Raasi (born Vijaya) is an Indian actress known for her work in Telugu and Tamil cinema, with appearances in a few Kannada and Malayalam films. She is credited as Manthra in Tamil and Malayalam films. Raasi gained recognition for her performances in notable films such as Subhakankshalu (1997), Gokulamlo Seeta (1997), and Pelli Pandiri (1998). She transitioned to television with Telugu soap operas, debuting in Girija Kalyanam (2020) and later appearing in Janaki Kalaganaledu (2021).
Personal life
Raasi was born as Vijaya on 1980 in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India.2 She married film director Sri Muni.3
Film career
At the age of 9, she started acting as a child actress in the 1989 Telugu film, Mamatala Kovella (1989).4
She also worked in the Hindi movies Rangbaaz (1996), Jodidar (1997) and Suraj (1997) with Mithun Chakraborty.
In Telugu, Raasi rose to fame with Subhakankshalu (1997). She was labelled "traditional" after Gokulamlo Seeta (1997). Later, hits like Snehithulu (1998), Pandaga (1998), Gilli Kajjalu (1998), Devullu (2000) and proved her mettle as an actress. When Raasi's career started taking a nosedive, she took to doing item numbers in Telugu films like Samudram (1999).5
She debuted her first Tamil film Priyam. Following a prolific year 1996, she received offers including the Vijay-starrer Love Today (1997) and the Ajith Kumar-starrer Rettai Jadai Vayasu (1997). Some of her other movies in Tamil are Periya Idathu Mappillai (1997), Ganga Gowri (1997), Thedinen Vanthathu (1997), Kondattam (1998), Kalyana Galatta (1998), Pudhu Kudithanam (1999), Kannan Varuvaan (2000), Kuberan (2000) and Simmasanam (2000).
She played a negative character in Telugu movie Nijam (2003), which was directed by Teja.
After her marriage, she took a break from acting and made a comeback in character roles.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rao Gari Illu | Chitti | Telugu | |
| 1988 | Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal | Young Lakshmi | Malayalam | |
| 1989 | Mamatala Kovela | Hero's daughter | Telugu | |
| 1989 | Bala Gopaludu | Telugu | ||
| 1989 | Chettu Kinda Pleader | Telugu | ||
| 1991 | Aditya 369 | Kishore's friend | Telugu | |
| 1992 | Ankuram | Sindhura's sister | Telugu | |
| 1994 | Palnati Pourusham | Raja Rao's daughter | Telugu | credited as Vijaya |
| 1994 | Puttinilla Mettinilla | Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 1996 | Oho Naa Pellanta | in a song | Telugu | |
| 1996 | Priyam | Preetha | Tamil | Debut in a lead role |
| 1996 | Angaara | Chutki | Hindi | credited as Vijaya |
| 1996 | Rangbaaz | Hindi | credited as Vijaya | |
| 1997 | Suraj | Hindi | credited as Vijaya | |
| 1997 | Subhakankshalu | Nandini | Telugu | Debut in Telugu as a lead |
| 1997 | Love Today | Preethi | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Gokulamlo Seetha | Sirisha | Telugu | |
| 1997 | Periya Idathu Mappillai | Priya | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Ganga Gowri | Ganga | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Thedinen Vanthathu | Janaki | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Rettai Jadai Vayasu | Anjali | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Pelli Pandiri | Kasthuri | Telugu | |
| 1997 | Evandi Pelli Chesukondi | Geetha | Telugu | |
| 1997 | Jodidar | Landlord's daughter | Hindi | credited as Manthra |
| 1998 | Kondattam | Vidhya | Tamil | |
| 1998 | Pandaga | Prameela | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Vasantha | Vasantha | Telugu | 6 |
| 1998 | Suprabhatam | Vasundhara | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Kalyana Galatta | Pooja | Tamil | |
| 1998 | Gilli Kajjalu | Sruthi | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Snehithulu | Mahalakshmi | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Manasichi Choodu | Yamuna | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Kalavari Chellelu Kanaka Maha Lakshmi | Roopa | Telugu | |
