Nithya Menen is a well-acclaimed actress and singer, who is best known for her exceptional acting skills, natural charm, and versatile performance. She has worked across film industries, including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi cinema.
She is an idealist who originally aspired to become a journalist, but after studying journalism, she realized that today’s journalism isn’t the way it should be. Thus decided to become a filmmaker so that she would be able to express her ideas through films and enrolled at FTII Pune to study filmmaking. During her entrance exam, she surprisingly met director Nandini Reddy, who convinced her to pursue acting, and the rest is history. Her breakthrough came with the 2011 film Ala Modalaindi. Over the years, Nithya has carved a niche for herself with critically acclaimed films like Ishq (2012), Ustad Hotel (2012), Bangalore Days (2014), Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju (2015), O Kadhal Kanmani (2015), Rudhramadevi (2015), Janatha Garage (2016), Mersal (2017), Awe (2018), Bheemla Nayak (2022), and Thiruchitrambalam (2022). So, who is Nithya Menen? Here’s everything you need to know about the actress.
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Nithya Menen Biography
Nithya Menen was born on the 8th of April 1988, to a family of Malayali background in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. She is currently 37 years old.
| Birth Name | Nithya Menen |
| Nickname | Nithya |
| Date of Birth | April 8, 1988 |
| Place of Birth | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Age | 37 |
| Sun Sign | Aries |
| Profession | Actress, Playback Singer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Indian (Malayali) |
| Residence | Vijayanagara, Bengaluru, Karnataka |
Family Background
Nithya was born into a Malayali family in Bengaluru to Sukumar and Nalini. Her father is a businessman, while her mother is a homemaker.
Nithya Menen completed her schooling at Poorna Prajna School and Mount Carmel College, both in Bangalore. She studied journalism at the Manipal Institute of Communication in Manipal. She, then, enrolled at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, Maharashtra, to study filming, but dropped out to pursue her career in acting.
Nithya Menen Love Life
Now, this is the topic that most of you are probably looking forward to, but Nithya Menen is known for being extremely private about her personal life.
Physical Statistics
| Height | Feet – 5 feet 3 inches Centimeters – 160 cm Meters – 1.6 m |
| Weight | Kilograms – 58 kg Pounds – 128 lbs |
| Body Build | Average |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Distinctive Features | Short stature |
Career Overview
She debuted as a child in Her adult debut came in Kannada’s Bheemaa Theeradalli (2012), but Telugu’s Ala Modalaindi (2011) marked her breakthrough as a lead. Hits include Recent films: Kumari (2022), Thiruchitrambalam (2022), Ninnila Ninnila (2021 Telugu), and 2025’s Kadhalikka Neramillai (romantic comedy with Ravi Mohan) and Thalaivan Thalaivii (with Vijay Sethupathi). She has sung in films like Ala Modalaindi and dubbed for others. In 2025, Nithya focuses on selective projects, including Idly Kadai and Sir Madam
Nithya Menen began her career as a child artist with a starring role in the French-Indian English film named Hanuman (1998), followed by the Indian – English language film, The Monkey Who Knew Too Much (1998).
Her first acting gig as a leading lady came in 2006 with the Kannada film 7 O’ Clock (2006) alongside Mithun Tejaswi and Pooja Kanwal, but it was the Malayalam film Aakasha Gopuram (2008) opposite Mohanlal that brought her recognition.
In 2011, Nithya Menen played herself in the film Ala Modalaindi, marking her Telugu debut. She received the Nandi Award for Best Actress and two Filmfare nominations for Best Actress and Best Female Playback Singer, respectively, for her role in the film.
She rose to fame with films like Ishq (2012), Malayalam’s Ustad Hotel (2012), Bangalore Days (2014), Tamil’s O Kadhal Kanmani (2015), Telugu’s Janatha Garage (2016), and Kannada’s Kotigobba 2 (2016).
She starred opposite Nithin in Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde (2013), which earned her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. In 2017, she was cast opposite Vijay in Meral, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2019, Nithya made her Hindi film debut with Mission Mangal, starring alongside Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, and Taapsee Pannu.
Nithya gained global recognition through the Amazon Prime Video web series Breathe: Into the Shadows (2020–2022) with Abhishek Bachchan. She won her first National Film Award for her overwhelming performance in Thiruchitrambalam (2022) opposite Dhanush.
Nithya Menen Net Worth
As of 2025, Nithya Menon has an estimated net worth of $6 million, derived from her successful acting career and brand endorsements. This beautiful actress is the heartthrob of millions of fans around the world. She also makes big from endorsement deals and has been the face of a clothing shop, particularly known for silk sarees, Pothys.
Nithya Menen owns a couple of luxury houses, one in her hometown, Bangalore, and the other in Kochi, Kerala. All other details about her home and the kind of cars she drives are very limited.
Favorite Things
- Food – South Indian food
- Actor – Mohanlal
- Actress – Shobana
- Color – Black, Blue
- Movies – Titanic, The Matrix
- Composer – AR Rahman
- Sport – Cricket
- Author – John Grisham
- Place – Kerala, Goa
- Hobbies – Singing, Dancing, Reading Books
Facts
Nithya Menen started acting at the tender age of 10. She has acted in all of the South Indian language films, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
She would have been a great filmmaker if not an actress.
Though she is a Malayali by birth, she identifies herself as a proud Kannadiga.
Besides being a versatile actress, she is a great singer who has sung over a dozen songs in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
Nithya is well-versed in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and English.
Her debut Telugu film, Ala Modhalaindi, bagged three awards, including a Nandi Award for Best Actress.
She loves to wear diamond and platinum gold jewels.
Nithya likes to do a variety of roles in films rather than identify herself as a glam doll in the business.
She is one of the few actresses in the industry who dubs herself for all her movies.
She is an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna.
Nithya Menen is a huge fan of nature, and whenever she finds time for herself, she will go hunting for pleasant places rather than investing time on social media. She is not a social media girl.
Within 10 years in the entertainment industry, she has worked in more than 47 films and crooned more than 20 songs.
In 2018, Nithya Menen won the Best Supporting Actress – Tamil for her work in the movie Mersal (2017) at the 65th Filmfare Awards South.
In 2020, she debuted in the Hindi-language web series entitled Breathe Season 2.
She was included in Forbes India’s first-ever “Showstoppers – India’s Top 50 Outperformers” list in 2022.