Anu Haasan
Encyclopedia
Anu Hasan (born Anuradha Chandrahasan on 15 July 1970) is a Tamil
actress and TV anchor. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed film Indira
(1995) and has since appeared in a few Tamil films, playing supporting roles. She currently hosts the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu
on the Tamil channel Vijay
. She is also an entrepreneur
, model
, musician
and martial arts
expert.
. He worked for the British as a lawyer practicing at Madras High Court in the early 1890s.
Anu did her schooling at St. Joseph's Anglo-Indian Girls' Higher Secondary School, Trichy, and earned a MSc degree
in Physics
and Management
from Birla Institute of Technology and Science
(BITS), Pilani
, Rajasthan
.
She is a martial arts student (Kalari
art; she has trained in Chiramam, Silambam, Kurunthadi and Kaipor) and also a proficient basketball player who represented the Trichy district. Her love for music showed up as a jazz singer when she performed at the U.S consulate in Kolkata. BITSians who were on campus between 1988 and 1993 remember Anu Hasan in some of the EDC productions of the day including Fiddler on the Roof
and Spartacus
.
. She has acted under her cousin (Charuhasan's daughter) Suhasini's
direction, who is a National Award winning actress herself and married to the noted film director Mani Ratnam
, in the Tamil film Indira
(1995), which was Anu's debut film. Anu Hasan married Vikas ten years ago. Anu later divorced Vikas on grounds of incompatibility. In 2010, she became engaged to London-based banker Graham Jay in Trichy. They got married on 4 November 2010 at the Marriott Hotel in Chennai
Indira
, directed by her cousin Suhasini Mani Ratnam
. Afterwards, she appeared only in a few films, playing supporting roles such as the mother, sister or wife character of the lead actor. Among her films, her notable ones are Run
(2002), in which she starred as the protagonist's sister, which earned her Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
and Nala Damayanthi
(2003).
By 2000, she ventured into television, acting first in the series Anbulla Snehgidhiye, which was adapted from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
's award-winning novel Sister of My Heart
. For her performance in the series, she received accolades and several awards. She then starred in a number of TV series like Avan Aval Avargal, Ammaavukku Rendula Raagu and Vivahita (Malayalam), following which she turned anchor for the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu
(named after herself), aired on Vijay TV
. The show, which she has hosted now for over three years, soon became very popular and made her ultimately a household name in Tamil Nadu
. She also currently presents Kannadi for Jaya TV
.
In 2009-2010 she was awarded the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu State Government.
In addition, Anu has worked as a dubbing artiste, lending her voice for many non-Tamil-speaking actresses, including Raveena Tandon
, Preity Zinta
and Geetu Mohandas
.
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
actress and TV anchor. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed film Indira
Indira (film)
Indira is a 1995 Tamil film co-written and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam. It stars Anu Hasan in the title role. Its score and well acclaimed soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. Although not a runaway success in Tamil Nadu, the film did well in Tokyo, Japan upon release...
(1995) and has since appeared in a few Tamil films, playing supporting roles. She currently hosts the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu
Koffee with Anu
Koffee with Anu is a talk show, hosted by Kollywood actress Anu Hasan. It is the Tamil version of Koffee with Karan hosted by Karan Johar. It currently runs on STAR Vijay. This show was initially called Koffee with Suchi...
on the Tamil channel Vijay
STAR Vijay
STAR Vijay is a popular Indian entertainment channel broadcasting in Tamil. The channel is also available in several other nations as well. The channel is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
. She is also an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
expert.
Early life
Anu is the daughter of the lawyer-and-producer Chandrahasan. Chandrahasan is the son of an orthodox Srinivasa Iyengar, an affluent land owner of Ramanathapuram DistrictRamanathapuram District
Ramanathapuram District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Ramanathapuram is the district headquarters. Ramanthapuram District has an area of 4123 km²...
. He worked for the British as a lawyer practicing at Madras High Court in the early 1890s.
Anu did her schooling at St. Joseph's Anglo-Indian Girls' Higher Secondary School, Trichy, and earned a MSc degree
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
from Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Birla Institute of Technology & Science, is a private university located in Pilani, Rajasthan, India. BITS Pilani is considered one of the most prestigious and selective universities in India...
(BITS), Pilani
Pilani
Pilani is a small town situated in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. It is in the Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, India. It notable for being the home of a large number of education institutes for its size.-Etymology:...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
She is a martial arts student (Kalari
Kalari
The word Kalari means battle ground in Tamil and translates as "threshing floor" or "battlefield" in Malayalam. Training for Kalarippayattu, a martial art of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is traditionally done inside the Kalari....
art; she has trained in Chiramam, Silambam, Kurunthadi and Kaipor) and also a proficient basketball player who represented the Trichy district. Her love for music showed up as a jazz singer when she performed at the U.S consulate in Kolkata. BITSians who were on campus between 1988 and 1993 remember Anu Hasan in some of the EDC productions of the day including Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
and Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
.
