Anushka Shetty is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. Active since 2005, she is widely recognised for her work in commercial and mythological films, with her portrayal of Devasena in S. S. Rajamouli's Baahubali franchise bringing her pan-Indian and international recognition.
| Birth name | Sweety Shetty |
|---|---|
| Stage name | Anushka Shetty |
| Born | 7 November 1981, Mangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Community | Tuluva Bunt |
| Languages on screen | Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Debut film | Super (2005, Telugu) |
| Notable role | Devasena in Baahubali (2015, 2017) |
Anushka Shetty was born into a Tulu-speaking Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, A. N. Vittal Shetty, hails from coastal Karnataka, and the family later moved to Bengaluru, where she completed her schooling and college education. She graduated in computer applications from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. Before entering films, she trained as a yoga instructor under Bharat Thakur.
She made her acting debut with the Telugu film Super (2005), directed by Puri Jagannadh, alongside Nagarjuna. Early roles in films such as Vikramarkudu (2006), directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and Don (2007) helped her gain a foothold in Telugu cinema. Her Tamil debut came with Rendu (2006).
Anushka achieved wider recognition with films including Arundhati (2009), directed by Kodi Ramakrishna, in which she played a dual role of a princess and her descendant; the film won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and the Nandi Award for Best Actress. She followed this with Vedam (2010), directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, for which she received another Filmfare Award. Other notable works of this period include Singam (2010) and its sequel Singam II (2013) opposite Suriya, Vaanam (2011), Mirchi (2013), and Rudhramadevi (2015), where she played the historical Kakatiya queen Rudrama Devi.
Her role as Devasena in S. S. Rajamouli's two-part epic Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017), produced by Arka Media Works, was a major turning point. The films were released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and other languages, becoming among the highest-grossing Indian films of their time. The character earned her widespread critical appreciation across India.
Subsequent films include the Tamil thriller Bhaagamathie (2018), directed by G. Ashok and dubbed/remade in multiple languages, and the romantic drama Silence (also titled Nishabdham, 2020), directed by Hemant Madhukar. She returned with Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty (2023), a romantic comedy directed by Mahesh Babu P, opposite Naveen Polishetty.
Anushka Shetty is regarded as one of the leading actresses of South Indian cinema in the 2010s. She is among the few female stars from the southern industries to have headlined large-budget productions, and is recognised for choosing roles in mythological and women-centric subjects, including Arundhati, Rudhramadevi and Bhaagamathie.