Sharmelee

Meenakshi
Born	Maria Margaret Sharmilee Calicut, Kerala, India
Other names	Sharmili, Sharmilee
Years active	2002–05

Meenakshi, also known as Sharmilee or Sharmili, is a Malayalam actress. She made her debut in Malayalam films. The Kerala Film Critics Association named her their 2005 debutante artist. In all of her Tamil-language films, she was credited as Sharmilee. In Malayalam, she rechristened herself as Meenakshi, the character she played in Kakkakarumbam.

Meenakshi graduated in Maths from the Stella Maris College, Chennai. and received a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) in India. While in school, she received several acting offers, which she rejected so that she could concentrate on her studies. She did modelling and later hosted a popular phone-in programme, Kasumele on Jaya TV. People were instantly attracted by her cheerful and youthful approach to anchoring. After graduation, she agreed to appear in the Tamil film Aasai Aasaiyai. She followed that role with a Telugu film, Tarak, before returning to Tamil with Anbe Anbe, in which she starred alongside Shaam.

Her debut movie was Aasai Aasaiyai in 2002 with Jeeva. This movie was not very well received in the box office even though the story and Sharmeelee's acting got good reviews from critics. This was then followed by Anbe Anbe with Shaam was classified as a medium hit in the box office. Her third Tamil movie was Diwan with Sarathkumar. This movie won her rave reviews for her performance. It was followed by her Telugu entry through the movie Tarak in 2003. In 2004, she made her debut in Malayalam Industry with two movies - Vellinakshatram and Kaakkakarumban. Her first movie Vellinakshatram was a mega hit and her performance was appreciated by many. After that she established herself in Malayalam movies with a string of hit movies. The same year, Youth festival and Black(cameo appearance) were also released. Later however, she failed to sustain in Malayalam film industry and tried her luck in other regional languages.

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