Who Is Sai Pallavi? Meet The Highest-Paid South Indian Female Actor (Pic Credit: Wikipedia)
Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan is an Indian actress known for her powerful portrayals of women in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films. Over the years, she has earned widespread acclaim, receiving a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, 6 Filmfare Awards South, and three SIIMA Awards. Recognised as one of South India’s highest-paid actresses, she was honoured with the prestigious Kalaimamani Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2021.
Born on 9 May 1992 into a Badaga family in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, her roots trace back to Kotagiri in the Nilgiris. She is the daughter of Senthamarai Kannan and Radha and shares a close bond with her younger sister, Pooja Kannan, who has also appeared in films.
Sai Pallavi grew up in Coimbatore and studied at Avila Convent School. Despite her growing interest in the arts, she pursued medical studies and graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia in 2016, an institution recognised by the Medical Council of India. Although she took the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in August 2020 in Trichy, she has not registered as a medical practitioner in India.
Multilingual by nature, Pallavi speaks Badaga, Tamil, English, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and Georgian, reflecting her diverse background and global exposure.
Sai Pallavi began her screen journey with uncredited roles and appearances in dance reality shows. Her breakthrough came with the iconic role of Malar in the Malayalam blockbuster Premam (2015). Still a medical student at the time, her natural performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South and cemented her place in the industry.
She stepped into Telugu cinema with Fidaa (2017), a major success that won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress- Telugu. Over the years, she has starred in notable films including:
Kali (2016)
Middle Class Abbayi (2017)
Maari 2 (2018)
Paava Kadhaigal (2020)
Love Story (2021)
Shyam Singha Roy (2021)
Gargi (2022)
Amaran (2024)
Thandel (2025)
Her hit song “Rowdy Baby” became the first South Indian video track to cross one billion views on YouTube. She won multiple accolades for her roles in Love Story and Gargi, along with Critics Awards for Shyam Singha Roy and Virata Parvam.
In 2020, she was listed in Forbes India’s 30 Under 30, marking her impact beyond cinema.
Sai Pallavi is widely admired for her authenticity, minimalism, and refusal to conform to beauty stereotypes. Rediff.com ranked her second in its “Top 5 Malayalam Actresses of 2016,” noting that she “stole everyone’s hearts” in Premam.
In 2021, she was ranked among South cinema’s most influential Instagram stars, and in 2022, she featured in Forbes India’s first-ever Showstoppers – Top 50 Outperformers list.
Known for choosing strong, meaningful roles, she continues to be praised for her performances in Premam, Kali, Fidaa, Paava Kadhaigal, Love Story, Shyam Singha Roy, Gargi, and Amaran. Her natural acting style and graceful dance performances make her one of the most relatable stars in Indian cinema.
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