Utthara Unni
Utthara Unni is an award-winning[1] trained and professional Bharatanatyam dancer from Kerala. She has directed some short films, documentaries and music videos. She is also an actress[2] who predominantly works in Tamil and Malayalam films. She heads a dance academy called Temple Steps[3] in Kochi, Kerala.
Utthara Unni | |
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Unni performing at the Soorya Dance Festival, Parampara | |
Born | Thiruvalla, Kerala, India |
Nationality | India |
Occupation | Indian Dancer Indian Film Actress |
Years active | 2010–present |
Parent(s) | Ankarath Raman Unni Urmila Unni |
Website | www |
Career
As a dancer
She has performed in Natyanjali festivals held at Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thirunallar, Nagapattinam, Mayavaram, Thiruvarur and Thanjavur. Some of her stages include Soorya Dance Festival – Parampara,[4] Mylapore Fine Arts – Chennai,Sangeeth Natak Akademi – Trissur, Nishagandhi – Trivandrum,Ernakulam Shiva temple, Guruvayur, Mookambika temple, Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan – Trivandrum etc.
- Utthara Unni's Dance Performance
Utthara has also made a name for herself by giving solo concerts in other countries such as Nepal, Thailand, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain and Kuwait.[1][5]
She is also the director of the dance school "Temple Steps" situated in Cochin,[6] [3] She is a member of the UNESCO International Dance Council.[7]
As a film maker and singer
Utthara's directorial debut was through a short film Randaam Varavu[8] featuring her mother Urmila Unni. The film won her five awards for best direction.[9] She later directed a supernatural short-film featuring Urmila Unni and Devan called Ninth Month.[10] She was praised about her writing and film making skills in her next short film Paw Prints[11][12] featuring Siddique. The short film is about relationship between a man and a dog.[13]She has also created music videos and documentaries.[14] Utthara Unni is also an acclaimed singer and has released a music album titled Pathirapontheril.[15].
As an actor and model
She made her debut in the Tamil film Vavval Pasanga (2012) directed by Suresh. Her first Malayalam film[16][17] was Edavappathy, directed by Lenin Rajendran. Utthara portrayed dual roles of Vasavadatta (a famous character from Kumaran Asan's poem Karuna) and a modern girl Yamini in the parallel story of the film. Her performance was critically acclaimed and won her the Kerala Film Critics Association Award for the best upcoming actor (debut).[18][19]
Filmography
As actress
No. | Year | Film | Role | Co-stars | Director | language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2012 | Vavval Pasanga | Rahul | Suresh | Tamil | ||
2 | 2016 | Edavappathy | Vasavadatta/Yamini | Siddharth Lama | Lenin Rajendran | Malayalam |
As TV show host
No. | Year | Show Name | Role | Co-stars | Channel | Language | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2015 | Mambazham | Host | Kairali TV | Malayalam | 2 | 2018 | Autumn Leaf | Host | Amrita TV | Malayalam |
Awards
- Drishya award for best direction for the Short Film Randaam Varavu[9]
- Guru Gopikrishna National Award for Bharatanatyam in 2016[22]
References
- "Uthara Unni: A dancer extraordinaire". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Uthara Unni-Picture Gallery". manoramaonline. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- "Utthara Unni heads Dance Academy". indiaglitz. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- "When Uthara Unni became a 'viraha nayika'". The Times of India. n.d.
- "Actress Utthara Unni's Bharathanatyam Recital Event | RITZ". RITZ Magazine. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Maattumantha, MS Das (16 March 2015). "ബഹറിനിൽ ഊർമിള ഉണ്ണിയും ഉത്തര ഉണ്ണിയും ഡാൻസ് സ്കൂൾ തുടങ്ങി". Cinema Mangalam. pp. 42, 43, 44, 45. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- "About – Utthara Unni | Official Website". www.uttharaunni.com. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Utthara Unni (30 January 2015), Short Film [Horror] – "Randaam Varavu" by Utthara Unni, retrieved 16 January 2018
- "Actress Uthara Unni takes up direction". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Utthara Unni (30 October 2016), 9th Month – A Short Film | Directed by Utthara Unni | Devan | Urmila Unni, retrieved 16 January 2018
- "Uttara Unni's short film explores the special relationship between man and dog". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Playground Digital Cinema (4 June 2017), Paw Prints – Official Full Short Film | Utthara Unni Malayalam Short Film 2017 (English Subtitles), retrieved 16 January 2018
- "Story from her life: Utthara Unni". deccanchronicle.com/. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Utthara Unni (25 May 2014), Utthara Unni's Kathakali Documentary, retrieved 16 January 2018
- "Pathirapontheril Malayalam Album Song-Uthara Unni". Retrieved 27 April 2015 – via YouTube.
- "I wanted Edavapathi to mark my debut: Utthara Unni". deccanchronicle.com/. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Uthara Unni makes her debut in Mollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Edavappaathy Shooting Location". Retrieved 10 May 2015 – via YouTube.
- "Manisha Koirala praises Uthara Unni". The Times of India. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- "Autumn Leaf: A new reality show to crown the best music band". The Times of India. n.d.
- Parvathy S Nayar (17 September 2011). "Urmila Unni gets busy in Kollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- "In love with her 'chilanka': Utthara Unni". deccanchronicle.com/. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
External links
- Utthara Unni on IMDb