Meet actress who quit films for studies, became doctor, refused Rs 2-cr fairness ad, now star of Bollywood's biggest...

Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming mythological epic Ramayan is being called the most ambitious Bollywood film ever, and certainly the biggest ever in terms of scale. As per reports, the two-part film is being mounted on a massive Rs 500 crore budget. While Ranbir Kapoor is playing Lord Rama in the film, south sensation Sai Pallavi has been signed as Sita. Pallavi is a known name in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema even though she is relatively unknown to Hindi audiences. But Ramayan may change that. Pallavi’s journey to stardom has been an unusual one.

When Sai Pallavi quit films for studies

Born in Coimbatore in 1992, Pallavi began working in her early 20s, appearing as an uncredited extra in a number of films. This was around the time that she was completing her higher studies. In 2015, she made her major acting debut with Premam, a box office success. However, then she paused her fledgling career to complete her medical degree from Tbilisi in Georgia. She returned to India the following year having become a qualified doctor. Pallavi then resumed her acting career.

Sai Pallavi’s box office and critical success

From 2016 onwards, Pallavi earned considerable praise for her work in films like Kali, Maari 2, Athiran, Love Story, and Shyam Singha Roy. For the 2022 release Gargi, she won various Best Actress awards.  Love Story brought her commercial success as well, earning Rs 60 crore at the box office.

 

 

 

 

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When Sai Pallavi refused a Rs 2-crore deal for fairness cream

Pallavi has always been known for her dusky complexion. In 2019, as per reports, she was approached for an endorsement deal for a skin whitening cream. Indian Express reported that the actress turned the offer down despite being offered as much as Rs 2 crore for the ad. In 2024, while explaining her rationale, the actress said at an event, “When I was in school and college I grew up with friends who would look at a girl with a darker boyfriend and say, aye you can do better. You are way out of his league. And when you see a guy with a girl who is a little darker you end up saying I think there is something else, what does this guy see in this girl.”

Sai Pallavi’s upcoming films

Pallavi will be first seen in the Tamil film Amaran in 2024. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan. This will be followed by the Telugu film Thandel. In 2025, the actress will make her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan’s son Junaid in a yet-untitled film. And then, there is Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayan, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Lara Dutta, Arun Govil among others.

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