Manju Warrier is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She rose to prominence in the mid-1990s as one of the most successful leading actresses of her generation, won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress at the age of seventeen, and after a sabbatical of nearly fourteen years returned to the screen in 2014. She has subsequently worked in Tamil and Hindi films in addition to Malayalam.
| Full name | Manju Warrier |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 September 1978, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Native place | Kannur, Kerala |
| Occupation | Actress, dancer, producer |
| Years active | 1995–2001; 2014–present |
| Languages of work | Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi |
| Spouse | Dileep (m. 1998; div. 2015) |
| Children | Meenakshi |
| Sibling | Madhu Warrier (actor and director) |
| Notable awards | Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress (1998); Filmfare Awards South |
Manju Warrier was born in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, into a Malayali family with roots in Kannur, Kerala. She is the daughter of Madhavan Warrier and Girija Warrier, and the younger sister of actor and filmmaker Madhu Warrier. She trained in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam from a young age and was a school-level performer in classical dance before entering films.
Warrier made her acting debut in Sakshyam (1995), directed by Sibi Malayil. She gained wider recognition with Sallaapam (1996), directed by Sundar Das, in which she played Radha opposite Dileep. The film was a major commercial and critical success and established her as a leading actress. She followed this with films such as Aaraam Thampuran (1997) opposite Mohanlal, directed by Shaji Kailas, which became one of the biggest Malayalam hits of the decade.
In 1998 Warrier delivered Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu, directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, in which she played the role of Bhadra. The performance won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress. The same year saw the release of Summer in Bethlehem, directed by Sibi Malayil, another major commercial success. Other notable films from this period include Pathram (1999), Pranayavarnangal (1998), Daya (1998) directed by Venu, Kanmadam (1998) directed by A. K. Lohithadas, and Ee Puzhayum Kadannu (1996).
Warrier married actor Dileep in October 1998. After the birth of her daughter Meenakshi, she withdrew from acting in 2001 following the release of Kannaki, directed by Jayaraj. During her time away from cinema, she continued to perform classical dance.
Warrier returned to films with How Old Are You (2014), directed by Rosshan Andrrews. The film, in which she played a Revenue department employee named Nirupama Rajeev, was a critical and commercial success and is widely credited with reviving women-centred storytelling in Malayalam cinema. She subsequently appeared in films including Rani Padmini (2015), Jo and the Boy (2015), Karinkunnam 6's (2016), Udaharanam Sujatha (2017), Aami (2018) in which she portrayed the writer Kamala Surayya, Odiyan (2018) opposite Mohanlal, Lucifer (2019) directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, and its sequel Empuraan. She also acted in the Tamil film Asuran (2019), directed by Vetrimaaran, opposite Dhanush, and made her Hindi debut in Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway (2023).
Warrier married actor Dileep on 20 October 1998. The couple separated in 2014 and were divorced in 2015. Their daughter Meenakshi has appeared as a playback singer in Malayalam cinema. Warrier resides in Kochi.
Warrier is a trained classical dancer and has performed in stage productions and dance dramas. She has also been associated with the Malayalam film producers' and artists' organisations, and has appeared in television commercials and brand endorsements in Kerala.
Warrier is regarded as one of the defining actresses of Malayalam cinema in the late 1990s, a period in which she was paired in successful films with major stars including Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Dileep. Her return with How Old Are You is often cited in discussions of female-led narratives in Malayalam cinema in the 2010s.