Navani Devanand – Malayalam actress best known for Micheal and Rifle Club

Navani Devanand is an upcoming actress from Malayalam film industry. She gained recognition after playing an important role in 2024 hit film, Rifle Club. She was paired with Ramzan Muhammed in the film, and the duo’s “Gandharva Ganam” song was noticed for its dance steps.

An MBBS student from Chennai

Her mother Hema is an engineer, dancer and interior designer. Her father Dr. Anu Devanand is an Orthopaedic surgeon and singer. Following her father’s footsteps, she also joined medical stream. Her father belongs to Ernakulam and her mother is from Kottayam. Yet for the last 23 years her family is living in Kozhikode.

They lived in a rented home opposite to the dance school of Saraswathi teacher, wife of M.T Vasudevan Nair. Later the family moved to their own constructed home 2 kms away, yet she continued with her dance classes. She took dance classes under the guidance of Saraswathi teacher, her daughter Aswathy and Srikanth, Aswathy’s husband. She learned Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi, and has performed in many places as an artist of their dance troupe. She has also participated in school kalolsavams in district and state levels.

Till 10th standard, she studied at Silver Hills School, Kozhikode. She got first prize in Ottanthullal competition in state level kalolsavam. In other dance forms too, she has won first, second and A grade over the years. She used to get at least one trophy every year, when she participated under different categories at school level. Apart from classical dance forms, she learned violin from T.H. Lalitha teacher and music from Pala CK Ramachandran Master.

Navani Devanand joined film industry as a child artist

Since the age of 3, Navani started performing as a dancer. At this age she even became title winner in a beauty contest in an institute where her mother was teaching interior designing. Producer PV Gangadharan was the Chief Guest of that program, who wanted a child for his upcoming flick, Notebook (2006), and he spotted little Navani. As she was too young, her parents were in dilemma. Yet they finally decided to say yes. As they were a little late, an important role went into the hands of another girl. Yet young Navani got a brief scene in the film. She was featured as a junior artist in the title song. That was the beginning.

She later appeared in child roles in several Malayalam films. She played younger version of Shamli in Kunchakko Boban starrer Valleem Thetti Pulleem Thetti in 2013. Navani is a trained Kathak dancer and is a model too. She is quite active in social media platforms.

She played Nivin Pauley’s sister in Mikhael

While she was studying Plus Two in Devagiri School, she decided to take medicine. So she avoided dance competitions and fully concentrated on to studies. But when Mikhael‘s team came for an audition at school, she also participated in it and got selected. Thus she got her first major break as Nivin Pauley’s younger sister in this film. It’s quite interesting that, when her film Rifle Club was released in 2024 Christmas time, a spin-off of Michael titled Marco was released along with it, which became a blockbuster.

As she had to write medical entrance exams, she had to let go many of good film projects. It includes one web series, Navarasa created by Mani Ratnam. Her parents used to watch all the films which Navani left because of our studies. She accepted the project Philips during the vacation after medical entrance exams.

She was quite popular through reels while doing films alongside

She appeared as Blessy Philip in the film Philip’s (2023) starring Mukesh. But the film was a flop and her role went unnoticed. Navani Devanand got her biggest break through Rifle Club while doing third year MBBS in Chennai. She took holiday to attend mother’s cousin’s marriage at home town, when Rifle Club’s casting team called her. They spotted her through insta reels. When Navani came to know that her dance for the film is Ramzan Muhammed, a dancer, she didn’t think twice and quickly accepted the role. She even had to write exams while shooting was going on.