Abitha

As a teenager, Abitha used to go and see the television serial, Nancy starring Sanghavi, being filmed near her house in Thiruvottiyur. The director of that serial recognised her and spoke to her parents, roping her in to play the heroine's sister in their next TV serial Criminal.{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/23/stories/2006112317840200.htm |location=Chennai, India |work=The Hindu |title=I was thrilled when 'Sethu' was a big hit |date=23 November 2006}} After doing a couple of serials, she did a low-budget film titled Golmaal as the sister of the lead lady and then B-Grade film titled Devadasi in Malayalam. At that time, director Bala roped her in for a leading role in Sethu alongside Vikram, which she signed after Keerthi Reddy and Rajshri had dropped out.{{cite web |url=http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/News/98/Mar/news3.htm |title=Tamil Movie News: March edition |access-date=12 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430054302/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/News/98/Mar/news3.htm |archive-date=30 April 2016 |url-status=usurped }} Bala renamed her Abitha from her original name of Jenila for the film, after the character she was portraying. The film opened in December 1999 at a single noon show at a suburban theatre but built up through word-of-mouth publicity and ran for over one hundred days at several cinema halls across Chennai, becoming a critical and commercial success. Sethu won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and secured wins in the Best Film category at the Filmfare Awards and the Cinema Express Awards, while Abitha won critical acclaim for her role of a Tamil Brahmin girl.{{cite web |author=Warrier, Shobha |date=17 August 2004 |title=Vikram's obsession gets its reward |publisher=Rediff |accessdate=31 July 2011 |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2004/aug/17vikram.htm}} After Sethu{{'}}s success, Abitha was flooded with offers but chose to complete her studies and finish her PG in Sociology from Annamalai University. She revealed that by the time she decided to come back she had lost her contacts in the industry and was thereafter seen in only a couple of insignificant projects.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article439435.ece |location=Chennai, India |work=The Hindu |title=Grill Mill - Abitha |date=27 May 2010}}

She appeared alongside veteran actor Ramarajan in Seerivarum Kaalai before starring in Poove Pen Poove alongside newcomer Ishaq Husseini. After the failure of those films she played the role of Arjun's sister in Arasatchi. Other films in the period, such as Pirantha Naal with Prakash Raj, Kashmir with Abhinay and Kandhavel with Murali were not completed and indefinitely shelved.{{Cite web |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/ntamil.asp |title=New Tamil films in the making |date=5 August 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030805141304/http://www.chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/ntamil.asp |archive-date=5 August 2003}}{{cite web |url=http://tamilmovies.com/cgi-bin/news/archives.cgi?category%3D1%26view%3D7-00 |title=Tamil Movies Online ::::: News |accessdate=24 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011030225/http://tamilmovies.com/cgi-bin/news/archives.cgi?category=1&view=7-00 |archivedate=11 October 2008 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/location/birthday.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040824054915/http://www.chennaionline.com/location/birthday.asp |archivedate=24 August 2004 |title=Location news - Pirantha naal |date=24 August 2004}} In 2005, she got another breakthrough and signed on to play the lead role in Kannamma scripted by Karunanidhi, but to do so she unceremoniously opted out of another film titled Ullakadathal. Subsequently, the producers of that film complained and got her banned by the Producer's Council, leaving her out of both films.[http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/14007.html Archived copy] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126120327/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/14007.html|date=26 January 2013}}

[http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/10549.html Archived copy] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126061844/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/10549.html|date=26 January 2013}} Later that year she featured in Unarchigal alongside Abbas and Kunal.{{cite web |url=http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews/new/02122005-5.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051205004946/http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews/new/02122005-5.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2005 |title=டோடோவின் ரஃப் நோட்டு — Tamil Kavithai - தமிழ் கவிதைகள் - நூற்று கணக்கில்! |publisher=Cinesouth.com |accessdate=17 August 2019}}

Abitha was selected the best actress of Sun TV in the first two editions of Sun Kudumbam awards held in the years 2010 and 2012 for her performance as Archana in the show. She also starred in the serial Thangamana Purushan. She got married in 2009 and continued to work in serials following her marriage.{{cite news |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-11/news-interviews/28186478_1_wedding-bells-sethu-small-screen |work=The Times of India |title=Wedding bells for Abitha |date=11 May 2009 |access-date=12 April 2012 |archive-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207064819/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-11/news-interviews/28186478_1_wedding-bells-sethu-small-screen |url-status=dead }}

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Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema

Category:Living people

Category:Indian film actresses

Category:Actresses in Malayalam cinema

Category:20th-century Indian actresses

Category:21st-century Indian actresses

Category:Indian television actresses

Category:Actresses in Malayalam television

Category:Actresses in Kannada cinema

Category:Actresses in Tamil television

Category:1985 births