Swasika

Swasika (Pooja Vijay) was born to Attupurath Vijayakumar (an accountant in Bahrain) and Girija and hails from Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, Kerala. She has a brother, Akash.^[3][4] After taking a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature, she enrolled in dancing lessons.^[5] She married Prem Jacob on 26 January 2024.^[6]

Her first film was Sundarapandi's Vaigai, a love story, her character was based on a real-life individual.^[7] She then did Goripalayam (2010) by Rasu Madhuravan, in which she played the second lead. She was still a student, when she acted in the film.^[1] Her third film Maithanam (2011) received positive reviews from both the critics and the audience.^[7] She played a village girl, who "values culture and tradition" in the film.^[7] In her next venture, Kandathum Kanathathum by director Seelan, she played a "city-bred college girl".^[7] She made her Malayalam debut with Cinema Company (2012) and was the lead actress in Sajeevan Anthikkad's Prabhuvinte Makkal (2012).^[1] In the 2014 Tamil thriller Panduvam she played a psychiatrist, a modern character as opposed to her earlier roles in Tamil films.^[8][9]

She has worked as television anchor too. In 2014, she hosted a show on Jeevan TV. She later played the lead role in a television serial Dhathuputhri on Mazhavil Manorama. She has also appeared in some advertisements. Her next TV serial, My Marumakan telecast on Surya TV. In 2017, in Chinthavishtayaya Seetha on Asianet, she played the central character and eventually rose to fame among the Malayali audience and won her several accolades. She played the lead role in Seetha on Flowers, a sequel to the latter. She had signed a serial Pranayini but later opted out. She is an active presence in stage shows mainly as a dancer and is also an anchor for several television shows. Apart from this, she has acted in some advertisements, dance- music video dramas, short films, albums, and dance covers.

In 2019, she was cast in the title role in Rahman Brothers’ Vasanthi, which premiered at the 2021 International Film Festival of Kerala and met with critical acclaim. She was adjudged the Best Character Actor (Female) at the 50th Kerala State Film Awards. The film has also won the awards for Best Film and Best Script.^[10]

She is the host of Amrita TV's celebrity guest show Red Carpet.^[11][12] In 2023, she became the host of the reality show Ammayum Makalum.^[13]