Shamili (sister) Richard Rishi (brother)

Shalini, also known as Baby Shalini and by her married name Shalini Ajith Kumar, is a former Indian actress who predominantly worked in Malayalam films and few Tamil films.

She debuted at the age of three as a child artist through the 1983 Malayalam film Ente Mamattikkuttiyammakku, which was produced by Navodaya Studio. She also acted in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films as a child artist. In Kannada, she shared screenspace with legendary actor Dr. Vishnuvardhan in the film Ee Jeeva Ninagagi, which was released in 1986. She also acted along with her sister Shamili in the Telugu film Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari in 1990 which stars Chiranjeevi and Sridevi in the lead role.

She continued to appear in many films as a child actor, credited as Baby Shalini. After a break of several years, she returned to the industry by appearing in her first lead role in the 1997 Malayalam movie Aniyathi Pravu, which went on to become a blockbuster.

Later she appeared in highly successful films in Malayalam and Tamil such as Kaliyoonjal (1997), Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), Amarkalam (1999), Niram (1999), Kannukkul Nilavu (2000), Alaipayuthey (2000) and Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001). She won the Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actress for her role in Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey.

Early life[]

Shalini was born to Babu and Alice on 20 November 1979.^[1][3] Her father is from Kollam and her mother from Thiruvalla.^{[citation needed]} Her father migrated to Madras, with an ambition of becoming an actor and the family settled there. Later, he fulfilled his ambition through his children.^[4] She attended Fatima Mat Hr Sec School, Adarsh Vidyalaya, Chennai and Church Park Convent, Chennai. She is the middle child. Her younger sister Shamili and her elder brother Richard are also actors in the film industry. Shalini has stated that she enjoys badminton and has played in a few state-level tournaments.^[5][6]

Career[]

Shalini started her career as a child artist in Ente Mamattikkuttiyammakku and she acted in all the films under the direction of Fazil. She also played the lead character in the TV serial Amloo telecast in the late 1980s on Doordarshan. She went to study, and she returned to acting with Aniyathipravu, which was a blockbuster. Initially, Fazil was keen on casting a débutante in the lead female role, but Shalini insisted that she should also star in the Tamil version.^[7] Her performance was praised especially, with Indolink.com recommending the film and citing that "Shalini returns in this film with a good performance".^[8] In the next film Kaliyoonjal (1997), she co-starred with Mammootty and Dileep and it released with to mixed reviews. Shalini acted in the first Tamil film as the heroine; Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997). After the success of the Malayalam Aniyathipravu, Fazil remade it into a Tamil film. It was a Blockbuster.^[9] For Amarkalam (1999), Saran initially approached Shalini, who was studying at the time and she refused, but after a three-month pursuit, he finally got her to sign on as well.^[10] She was offered a role in Padayappa,^[11] which she rejected. The success of the film prompted the director to make another film with the lead pair in 2000; Kannukkul Nilavu, which received positive reviews and was a success at the box office. Under direction, she acted in the film Alaipayuthey (2000). The performance of Shalini was praised and she won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize. In 2001, she acted in her last film Piriyadha Varam Vendum, which was successful.

Personal life[]

In 1999, during the shoot of Saran's Amarkalam, Shalini began to date her co-star Ajith Kumar. He proposed to Shalini in June 1999, and following consultations with her family, she accepted.^[12] They have got married in April 2000 at Chennai. After their marriage, Shalini retired as an actress, following the completion of two unfinished projects. The couple has two children — a daughter, Anoushka born in 2008, and a son, Aadvik born in 2015.^[13][14]

Filmography[]

As child artist[]

As actress[]

Awards[]

• Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist - Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku (1983)
• Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actress - Alaipayuthey (2000)

References[]