| 1998 | Daddy Daddy | Subadhra | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Neti Gandhi | Bharthi | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Swapnalokam | Swapna | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Harischandraa | Nandini | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Veedu Samanyudu Kadhu | Mythili/Pooja | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Seenu | Herself | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Krishna Babu | Shilpa | Telugu | |
| 1999 | Samudram | Herself | Telugu | Item number |
| 1999 | Pudhu Kudithanam | Nila | Tamil | |
| 1999 | Preyasi Rave | Mahalakshmi | Telugu | Nominated-Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu |
| 1999 | Pallavur Devanarayanan | Seethalakshmi | Malayalam | credited as Mantra |
| 1999 | AK-47 | Telugu | ||
| 1999 | Sneha | Mahalakshmi | Kannada | Debut film |
| 2000 | Postman | Sirisha | Telugu | |
| 2000 | Manasu Paddanu Kaani | Swati | Telugu | |
| 2000 | Balaram | Telugu | ||
| 2000 | Kannan Varuvaan | Rajeshwari | Tamil | |
| 2000 | Oke Maata | Telugu | ||
| 2000 | Shivaji | Telugu | ||
| 2000 | Kuberan | Chandra | Tamil | |
| 2000 | Simmasanam | Manju | Tamil | |
| 2000 | Moodu Mukkalata | Aliveni | Telugu | |
| 2000 | Ammo! Okato Tareekhu | Gayatri | Telugu | |
| 2000 | Devullu | Nirmala | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Maa Aavida Meeda Ottu Mee Aavida Chala Manchidi | Subhadra | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Deevinchandi | Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Cheppalani Vundi | Vani / Rani | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Akka Bavekkada? | Sowmya | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Naga Pratista | Naga Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Raja | Herself | Tamil | Item number |
| 2002 | Police Sisters | Ramya | Telugu | |
| 2002 | 2 Much | Geeta | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Trinetram | Vijaya | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Jamindaru | Kannada | ||
| 2002 | Sandade Sandadi | Vasundhara | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Coolie | Telugu | ||
| 2002 | Ninne Preethisuve | Meghamala | Kannada | |
| 2003 | Nijam | Malli | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Aalukkoru Aasai | Manthra | Tamil | |
| 2003 | Raja Narasimha | Mahalakshmi | Kannada | |
| 2003 | Sriramachandrulu | Sailaja | Telugu | |
| 2004 | Venky | Herself | Telugu | Special appearance |
| 2004 | Oka Pellam Muddu Rendo Pellam Vaddu | Satya | Telugu | |
| 2005 | Devi Abhayam | Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2006 | Suyetchai MLA | Tamil | ||
| 2013 | Onbadhule Guru | Neelambari | Tamil | |
| 2013 | Man of the Match | Telugu | ||
| 2015 | Vaalu | Mrs. Stephen | Tamil | |
| 2016 | Kalyana Vaibhogame | Parimala Devi | Telugu | |
| 2016 | Kavalai Vendam | Divya's mother | Tamil | |
| 2016 | Padesave | Swathi's mother | Telugu | |
| 2017 | Aakatayi | Vikranth's mother | Telugu | |
| 2017 | Lanka | Rebecca | Telugu |
- Keka (2008) for Ishani
Television
- Girija Kalyanam (2020-2021) on Gemini TV
- Janaki Kalaganaledu (2021–2023) on Star Maa
External links
References
Prakash, BVS (28 July 2000). "Raasi: An award for Preyasi Raave?". Screen Magazine. Indian Express Group. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100428060819/http://www.screenindia.com/old/20000728/reobi.htm ↩
"ఓహో… అభినయ'రాశి'". NTV (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021. https://archive.today/20210712082334/https://ntvtelugu.com/senior-actress-raasi-birthday-special/ ↩
kavirayani, suresh (23 April 2017). "Lanka movie review: Raasi's return not a good one!". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/230417/lanka-movie-review-raasis-return-not-a-good-one.html ↩
"ఓహో… అభినయ'రాశి'". NTV (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021. https://archive.today/20210712082334/https://ntvtelugu.com/senior-actress-raasi-birthday-special/ ↩
"Raasi plays vamp, rockets to the top". Rediff. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/jun/10south.htm ↩
"Vasantha film review" (PDF). Zamin Ryot. 1 May 1998. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022. http://www.zaminryot.com/pdf/1998/May/1-May-1998.pdf ↩