Ramya
Encyclopedia
Divya Spandana known by her stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Ramya , is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n film actress, who predominantly acts in Kannada films
Cinema of Karnataka
The cinema of Karnataka , sometimes colloquially referred to as Sandalwood and as Chandanavana in Kannada, encompasses movies made in the Indian state of Karnataka based in Bangalore. Most of the movies are made in Kannada, with a handful of them in Konkani or Tulu. Today more than 100 films are...

 and also appears in Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

 and Telugu films.

Ramya made her acting debut in the 2003 Kannada-language film Abhi, opposite Puneet Rajkumar
Puneet Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar is an Indian film actor who acts in Kannada films and the youngest son of Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar and the younger brother of leading KFI star Shivaraj Kumar. As a child artist, he appeared in 12 films...

. She subsequently starred in several Kannada films alongside lead actors and, following successive commercial successes, established herself as one of the most sought-after actresses in the Kannada film industry, becoming referred to as the "Golden Girl of Kannada cinema".

Early life

Divya Spandana was born in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

 on 29 November 1981. Her parents originally hail from Mandya
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of Mandya district and is located 40 km from Mysore and 100 km from Bangalore.-Etymology:...

. She studied at St. Hilda's school in Ooty
Ootacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...

, and in Sacred Heart School (Church Park), Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. She pursued her graduation at St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore
St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
St. Joseph's College , Bangalore is one of the oldest colleges in the State of Karnataka with a history of more than 125 years behind it. It imparts graduate, post-graduate and research education while searching, renewing and expanding itself, attempting to be ever relevant to the changing...

, but later discontinued. Ramya participated in stage shows and dance rehearsals from her grade school days. She aspires to become a film producer very soon and assures that she would obviously be playing the lead role in the film produced under her home banner.

Career

Changing her name to Ramya, Divya made her acting debut in the 2003 Kannada-language film
Cinema of Karnataka
The cinema of Karnataka , sometimes colloquially referred to as Sandalwood and as Chandanavana in Kannada, encompasses movies made in the Indian state of Karnataka based in Bangalore. Most of the movies are made in Kannada, with a handful of them in Konkani or Tulu. Today more than 100 films are...

 Abhi, alongside Puneet Rajkumar
Puneet Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar is an Indian film actor who acts in Kannada films and the youngest son of Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar and the younger brother of leading KFI star Shivaraj Kumar. As a child artist, he appeared in 12 films...

. She was originally supposed to make debut in Puneet Rajkumar's first film Appu
Appu (2002 film)
Appu is a Kannada Super hit movie made in 2002. It stars Rakshita and Puneet Rajkumar and is directed by Puri Jagannath.It was remade into Telugu as Idiot and later in Tamil as Dum....

, for which she, however, was not selected eventually, and was later offered and signed for the lead female role in Abhi, which became a commercial success. The same year, she had another release in Kannada with Excuse Me, which also did well at the box office, and also stepped into Telugu filmdom with the film Abhimanyu.

In 2004, Spandana debuted in the Tamil film industry
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

, also under the name Ramya, with the film Kuththu
Kuththu
Kuthu is a South Indian Tamil film released in 2004 starring Silambarasan and Divya Spandana in the lead roles. It is a remake of a Telugu film Dil starring Nitin and Neha.-Plot:...

alongside Silambarasan Rajendar, which managed only a mediocre run at the box office as did her next Tamil film Giri
Giri
is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. Indeed, the conflict between giri and ninjō, or human feeling, is said to have been the primary...

. Her debut film, however, gave her the name 'Kuthu' Ramya, by which she was then popularly known in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. She had two releases in Kannada as well, Ranga S. S. L. C. and Kanti, out of which the latter, a love story set against the backdrop of borders and language issues, was declared a major success. In 2005 she had four releases, all being Kannada films, with the latter three films Aakash, Gowramma and Amrithadhare
Amrithadhare
Amrithadhare is a Kannada film directed and produced by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. The film was released on 7 October 2005 starring Dhyan and Ramya in lead roles. The music was composed by Mano Murthy....

becoming major box-office successes, whilst also garnering critical acclaim for Ramya's performance and establishing her as a leading actress in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

.

In 2006 she starred in Julie, a remake of the same-titled 1975 Hindi-language film
Julie (1975 film)
Julie is a 1975 Hindi film that stars Laxmi in the title role. It also stars Nadira, and Sridevi as a child star. The film became a box office hit....

