Sai Pallavi Biography: Age, Family, Education, Movies and Latest News
Sai Pallavi (born 9 May 1992) is an Indian actress and trained doctor who works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. Known for her natural acting, dancing and no-makeup look, she rose to fame with Premam and has won seven Filmfare Awards South. She plays Sita in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1, releasing on 5 November 2026.
Sai Pallavi Latest News (October 2026)
- 5 November 2026: Ramayana: Part 1, Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part epic with Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Yash as Ravana, is set for a worldwide release. Sai Pallavi plays Sita. Part 2 is planned for 2027.
- 1 May 2026: Her Hindi debut, the romance Ek Din with Junaid Khan, released after a delay from November 2025 but failed at the box office.
- Upcoming: Tamil films including Om: Chapter 1 with Dhanush and a reported Mani Ratnam film with Vijay Sethupathi.
Sai Pallavi Profile, Age and Wiki
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan |
| Nickname | Lady Power Star (by Telugu fans) |
| Profession | Actress, dancer; qualified doctor |
| Known for | Premam, Fidaa, Love Story, Shyam Singha Roy, Gargi, Amaran, Thandel |
| Career | |
| First screen appearance | Kasthuri Maan (2005, uncredited) |
| Debut as lead | Premam (2015, Malayalam) |
| Telugu debut | Fidaa (2017) |
| Tamil lead debut | Diya (2018) |
| Hindi debut | Ek Din (2026) |
| Major awards | 7 Filmfare Awards South; Tamil Nadu State Film Award (Gargi); Kalaimamani (2021) |
| Next release | Ramayana: Part 1, 5 November 2026 |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of birth | 9 May 1992 |
| Age (as of 2026) | 34 years |
| Birthplace | Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Hometown | Kotagiri, Nilgiris (Badaga family) |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | Indian |
| School | Avila Convent School, Coimbatore |
| Medical degree | Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia (2016) |
| Relationships and Family | |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Father | Senthamarai Kannan (retired Central Excise officer) |
| Mother | Radha Kannan |
| Siblings | Younger sister Pooja Kannan (actress)
|
Sai Pallavi Early Life, Family and Education
Sai Pallavi was born on 9 May 1992 in Coimbatore into a Badaga family from Kotagiri in the Nilgiris. Her father, Senthamarai Kannan, is a retired Central Excise officer and former footballer, and her mother, Radha, is a dancer who encouraged her interest in dance. Her younger sister, Pooja Kannan, is also an actress.
She studied at Avila Convent School in Coimbatore and then studied medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia, graduating in 2016. She cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in India in 2020 but chose to focus on acting rather than practise medicine.
As a teenager she was a well-known dancer on television. She competed in Vijay TV’s Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva? and ETV’s Dhee, and had small, uncredited appearances in Kasthuri Maan (2005) and as a background dancer in Dhaam Dhoom (2008).
Sai Pallavi Career
Premam and Malayalam debut (2015–2016)
Director Alphonse Puthren cast Sai Pallavi as Malar, a college lecturer, in the Malayalam romantic drama Premam (2015), while she was still a medical student. The film became a massive hit across South India, and her performance, with her natural look and acne left visible on screen, made her an overnight star. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South and followed it with the thriller Kali (2016).
Fidaa and Telugu stardom (2017–2022)
Her Telugu debut, Sekhar Kammula’s Fidaa (2017), in which she played a lively Telangana girl and spoke in the Telangana dialect, was a blockbuster and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Her dance song “Vachinde” became one of the most-watched Telugu songs on YouTube. The song “Rowdy Baby” from her Tamil film Maari 2 (2018) with Dhanush went on to cross a billion views.
She won further Filmfare awards for Love Story (2021) with Naga Chaitanya, Shyam Singha Roy (2021) with Nani and Virata Parvam (2022). In the Tamil courtroom drama Gargi (2022), she played a schoolteacher fighting to clear her father’s name, winning the Tamil Nadu State Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil.
Amaran, Thandel and Ramayana (2024–present)
In Amaran (2024), she played Indhu Rebecca Varghese, wife of the late Major Mukund Varadarajan, opposite Sivakarthikeyan. The film was the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024 and won her another Filmfare award. She reunited with Naga Chaitanya in Thandel (2025), a commercial success.
Her Hindi debut, Ek Din (2026), did not succeed, but her biggest project is still ahead: Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, in which she plays Sita opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Part 1 releases on 5 November 2026.
