Sai Pallavi

Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan, born on 9 May 1992, is an Indian actress who works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Recognized as one of South India's highest-paid actresses, she has received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, seven Filmfare Awards South, and three SIIMA Awards. In 2020, she was featured in Forbes India's 30 Under 30 list. She was also honored with the Kalaimamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2021.

Born into a Badaga family in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with ancestral roots in Kotagiri, she was raised by her father, Senthamarai Kannan, a Central Excise officer, and her mother, Radha Kannan, a dancer. Her younger sister, Pooja Kannan, also became an actress. Pallavi attended Avila Convent School in Coimbatore and is an avid badminton player. She later studied medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia, graduating with an MD in 2016, and passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in 2020. Instead of practicing medicine, she chose to pursue acting. She speaks Badaga, Tamil, English, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, and Georgian.

Her early career began with uncredited roles as a child artist in Kasthuri Maan (2005) and a junior artist in Dhaam Dhoom (2008). She also competed in television dance shows, becoming a finalist on Dhee Ultimate Dance Show in 2009 after appearing on Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva in 2008. During her education, she featured in commercials and the short film Kaatchi Pizhai, while turning down major roles in Happy Days and Madras to focus on her studies.

Pallavi achieved her acting breakthrough in Alphonse Puthren's 2015 Malayalam film Premam, playing the lecturer Malar. Shot during her college breaks, her performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South. She then starred in the 2016 thriller Kali, earning a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.

In 2017, she made her Telugu debut in Fidaa, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She followed this with Middle Class Abbayi (2017) and made her Tamil debut in Diya (2018). Her performance in Maari 2 (2018) included the viral track "Rowdy Baby." She also starred in Padi Padi Leche Manasu (2018), Athiran (2019), and NGK (2019).

Continuing her career into the 2020s, Pallavi appeared in the Netflix anthology segment Paava Kadhaigal (2020). She garnered further acclaim for Love Story (2021), winning another Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu, while Shyam Singha Roy (2021) and Virata Parvam (2022) earned her Filmfare Critics Awards for Best Actress – Telugu. Her roles in Gargi (2022) and Amaran (2024) earned her Filmfare Awards for Best Actress – Tamil. Her project lineup also includes Thandel (2025).