Chinnu Chandni – Malayalam actress of ‘Thamasha’ fame

Chinnu Chandni is a Malayalam film actress who shot to fame playing the lead role of Chinnu in 2019 flick, Thamasha, opposite Vinay Forrt. The film based on the subject of body shamming, online abuse and social media bullying for the same reason, received positive reviews from critics, and her role was well appreciated. She marked her screen debut in a supporting role with 2016 movie, Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, and was later seen in less-known movie, Cappuccino (2017).

Chinnu Chandni was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She grew up in Tanzania where her father was working, and during her high school days, she shifted to her hometown. She was passionate about acting. But she never told this dream to anyone. Later she studied theatre and was associated with this field before joining film line.

Khalid Rahman’s directorial debut Anuraga Karikkin Vellam marked her screen debut in 2016. She played lead heroine Rajisha Vijayan’s friend in the movie. She later played a minor role in Cappuccino (2017) which went unnoticed. When she got the offer to play one among the three heroines of Thamasha, she was a bit nervous if her character will be accepted or not. However when her character received overwhelming response, she felt elated. Her performance as a daring young woman to stand against social media abuse received positive response from all corners.

Chinnu Chandni – Some interesting and less-known facts

A still from ‘Thamasha’ movie

1. When she was asked if she is interested in playing female lead in ‘Thamasha’, she was surprised and thought it to be a joke only. Her role as over-weighted heroine was just breaking all stereotypes.

2. Her Instagram followers jumped from 6,000 to 25,000 in five days of Thamasha’s release. While a few conveyed similar experiences of body shaming, a few apologized for behaving the similar way with others.

3. She holds M Phil in Theatre Arts and has also done theatre a little bit.

4. The director Khalid Rahman who gave her first break through Anuraga Karikkin Vellam also gave her the role in ‘Thamasha’.

5. Her character name in Thamasha is same as her real name.

6. In real life too, she has faced body shamming when she started gaining weight in the late teens.