Raasi (actress)
South Indian actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raasi (born Vijaya) is an Indian actress known for her work in Telugu and Tamil cinema, with appearances in a few Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is credited as Manthra in Tamil and Malayalam films.[1] Raasi gained recognition for her performances in notable films such as Subhakankshalu (1997), Gokulamlo Seeta (1997), and Pelli Pandiri (1998). She transitioned to television with Telugu soap operas, debuting in Girija Kalyanam (2020) and later appearing in Janaki Kalaganaledu (2021).
29 June 1982
2013–present
Raasi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vijaya Venkatesh 29 June 1982 West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Other names | Manthra (Tamil and Malayalam) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–2006 2013–present |
| Spouse |
Sri Muni (m. 2004) |
| Children | 1 |
Personal life
Raasi was born as Vijaya on 1982 in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India.[2] She married film director Sri Muni.[3]
Film career
She started her career as a child artiste has grown to a level of heroine.[4]
She also worked in the Hindi movies Angaara (1996), Rangbaaz (1996), Jodidar (1997) and Suraj (1997) with Mithun Chakraborty.
In Telugu, Raasi rose to fame with Subhakankshalu (1997). She was labelled "traditional" after Gokulamlo Seeta (1997). Later, hits like Snehithulu (1998), Pandaga (1998), Gilli Kajjalu (1998), Devullu (2000) and proved her mettle as an actress. When Raasi's career started taking a nosedive, she took to doing item numbers in Telugu films like Samudram (1999).[5] In her prime, Raasi was one of the most sought-after actresses in the Telugu film industry.[6]
She debuted her first Tamil film Priyam. Following a prolific year 1996, she received offers including the Vijay-starrer Love Today (1997) and the Ajith Kumar-starrer Rettai Jadai Vayasu (1997). Some of her other movies in Tamil are Periya Idathu Mappillai (1997), Ganga Gowri (1997), Thedinen Vanthathu (1997), Kondattam (1998), Kalyana Galatta (1998), Pudhu Kudithanam (1999), Kannan Varuvaan (2000), Kuberan (2000) and Simmasanam (2000). She played a negative character in Telugu movie Nijam (2003), which was directed by Teja.[7]
After her marriage, the actress did only one film titled Suyetchai MLA before taking a long break from the cinema industry in 2006. She made a comeback with the film Onbadhule Guru after 7 years.[8]
She is with a Telegu thriller film Lanka (2017) where she plays the central character.[9]
She made her television debut in the Telugu soap operas Girija Kalyanam and Janaki Kalaganaledu.[10]
In 2025, Raasi plays a pivotal role in the Tamil film Usurae.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal | Young Lakshmi | Malayalam | Child Actress |
| Rao Gari Illu | Chitti | Telugu | ||
| 1989 | Chettu Kinda Pleader | Nani | ||
| Mamatala Kovela | Hero's daughter | |||
| Bala Gopaludu | Lakshmi | |||
| Agni | Baby | |||
| 1991 | Aditya 369 | Kishore's friend | ||
| 1993 | Ankuram | Sindhura's sister | ||
| 1994 | Palnati Pourusham | Raja Rao's daughter, Vijaya | ||
| Puttinilla Mettinilla | Lakshmi | |||
| 1996 | Oho Naa Pellanta | in a song | ||