. She essayed the role of a single, unwed mother in the film, which failed to attract audiences. After her following release, Datta did average business at the box office, her next Kannada release, Jothe Jotheyali
Jothe Jotheyali
Jothe Jotheyali is a 2006 Kannada film directed by Dinakar Thoogudeep and produced by Meena Thoogudeepa Srinivas. The film stars Prem and Ramya in lead roles, with a stellar guest appearance from Darshan Thoogudeep. The music for the movie was composed by a debutante music composer V....

was a successful venture, in spite of largely unfavorable reviews by critics. Her final 2006 release, Kavitha Lankesh
Kavitha Lankesh
Kavitha Lankesh is a renowned filmmaker and director in the Kannada cinema industry.Lankesh is the younger daughter of well known Kannada writer and journalist P. Lankesh. Kavitha holds a Masters in English Literature from the Bangalore University and a diploma in advertising.Kavitha started her...

's Tananam Tananam, an average grosser that released to mixed reviews, fetched Ramya her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Kannada)
The Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Kannada films. The award was first given in 1972. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....

. She had described her role in the film as "little complex" and "challenging." In 2007, Ramya starred in three feature films; the first releasing, Arasu, co-starring Puneet Rajkumar
Puneet Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar is an Indian film actor who acts in Kannada films and the youngest son of Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar and the younger brother of leading KFI star Shivaraj Kumar. As a child artist, he appeared in 12 films...

 and Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine is an Indian actress, who appears in regional Indian films that includes Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 and is a two time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award, the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, as well as the...

, was a huge hit. She then appeared as a sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...

 in a short film Prarambha
Prarambha
Prarambha is a 2007 Kannada short film directed by Santosh Sivan and funded by Bill Gates foundation. The film stars Prabhu Deva, Skandha and B...

, directed by Santhosh Sivan, which was made in order to create awareness about AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

 and was part of Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...

's AIDS Jaago project. Her fourth 2007 release was Polladhavan
Polladhavan (2007 film)
Polladhavan is a Tamil film written and directed by Vetrimaran. it stars Dhanush and Divya Spandana in the main leads and it was released on 8 November 2007. The musical score is by G. V. Prakash Kumar, while Yogi B and Dhina composed each one song. Velraj is the director of cinematography and...

, where she acted against Dhanush
Dhanush
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja , better known by his stage name Dhanush , is an Indian film actor, occasional playback singer and lyricist, working in the Tamil film industry...

. The film, released during the 2007 Deepavali period, was considered a dark horse success and made possible Ramya's breakthrough in Tamil. Rajinikanth was all praises for the entire crew of Polladhavan.

Her first 2008 release, the Kannada film Mussanjemaatu
Mussanjemaatu
Mussanjemaatu is an 2008 film starring Sudeep and Ramya. The film was directed by Mahesh. The movie is produced by Suresh Jain. The music of the film was launched on 4 April 2008. The movie was released on 16 May 2008...

with Sudeep
Sudeep
Sudeep is an Indian actor, director, producer and singer from Shimoga, Karnataka, known in the Kannada film industry and Bollywood. He is also founder owner of his production company Kiccha Creations.Hence he is also famously known as 'Kiccha' Sudeep....

, was a big hit, for which she also received a nomination for a Best Actress Award
Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Kannada)
The Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Kannada films. The award was first given in 1972. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....

 at the 56th Filmfare Awards South
56th Filmfare Awards South
The 56th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honored its selection of the best South Indian films of 2008 and was held on Friday, July 31, 2009, in Hyderabad, India.-Nominations:...

. Later that year, she starred in the films Bombaat
Bombaat
Bombaat is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language film starring Golden Star Ganesh and Ramya. It is directed by D. Rajendra Babu and produced by Dheera Rockline Venkatesh. The movie opened on August 8, 2008. The audio was released on July 2, 2008, Ganesh's birthday....

and Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu is a 2008 Indian Kannada film starring film producer Aditya Babu, making his debut as an actor, and Ramya in lead roles...

, with the former becoming declared a "super hit" as well. Her final release in 2008 was Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...

's Vaaranam Aayiram for which she changed her screen name to her actual name Divya again, which is believed to have brought her more luck. She had also dubbed in her own voice for Vaaranam Aayiram, which became a high critical as well as commercial success. She did not have any releases in 2009, since both her films Bhimoos Bang Bang Kids and Jothegaara got delayed heavily due to financial problems.

