Anikha Surendran – South Indian film actress popular with her child artist roles

Anikha Surendran, formerly known as Baby Anikha is a south Indian film actress. Started her career as a child artist in 2010 Malayalam film, Kadha Thudarunnu and later moved to adult roles. She owns numerous memorable child artist roles – Right from her debut film, to Bhaskar The Rascal, Naanum Rowdydhaan, Anchu Sundarikal, Yennai Arindhaal, The Great Father and Viswasam to name a few.

Her entry to modelling as a child artist was unexpected

Anikha Surendran was born in Mancheri of Malappuram district on 27 November 2004. Her father Surendran works in the field of modelling as a model coordinator. She has one elder brother. Her primary schooling was completed from Manjeri. After joining film industry, she moved to Kochi, where she completed her schooling.

It was her elder brother who did modelling first. One day she happened to accompany her brother on such assignment when the ad director Sudhir Ambalapattu spotted her and gave her the first modelling assignment. She became a model for the first time for a textile ad from her hometown. After that she started getting offers from film industry.

Anikha Surendran started her career through a memorable role in Mollywood

She was first seen onscreen at the age of one and a half, in Mohanlal starrer Chotta Mumbai in 2007. She played Mohanlal’s daughter in that brief role. Her first credited role is Kadha Thudarunnu, released in 2010, where she played the role of Mamta Mohandas and Asif Ali’s daughter. It was a full-length role, and her chemistry with actor Jayaram in the film was also appreciated. The movie was a box office hit. Since then she is regular in Malayalam cinema, and also did a few memorable roles in Tamil as a child artist. She did two Tamil films with actor Ajith, Yennai Arindhaal and Viswasam which boosted her career a lot.

Some of her noted roles as a child artist in Mollywood include – Bavuttiyude Namathil, Anchu Sundarikal (for which she won state award for best child artist in 2013), Race, Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, Nayana, Bavuttiyude Namathil, Johny Johny Yes Appa, The Great Father, and Onnum Mindathe. She played Mammootty’s daughter in The Great Father.

Yennai Arindhaal introduced Anikha to Tamil cinema

Playing Nayanthara’s daughter in Mammootty starrer Bhaskar The Rascal (2015) became turning point of her career. After the film’s big success, the Malayalam movie was remade to Tamil also. Though she didn’t get an opportunity to play the same role in Tamil, she started getting good film offers with the big stars from Tamil film industry. By the time her debut Tamil flick, Yennai Arindhaal (2015) co-starring Ajith and Trisha had already released and was a blockbuster.

After doing Naanum Rowdydhaan and Miruthan, Anikha Surendran got a major breakthrough when she played Ajith Kumar and Nayanthara’s daughter in the blockbuster, Viswasam (2019). After that she became a very familiar face of Tamil cinema.

Post-pandemic, actress Anikha moved to adult roles

In 2022, she played a supporting role in Vijay Sethupathy starrer Maamanithan. Same year she marked her Telugu debut with Ghost. In 2023, she played her first lead role, Butta Bomma. This Telugu film was a remake of noted Malayalam film, Kappela. The director felt that she had exactly the same looks for his lead heroine, and that’s how she got the project. Same year she played her first lead role in Malayalam, Oh My Darling, which was a flop. Same year she was seen in two more Malayalam flop films, Lovefully Yours Veda and King of Kotha. Her 2024 film, Cup – Love All Play also went unnoticed.

In 2024 she starred in Tamil action drama, PT Sir, which was a decent hit. She signed for Dhanush’s directorial, Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam (NEEK), where she shares screen space with Pavish, Priya Prakash Varrier, and Mathew Thomas.

Anikha Surendran – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. As a child artist she appeared in more than 35 ads.

2. Her first lead role in Malayalam, Oh My Darling invited a lot of controversies following a lip lock scene with her co-star. While signing the film though she was sure about such talks, she went on to sign film. She along with her mother listened the script together.

3. She was studying in class two when she did Kadha Thudarunnu, which made her immensely popular among Malayalam audiences.

4. She has appeared in ‘Last Wish’, an English film.

5. She played central character in Rejith’s short film, ‘Amaranth‘.

6. She loves watching web series, TV Shows and new films when she gets spare time. She also loves reading.

7. For her looks, people often compare her with Nayanthara. Interestingly she played Nayan’s daughter in Bhaskar The Rascal.