Sai Pallavi Movies List
| Year | Film | Language / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Premam | Malayalam; Filmfare Best Female Debut |
| 2016 | Kali | Malayalam |
| 2017 | Fidaa | Telugu; Filmfare Best Actress |
| 2017 | Middle Class Abbayi | Telugu |
| 2018 | Diya | Tamil |
| 2018 | Maari 2 | Tamil |
| 2019 | Athiran | Malayalam |
| 2019 | NGK | Tamil |
| 2021 | Love Story | Telugu; Filmfare Best Actress |
| 2021 | Shyam Singha Roy | Telugu; Filmfare Critics Award |
| 2022 | Virata Parvam | Telugu; Filmfare Critics Award |
| 2022 | Gargi | Tamil; TN State Award |
| 2024 | Amaran | Tamil; Filmfare Best Actress |
| 2025 | Thandel | Telugu |
| 2026 | Ek Din | Hindi debut |
| 2026 | Ramayana: Part 1 | Hindi; releases 5 November 2026 |
Sai Pallavi Awards and Honours
- Filmfare Awards South – seven: Best Female Debut (Premam); Best Actress – Telugu (Fidaa, Love Story); Critics Best Actress – Telugu (Shyam Singha Roy, Virata Parvam); Best Actress – Tamil (Gargi, Amaran)
- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress – Gargi
- Kalaimamani – Government of Tamil Nadu (2021)
- Forbes India 30 Under 30 (2020)
Sai Pallavi Personal Life
Sai Pallavi is unmarried and keeps her personal life private. Rumours about her relationships appear from time to time, and she has dismissed them publicly.
She is known for choosing roles carefully and turning down films that don’t interest her, even big-budget ones. In 2019 she said she had refused a reported multi-crore endorsement for a fairness cream because she did not want to promote the idea that fair skin is better, a decision widely praised.
Why Sai Pallavi Stands Out
Sai Pallavi built her career on a different path from most leading actresses. She rarely wears heavy make-up on screen, avoids glamour roles, and has repeatedly said she wants audiences to see real faces and real emotions. Her unedited acne in Premam was seen as a quiet challenge to beauty standards in Indian films, and it made her especially popular with young viewers.
Her dancing is another signature. Choreographers often say she learns steps quickly and performs them with an ease that looks unrehearsed, and songs like “Vachinde,” “Rowdy Baby” and “Saranga Dariya” from Love Story became huge online hits. She also often dubs in her own voice, including in Telugu, a language she learned for her films. Directors cast her in roles with emotional depth, from the grieving wife in Amaran to the devadasi Maitreyi in Shyam Singha Roy, and her playing Sita in Ramayana is a major step onto the national stage.
Sai Pallavi Upcoming Movies
- Ramayana: Part 1 (5 November 2026): Nitesh Tiwari’s epic, with Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana.
- Ramayana: Part 2 (2027): The concluding part of the two-film adaptation.
- Om: Chapter 1: A Tamil film that reunites her with Dhanush, currently in production.
- Inji Vellam: A Tamil film in production.
- Untitled Mani Ratnam film: Reported in mid-2026, co-starring Vijay Sethupathi.
With Ramayana releasing in multiple languages, 2026–27 is expected to be the most important period of her career.
Lesser-Known Facts About Sai Pallavi
- She is a qualified doctor, having studied medicine in Tbilisi, Georgia.
- She was a contestant on the dance reality shows Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva? and Dhee.
- “Rowdy Baby” from Maari 2 crossed a billion views on YouTube.
- She was the only actress on the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list in 2020.
- She was the first choice for Maa Inti Bangaaram but could not give dates, and Samantha took the role.
Related Biographies
- Naga Chaitanya Biography – co-star in Love Story and Thandel
- Samantha Biography
- Rashmika Mandanna Biography
- Alia Bhatt Biography – Ranbir Kapoor’s wife
- Anupama Parameswaran Biography – her Premam co-star
- More stars: Tollywood biographies
Sai Pallavi FAQs
How old is Sai Pallavi?
Sai Pallavi was born on 9 May 1992, so she is 34 years old in 2026.
Is Sai Pallavi a doctor?
Yes. She studied medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia, graduating in 2016, and cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in 2020. She has not practised as a doctor.
Is Sai Pallavi married?
No. Sai Pallavi is unmarried.
Who plays Sita in Ramayana?
Sai Pallavi plays Sita in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1, opposite Ranbir Kapoor as Rama. The film releases on 5 November 2026.
What was Sai Pallavi’s first movie?
Her first film as a lead was the Malayalam film Premam (2015), in which she played Malar.
Where is Sai Pallavi from?
She was born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and belongs to a Badaga family from Kotagiri in the Nilgiris.
What was Sai Pallavi’s Hindi debut?
Her Hindi debut was Ek Din (2026), a romance with Junaid Khan. Ramayana is her second Hindi film.
Who are Sai Pallavi’s parents?
Her father is Senthamarai Kannan, a retired Central Excise officer, and her mother is Radha Kannan, a dancer. Her younger sister, Pooja Kannan, is also an actress.
How many Filmfare Awards has Sai Pallavi won?
She has won seven Filmfare Awards South, including Best Actress for Fidaa, Love Story, Gargi and Amaran.