Her first release of 2010 Just Math Mathalli
Just Math Mathalli
Just Math Mathalli is a 2010 Indian romance film directed by Sudeep starring himself, Ramya and Rajesh. The film follows the search of Siddharth's search for Tanu to confess his feelings towards her....

which released on January 26, 2010 was a huge success and it also received rave reviews. Her role in the film was also very much appreciated. She had two more releases that year, the long delayed Jothegaara eventually, and Kiccha Huccha. Her next release was the Tamil film Singam Puli
Singam Puli
Singam Puli is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action-masala film directed by Sai Ramani, starring Jeeva in dual roles, with Divya Spandana and Honey Rose being paired opposite him, while Santhanam plays a pivotal role. The film released on 4 March 2011....

opposite Jeeva, which released to mixed reviews, following which the romantic drama Sanju Weds Geetha
Sanju Weds Geetha
Sanju Weds Geetha is a 2011 Kannada film in the romance genre starring Srinagar Kitty and Ramya in the lead roles . The film has been directed and written by actor-director Nagashekar and produced by Pramod Narayan . While Jassie Gift has composed the soundtrack, Sadhu Kokila has composed the...

released. The film opened to highly positive reviews, with Ramya being unanimously praised by critics for her performance, which was widely considered her best or one of her best in her career. She has completed shooting for Dandam Dashagunam
Dandam Dashagunam
Dandam Dashagunam is a 2011 Kannada film in the action genre starring Chiranjeevi Sarja and Ramya in the lead roles . The film has been directed and written by director K. Madesh and produced by A. Ganesh . V. Harikrishna has composed the soundtrack and the background score. The film is slated for...

, a Kannada remake of Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj...

, and Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam is an upcoming Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by newcomer Milind Rau that stars debutante Sathya, brother of Tamil actor Arya, and Divya Spandana in the lead roles, whilst, Jayashree, Nagendra Prasad, Kasthuri and Anuja Iyer play pivotal roles...

in Tamil, starring alongside a newcomer Sathya
Sathya (actor)
Sathya is a Tamil film actor who will debut in the Tamil film, Kadhal 2 Kalyanam in the lead role. His elder brother is the prominent actor, Arya. Sathya has numbers of films to release.-Personal life:...

, while currently working on the comedy drama Siddalingu, in which she portrays the role of a school teacher.

She is also the brand ambassador for Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a cricket team based in Bangalore that plays in the Indian Premier League and currently lead by Daniel Vettori. The team is owned by Dr...

.
Ramya joined Youth Congress on 19 sep 2011.

Filmography

Year Film Role Language Notes
2003 Abhi Bhanu Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...

 
Excuse Me Madhumitha Kannada
Abhimanyu Sairabanu Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 
2004 Kuththu
Kuththu
Kuthu is a South Indian Tamil film released in 2004 starring Silambarasan and Divya Spandana in the lead roles. It is a remake of a Telugu film Dil starring Nitin and Neha.-Plot:...

Anjali Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 
Ranga S. S. L. C. Padma Kannada
Kanti Reema Kannada
Giri
Giri (film)
Giri is a 2004 Indian Tamil action comedy film written and directed by Sundar C, starring Arjun in the lead role, with Reema Sen, Ramya, Vadivelu, Devayani and Prakash Raj among others enacting supporting roles...

Devaki Tamil
2005 Aadi Aishwarya Kannada
Aakash Nandini Kannada
Gowramma Gowri Kannada
Amrithadhare
Amrithadhare
Amrithadhare is a Kannada film directed and produced by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. The film was released on 7 October 2005 starring Dhyan and Ramya in lead roles. The music was composed by Mano Murthy....

Amritha Kannada Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
2006 Sevanthi Sevanthi Sevanthi Kannada
Julie Julie Kannada
Amrutha Varsham Amrutha Telugu
Datta Divya Kannada
Jothe Jotheyali
Jothe Jotheyali
Jothe Jotheyali is a 2006 Kannada film directed by Dinakar Thoogudeep and produced by Meena Thoogudeepa Srinivas. The film stars Prem and Ramya in lead roles, with a stellar guest appearance from Darshan Thoogudeep. The music for the movie was composed by a debutante music composer V....

Divya Kannada Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
Thananam Thananam Vanaja Kannada Winner, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
2007 Arasu Shruthi Kannada
Prarambha
Prarambha
Prarambha is a 2007 Kannada short film directed by Santosh Sivan and funded by Bill Gates foundation. The film stars Prabhu Deva, Skandha and B...

Kannada Short film
Meera Madhava Raghava Meera Kannada
Polladhavan
Polladhavan (2007 film)
Polladhavan is a Tamil film written and directed by Vetrimaran. it stars Dhanush and Divya Spandana in the main leads and it was released on 8 November 2007. The musical score is by G. V. Prakash Kumar, while Yogi B and Dhina composed each one song. Velraj is the director of cinematography and...

