From Doctor To One Of South Cinema’s Most Loved Faces, Here’s How Sai Pallavi Built Her Journey

Sai Pallavi is one of those actors whose journey in cinema happened very differently from most people in the industry. Today, she is known for films across Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema, but acting was not originally the path she planned for herself. In fact, she was studying medicine while her career in films slowly started taking shape.

Born on May 9, 1992, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Sai Pallavi comes from a Badaga family and grew up with her younger sister Pooja Kannan. She completed her schooling in Coimbatore and later went to Georgia to study medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University. Even after becoming a qualified doctor, she chose to continue with acting instead of practising medicine.

Before films, Sai Pallavi was already known among television audiences because of dance reality shows. She appeared in shows like Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva and Dhee Ultimate Dance Show. Around the same time, she also appeared in small uncredited film roles and worked as a background artist.

Her life changed after Alphonse Puthren cast her as Malar in Premam. What started as a role she shot during her college holidays became one of the biggest turning points in her career. Audiences connected strongly with the character, and after that, offers from different industries started coming in.

Over the years, Sai Pallavi became part of films like Fidaa, Maari 2, Love Story, Shyam Singha Roy, Gargi, Amaran and Thandel. Her song Rowdy Baby with Dhanush also became one of the most watched South Indian songs on YouTube.

Apart from acting, people often talk about how Sai Pallavi keeps her lifestyle simple and stays away from the usual film industry image. She is also known for dancing naturally on screen, which became one of the reasons audiences connected with her performances over time.

Now, Sai Pallavi is also moving into Hindi films. She will next be seen in Ek Din alongside Junaid Khan and is also set to play Sita in Ramayana: Part 1 opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She is also reuniting with Dhanush for his upcoming film currently referred to as D55.