| Utthara Unni | |
| Birth Place: | Thiruvalla, Kerala, India |
| Yearsactive: | 20122018 |
| Parents: | Hariharan(Director) Urmila Unni |
Utthara Unni is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer from Kerala. She has directed some short films, documentaries and music videos. She also acted in two films. She heads a dance academy called Temple Steps[1] in Kochi, Kerala.
She has performed in Natyanjali festivals held at Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thirunallar, Nagapattinam, Mayavaram, Thiruvarur and Thanjavur. Some of her stages include Soorya Dance Festival – Parampara,[2] Mylapore Fine Arts – Chennai, Sangeetha Nataka Akademi – Thrissur, Nishagandhi – Trivandrum, Eranakulam Shiva temple, Guruvayur, Mookambika temple, Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan – Trivandrum. Utthara has also made a name for herself by giving solo concerts in other countries such as Nepal, Thailand, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain and Kuwait.[3] [4]
She is also the director of the dance school "Temple Steps" situated in Cochin,[5] She is a member of the UNESCO International Dance Council.[6]
Utthara's directorial debut was through a short film Randaam Varavu featuring her mother Urmila Unni. The film won her five awards for best direction.[7] She later directed a supernatural short-film featuring Urmila Unni and Devan called Ninth Month. She was praised about her writing and film making skills in her next short film Paw Prints[8] featuring Siddique. The short film is about relationship between a man and a dog.[9] She has also created music videos and documentaries. Utthara Unni is also an acclaimed singer and has released a music album titled Pathirapontheril..[10]
She made her debut in the Tamil film Vavval Pasanga (2012) directed by Suresh. Her first Malayalam film[11] [12] was Edavappathy, directed by Lenin Rajendran. Utthara portrayed dual roles of Vasavadatta (a famous character from Kumaran Asan's poem Karuna) and a modern girl Yamini in the parallel story of the film. Her performance was critically acclaimed and won her the Kerala Film Critics Association Award for the best upcoming actor (debut).[13] [14]
Utthara started her TV career in 2015 with a show called Mambazham in Kairali TV. Currently, she is hosting a reality show on Amrita TV called Autumn Leaf[15] to find the best music band in Kerala.
Utthara Unni is daughter of Malayalam actress Urmila Unni and is married to businessman Nithesh S Nair.[16]
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Vavval Pasanga | Tamil | |||
| 2016 | Edavappathy | Vasavadatta/Yamini | Malayalam |
| Year | Show Name | Role | Channel | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Mambazham | Host | Kairali TV | Malayalam | ||
| 2018 | Autumn Leaf | Host | Amrita TV | Malayalam |