| Priyam | Preetha | Tamil | Debut in a lead role | |
| Angaara | Chutki | Hindi | credited as Vijaya | |
| Rangbaaz | credited as Vijaya | |||
| 1997 | Evandi Pelli Chesukondi | Geetha | Telugu | |
| Subhakankshalu | Nandini | Debut in Telugu as a lead | ||
| Suraj | Hindi | credited as Vijaya | ||
| Jodidar | Landlord's daughter | credited as Manthra | ||
| Love Today | Preethi | Tamil | ||
| Gokulamlo Seetha | Sirisha | Telugu | ||
| Periya Idathu Mappillai | Priya | Tamil | ||
| Ganga Gowri | Ganga | |||
| Thedinen Vanthathu | Janaki | |||
| Rettai Jadai Vayasu | Anjali | |||
| Pelli Pandiri | Kasthuri | Telugu | ||
| 1998 | Kondattam | Vidhya | Tamil | |
| Pandaga | Prameela | Telugu | ||
| Vasantha | Vasantha | [12] | ||
| Suprabhatam | Vasundhara | |||
| Kalyana Galatta | Pooja | Tamil | ||
| Gilli Kajjalu | Sruthi | Telugu | ||
| Snehithulu | Mahalakshmi | |||
| Manasichi Choodu | Yamuna | |||
| Kalavari Chellelu Kanaka Maha Lakshmi | Roopa | |||
| Daddy Daddy | Subadhra | |||
| 1999 | Neti Gandhi | Bharthi | ||
| Swapnalokam | Swapna | |||
| Harischandraa | Nandini | |||
| Veedu Samanyudu Kadhu | Mythili/Pooja | |||
| Seenu | Herself | |||
| Krishna Babu | Shilpa | |||
| Samudram | Herself | Item number | ||
| Pudhu Kudithanam | Nila | Tamil | ||
| Preyasi Rave | Mahalakshmi | Telugu | Nominated-Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu | |
| Pallavur Devanarayanan | Seethalakshmi | Malayalam | credited as Mantra | |
| AK-47 | Telugu | |||
| Sneha | Mahalakshmi | Kannada | Debut film | |
| 2000 | Postman | Sirisha | Telugu | |
| Manasu Paddanu Kaani | Swati | |||
| Balaram | ||||
| Kannan Varuvaan | Rajeshwari | Tamil | ||
| Oke Maata | Telugu | |||
| Shivaji | ||||
| Kuberan | Chandra | Tamil | ||
| Simmasanam | Manju | |||
| Moodu Mukkalata | Aliveni | Telugu | ||
| Ammo! Okato Tareekhu | Gayatri | |||
| Devullu | Nirmala | |||
| 2001 | Maa Aavida Meeda Ottu Mee Aavida Chala Manchidi | Subhadra | ||
| Deevinchandi | Lakshmi | |||
| Cheppalani Vundi | Vani / Rani | |||
| Akka Bavekkada? | Sowmya | |||
| 2002 | Naga Pratista | Naga Lakshmi | ||
| Raja | Herself | Tamil | Item number | |
| Police Sisters | Ramya | Telugu | ||
| 2 Much | Geeta | |||
| Trinetram | Vijaya | |||
| Jamindaru | Kannada | |||
| Sandade Sandadi | Vasundhara | Telugu | ||
| Coolie | ||||
| Ninne Preethisuve | Meghamala | Kannada | ||
| 2003 | Nijam | Malli | Telugu | |
| Aalukkoru Aasai | Manthra | Tamil | ||
| Raja Narasimha | Mahalakshmi | Kannada | ||
| Sriramachandrulu | Sailaja | Telugu | ||
| 2004 | Venky | Herself | Special appearance | |
| Oka Pellam Muddu Rendo Pellam Vaddu | Satya | |||
| 2005 | Devi Abhayam | Lakshmi | ||
| 2006 | Suyetchai MLA | Tamil | ||
| 2013 | Onbadhule Guru | Neelambari | ||
| Man of the Match | Telugu | |||
| 2015 | Vaalu | Mrs. Stephen | Tamil | |
| 2016 | Kalyana Vaibhogame | Parimala Devi | Telugu | |
| Kavalai Vendam | Divya's mother | Tamil | ||
| Padesave | Swathi's mother | Telugu | ||
| 2017 | Aakatayi | Vikranth's mother | ||
| Lanka | Rebecca | |||
| 2025 | Usurae | Anasuya | Tamil | |
| 2026 | Papam Prathap | Telugu |
- As dubbing artiste
Television
- Girija Kalyanam (2020–2021) on Gemini TV
- Janaki Kalaganaledu (2021–2023) on Star Maa
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