Personal life
Anu was born on 15 July 1970 to Chandra Hasan, brother of the famous National Film Award-winning actor Kamal HaasanKamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
. She has acted under her cousin (Charuhasan's daughter) Suhasini's
Suhasini Mani Ratnam
Suhasini Maniratnam is an Indian actress. She made her film debut in 1980 with the Tamil film Nenjathai Killathe for which she won the Best Actress award. Suhasini has won a National Film Award for Best Actress for Sindhu Bhairavi in 1986...
direction, who is a National Award winning actress herself and married to the noted film director Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
, in the Tamil film Indira
Indira (film)
Indira is a 1995 Tamil film co-written and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam. It stars Anu Hasan in the title role. Its score and well acclaimed soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. Although not a runaway success in Tamil Nadu, the film did well in Tokyo, Japan upon release...
(1995), which was Anu's debut film. Anu Hasan married Vikas ten years ago. Anu later divorced Vikas on grounds of incompatibility. In 2010, she became engaged to London-based banker Graham Jay in Trichy. They got married on 4 November 2010 at the Marriott Hotel in Chennai
Career
She stepped into acting when she enacted the titular role in the 1995 Tamil filmTamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
Indira
Indira (film)
Indira is a 1995 Tamil film co-written and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam. It stars Anu Hasan in the title role. Its score and well acclaimed soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. Although not a runaway success in Tamil Nadu, the film did well in Tokyo, Japan upon release...
, directed by her cousin Suhasini Mani Ratnam
Suhasini Mani Ratnam
Suhasini Maniratnam is an Indian actress. She made her film debut in 1980 with the Tamil film Nenjathai Killathe for which she won the Best Actress award. Suhasini has won a National Film Award for Best Actress for Sindhu Bhairavi in 1986...
. Afterwards, she appeared only in a few films, playing supporting roles such as the mother, sister or wife character of the lead actor. Among her films, her notable ones are Run
Run (2002 film)
Run is a 2002 Tamil film directed by top director N. Linguswamy. The film stars R. Madhavan, Meera Jasmine, Vivek, Atul Kulkarni, Raghuvaran and Anuradha Hassan-Plot:...
(2002), in which she starred as the protagonist's sister, which earned her Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films. The award was first given in 1968 and stopped after 1970. The award is being given after 2000.-The list:Here is a list of the award...
and Nala Damayanthi
Nala Damayanthi
Nala Damayanthi is a 2003 Tamil film directed by Mouli and written and produced by Kamal Hassan. The film stars Madhavan in the lead role, with Geetu Mohandas and Shrutika playing supporting roles...
(2003).
By 2000, she ventured into television, acting first in the series Anbulla Snehgidhiye, which was adapted from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program....
's award-winning novel Sister of My Heart
Sister of My Heart (novel)
Sister of My Heart is a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. First published in 1999, this novel was followed in 2002 by a sequel The Vine of Desire....
. For her performance in the series, she received accolades and several awards. She then starred in a number of TV series like Avan Aval Avargal, Ammaavukku Rendula Raagu and Vivahita (Malayalam), following which she turned anchor for the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu
Koffee with Anu
Koffee with Anu is a talk show, hosted by Kollywood actress Anu Hasan. It is the Tamil version of Koffee with Karan hosted by Karan Johar. It currently runs on STAR Vijay. This show was initially called Koffee with Suchi...
(named after herself), aired on Vijay TV
STAR Vijay
STAR Vijay is a popular Indian entertainment channel broadcasting in Tamil. The channel is also available in several other nations as well. The channel is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
. The show, which she has hosted now for over three years, soon became very popular and made her ultimately a household name in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. She also currently presents Kannadi for Jaya TV
Jaya TV
Jaya TV is one of the major Tamil language satellite television channels based in Chennai, India. Jaya TV is one of the early Tamil channels to entertain the Tamil audiences spread across Globe....
.
In 2009-2010 she was awarded the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu State Government.
In addition, Anu has worked as a dubbing artiste, lending her voice for many non-Tamil-speaking actresses, including Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon is a National Film Award winning Indian actress, producer, and a former model. She has primarily worked in Bollywood films, though she appeared in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films as well....
, Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
and Geetu Mohandas
Geetu Mohandas
Geetu Mohandas is a Malayalam film actress who started off as a child artist and did mainstream roles later. She has acted in several other Malayalam films.-Career:Geetu's actual name is Gayathri Mohandas...
.