Hema Tamil
2008 Mussanjemaatu
Mussanjemaatu
Mussanjemaatu is an 2008 film starring Sudeep and Ramya. The film was directed by Mahesh. The movie is produced by Suresh Jain. The music of the film was launched on 4 April 2008. The movie was released on 16 May 2008...

Thanu Kannada Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
Thoondil
Thoondil
Thoondil is a love drama Tamil film starring Shaam and Sandhya directed by Adhiyaman. The film opened to poor reviews.-Plot:The film tries to work on the old saying "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Divya is an upcoming model in London who meets Sriram an IT guy and falls in love...

Divya Tamil
Meravanige
Meravanige
Meravanige a kannada Language movie released in July 2008. It starred Prajwal Devaraj and Aindrita Ray in lead role and was supported by Sadhu Kokila, Komal and Harish.Its a Youth romantic family drama movie.-Cast:*Prajwal Devaraj...*Aindrita Ray......

Spandana Kannada Guest appearance
Bombaat
Bombaat
Bombaat is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language film starring Golden Star Ganesh and Ramya. It is directed by D. Rajendra Babu and produced by Dheera Rockline Venkatesh. The movie opened on August 8, 2008. The audio was released on July 2, 2008, Ganesh's birthday....

Shalini Kannada
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu is a 2008 Indian Kannada film starring film producer Aditya Babu, making his debut as an actor, and Ramya in lead roles...

Preethi Kannada
Vaaranam Aayiram Priya Tamil
2010 Just Math Mathalli
Just Math Mathalli
Just Math Mathalli is a 2010 Indian romance film directed by Sudeep starring himself, Ramya and Rajesh. The film follows the search of Siddharth's search for Tanu to confess his feelings towards her....

Tanu Kannada Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
Jothegaara Priya Kannada
Kiccha Huccha Aishwarya Kannada
2011 Singam Puli
Singam Puli
Singam Puli is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action-masala film directed by Sai Ramani, starring Jeeva in dual roles, with Divya Spandana and Honey Rose being paired opposite him, while Santhanam plays a pivotal role. The film released on 4 March 2011....

Swetha Tamil
Sanju Weds Geetha
Sanju Weds Geetha
Sanju Weds Geetha is a 2011 Kannada film in the romance genre starring Srinagar Kitty and Ramya in the lead roles . The film has been directed and written by actor-director Nagashekar and produced by Pramod Narayan . While Jassie Gift has composed the soundtrack, Sadhu Kokila has composed the...

Geetha Kannada
Dandam Dashagunam
Dandam Dashagunam
Dandam Dashagunam is a 2011 Kannada film in the action genre starring Chiranjeevi Sarja and Ramya in the lead roles . The film has been directed and written by director K. Madesh and produced by A. Ganesh . V. Harikrishna has composed the soundtrack and the background score. The film is slated for...

Maya Kannada
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam is an upcoming Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by newcomer Milind Rau that stars debutante Sathya, brother of Tamil actor Arya, and Divya Spandana in the lead roles, whilst, Jayashree, Nagendra Prasad, Kasthuri and Anuja Iyer play pivotal roles...

Anitha Tamil Post-production
Johny Mera Naam Preethi Mera Kaam
Johny Mera Naam Preethi Mera Kaam
Johny Mera Naam Preethi Mera Kaam is a 2011 Kannada film in the romance genre starring Black Cobra Duniya Vijay and Ramya in the lead roles . The film is directed by Preetam Gubbi of Mungaru Male fame. Jayanna and Bhogendra have jointly produced this venture under Jayanna combines banner. V...

Kannada
Sidlingu Kannada Filming
Ullasa Kannada Filming
Bhimoos Bang Bang Kids Kannada Delayed
2012 Lucky
Lucky (2012 film)
Lucky is an upcoming Kannada romantic film starring Yash and Ramya in the lead roles. The film is directed by Soori who makes his debut. Arjun Janya is the music director of the film. Actress turned producer, Radhika Kumaraswamy has produced the venture under Bharani films....

Kannada Filming
Katari Veera Surasundarangi
Katari Veera Surasundarangi
Katari Veera Surasundarangi is an upcoming Kannada Romantic fantasy film starring Upendra and Ramya in the lead roles. Veteran actor Ambarish also plays a vital role. The film is directed by Suresh Krishna and produced by Munirathna . It is slated for 2012 release...

Kannada Filming
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