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Indira Indira (film) Indira is a 1995 Tamil film co-written and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam. It stars Anu Hasan in the title role. Its score and well acclaimed soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. Although not a runaway success in Tamil Nadu, the film did well in Tokyo, Japan upon release... |
Indira | Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... |
|
| 2001 | Aalavandhan Aalavandhan Aalavandhan is a Indian Tamil Thriller film released in 2001. Directed by Suresh Krishna, it stars Kamal Haasan in a dual role, with Raveena Tandon and Manisha Koirala as his love interests. The film's soundtrack was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the background score by late Mahesh Mahadevan... |
Kamal's mother | Tamil | Guest appearance |
| 2002 | Run Run (2002 film) Run is a 2002 Tamil film directed by top director N. Linguswamy. The film stars R. Madhavan, Meera Jasmine, Vivek, Atul Kulkarni, Raghuvaran and Anuradha Hassan-Plot:... |
Siva's sister | Tamil | Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films. The award was first given in 1968 and stopped after 1970. The award is being given after 2000.-The list:Here is a list of the award... |
| 2003 | Nala Damayanthi Nala Damayanthi Nala Damayanthi is a 2003 Tamil film directed by Mouli and written and produced by Kamal Hassan. The film stars Madhavan in the lead role, with Geetu Mohandas and Shrutika playing supporting roles... |
Badri's wife | Tamil | |
| Anjaneya Anjaneya (film) Anjaneya is a 2003 Tamil film directed by Maharajan featuring Ajith Kumar, Meera Jasmine in lead roles with Raghuvaran, Ramesh Khanna, and Sarala in supporting roles. The film, produced by S. S. Chakravarthy, has it's score and soundtrack composed by Mani Sharma... |
Paramaguru's sister | Tamil | ||
| 2008 | Akku Akku (film) Akku is a Tamil movie starring Anu Hasan and Riyaz Khan that flopped at the box-office.-Plot:Siva is an IT professional and an orphan who falls in love with Bhanu a chirpy girl whose brother a long haired bearded guy is a big time terrorist who is planning to bomb Chennai city! One day Siva and... |
Anu | Tamil | |
| Santhosh Subramaniam | Tamil | Guest appearance | ||
| Dhaam Dhoom Dhaam Dhoom Dhaam Dhoom is a 2008 Tamil romantic thriller film. Directed and co-written by Jeeva shortly before his death and produced by Sunanda Murali Manohar, its stars Jayam Ravi, Kangna Ranaut and Lakshmi Rai in the lead roles... |
Sarasu | Tamil | ||
| 2009 | Sarvam Sarvam Sarvam is a 2009 Indian Tamil romantic thriller film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan, who has earlier directed highly successful Tamil films like Arinthum Ariyamalum , Pattiyal and Billa . Starring Arya and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles while J. D... |
Gheetha Eashwar | Tamil | Guest appearance |
| Aadhavan Aadhavan Aadhavan is a 2009 Tamil action thriller, directed by K. S. Ravikumar and written by Ramesh Khanna. The film features Surya Sivakumar in the title role along with Nayantara in lead roles and Murali, Vadivelu, Anand Babu, Ramesh Khanna, B. Saroja Devi, Rahul Dev, Sayaji Shinde in its supporting... |
Anu | Tamil | ||
| Evaraina Epudaina | Venkat's sister-in-law | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
||
| 2010 | Maanja Velu Maanja Velu Maanja Velu is a 2010 Tamil language action film directed by A. Venkatesh. It stars Arun Vijay, Karthik Muthuraman and Dhansika in the lead, with Prabhu Ganesan, Vijayakumar and Riyaz Khan playing supporting roles and Santhanam and Ganja Karuppu providing comical relief... |
Karthik's wife | Tamil | |
| Irandu Mugam Irandu Mugam Irandu Mugam is a 2010 Tamil action film directed by Arvind Raj. The film featured Sathyaraj and Karan in the lead roles. The film released to poor reviews and poor collections on September 3, 2010.-Plot:... |
Tamil | |||
| Thottuppaar | Tamil | |||
| 2011 | Ko Ko (film) Ko is a 2011 Indian Tamil political thriller film directed by K. V. Anand starring Jeeva, Ajmal Ameer, newcomer Karthika Nair and Piaa Bajpai. The film was released on 22 April 2011 to mostly positive reviews, and was dubbed into Telugu as Rangam as well. The film's plot outline is inspired by the... |
Herself | Tamil | Cameo appearance |
| 2011 | Red Building Where The Sun Sets | English | ||
| 2012 | Endhukante Love Enta | Revathi | Telugu |
Television
| Title | Genre / Language | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Anbulla Snegithiyae | TV series; Tamil | |
| Boom Boom Shakal | TV series; Tamil | |
| Avan Aval Avargal | TV series; Tamil | |
| Ammaavukku Rendula Raagu | TV series; Tamil | |
| Vivahita | TV series; Malayalam Malayalam language Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people... |
|
| Koffee with Anu Koffee with Anu Koffee with Anu is a talk show, hosted by Kollywood actress Anu Hasan. It is the Tamil version of Koffee with Karan hosted by Karan Johar. It currently runs on STAR Vijay. This show was initially called Koffee with Suchi... |
Talk show; Tamil | Host |
| Rekha IPS | TV series; Tamil | Rekha |
| Anu Alavum Bayam Illai | Reality show; Tamil | Host |
| En Samayal Araiyil | Reality show; Tamil | Host |
| Kannadi | Reality show; Tamil | Host |
| Superkid | Quiz show; Tamil | Host |