Saranya Ponvannan

Acting

Saranya Ponvannan

Born 1970-04-26 · Alappuzha, Kerala, India

Sheela better known by her stage name Saranya is an Indian film actress who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. Saranya made her debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam's Nayagan and went on to play lead roles in a few films during the late 1980s. Following an eight-year sabbatical, she returned to feature films as a character artiste, essaying supporting roles, particularly playing mother characters to lead artists. For her performances in films including Raam (2005), Thavamai Thavamirundhu (2005), Em Magan (2006) and Kalavani (2010), she has received notable critical praise and several accolades, including three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress, while her performance in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru fetched her the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2011.Saranya is the daughter of Malayalam film director A. B. Raj. She is married to a fellow actor, Ponvannan.

Acting credits

Nagabandham: The Secret Treasure poster
4.5

A chosen warrior protects a mystical, serpent-bound Himalayan temple from those seeking to steal the power of the Brahma Kamalam, a divine relic.

Nagabandham: The Secret Treasure

2026

No artwork available
7.3

Seevalaperi Pandi is a 1994 Tamil drama film directed by Prathap K. Pothan. The film features Napoleon in lead role making his debut as hero. The film, produced by P. G. Srikanth, had musical score by Adithyan and was released on 23 June 1994. The film is based on the life of 'Seevalaperi' Pandi.

Seevalaperi Pandi

1994

Yavarum Nalam poster
6.3

Manohar and his family move into a new apartment on the 13th floor. However, their peace is disturbed by a spirit that uses the television set as a medium to communicate with them.

Yavarum Nalam

2009

Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam poster
6.2

Prabhu, a young chef, is ready to move forward with an arranged marriage when his past love, Nila, unexpectedly reenters his life, challenging his plans and emotions.

Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam

2025

Muthukku Muthaaga poster
6.2

No synopsis available yet.

Muthukku Muthaaga

2011

Vatthikuchi poster
6.5

A share auto-driver gets entangled in a plot where 3 criminals want him dead.

Vatthikuchi

2013

Bha. Bha. Ba. poster
3.6

After the Chief Minister of Kerala is kidnapped, a determined investigator is brought in to track down the mysterious abductor, uncovering hidden motives and secrets behind the crime.

Bha. Bha. Ba.

2025

Junga poster
5.6

A simpleton has to turn into a quirky, albeit miserly, don to save his legacy and his ancestral property, a movie hall.

Junga

2018

Thambikku Indha Ooru poster
3.2

Akil, a rich youth, runs a restaurant in partnership with his friend Cola Kumar in Singapore. One day, he discovers that he is an orphan and embarks on a journey to find his biological parents.

Thambikku Indha Ooru

2010

Aakasha Kottayile Sultan poster
7.8

Kesavan Kutty's job is to build houses for Georgekutty, an NRI. To settle his debts, Kesavan Kutty rents out the houses. It's sheer chaos when Georgekutty arrives unexpectedly.

Aakasha Kottayile Sultan

1991

No artwork available
NR

An athletic trainer, who feels flabbergasted by the kinesthetic intelligence of a poor girl, puts her through rigorous training to transform her into a world-class sprinter.

Ashwini

1991

Oru Kuprasidha Payyan poster
6.8

It is a murder mystery which draws its inspiration from the real-life murders in Kerala and explores how a person can be framed and labelled a criminal, even if there is no solid proof of their guilt.

Oru Kuprasidha Payyan

2018

No artwork available
NR

A village love story

Melangottu Thalikattu

1988

No artwork available
6.0

Meenu (Madhuri) kidnaps a girl child Daisy with heart problem, close to a thief Arun (Arjun) to get his help to retrieve his kidnapped husband Scientist Seethapathy.She promises to help him with money for Daisy's treatment at USA. Meenu instructs Arun to befriend four girls, each specialised in individual adventure techniques to overpower the lady gorilla soldiers gauarding the scientist. Sathya (Seetha), Shanthi(Rekha), Anitha(Shanti Priya), Saranya(Rita) are the four girls & Arun's girlfriend Rani (Pallavi)also joins the adventure.Rest of the story is romance & adventures by Arun to complete this mission & save Daisy with the help of this friend & jailmate Gnanaprakasam (Sendhil)& Climax with a twist in tale.

Dhayam Onnu

1988

Velaiyilla Pattathari poster
7.5

Raghuvaran, who is unemployed for years, gets his dream job but a powerful rival is keen to put him down. Can he take on his adversary?

Velaiyilla Pattathari

2014

Inba Twinkle Lilly poster
NR

Three elderly women, who are in desperate need of money, plan to rob a bank — the same place where they had previously lost their hard-earned money during a bank robbery!

Inba Twinkle Lilly

2018

Bhoomi poster
4.4

Bhoominathan, a NASA scientist, returns to his drought-affected village in Tamil Nadu and decides to fight against the evil corporates and corrupt politicians responsible for the plight of his people.

Bhoomi

2021

Kallapart poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Kallapart

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam poster
6.1

Guru hatches several plans to separate Priya and her lover Thirukumaran. However, Thirukumaran successfully manages to escape from Guru's evil plans and traps him in another problem.

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam

2006

No artwork available
NR

Sigappu Thali is a 1988 Tamil-language Indian feature film, starring Charan Raj, Nishanthi and Saranya

Sigappu Thali

1988

Ennum Nanmakal poster
8.0

Radha Devi (Santhi Krishna) is an office assistant working in the city of Kozhikode. She is in love with the unemployed Sivan (Jayaram). Radha Devi moves to Satyavathiyamma's (KPAC Lalitha) home as a paying guest along with two friends, Indu (Saranya) and Rama (Sari). They meet the irascible Dr. Anirudhan (Sreenivasan), a widower with a baby girl.

Ennum Nanmakal

1991

Chaarulatha poster
5.8

Chaarulatha (also spelled as Charulatha) is a 2012 Indian horror film simultaneously made in Kannada and Tamil languages. The film was directed by Pon Kumaran, a former associate to K. Bhagyaraj and K. S. Ravikumar, and features Priyamani in the lead role. The film was an adaptation of the Thai horror film Alone. Sundar C Babu composed the film's music.] The film’s story is about conjoined twins. Produced by Global One Studios and distributed by Hansraj Saxena's Sax Pictures, Charulatha released on 21 September 2012 with dubbed Malayalam and Telugu versions with the same title.

Chaarulatha

2012

No artwork available
1.0

Kottai Vaasal is a 1992 Indian Tamil film, directed by Selva Vinayagam and produced by Mohan Natarajan and Tharangai V. Shanmugam. The film stars Arun Pandian, Sukanya, Saranya and Goundamani in lead roles. The film had musical score by Deva.

Kottai Vaasal

1992

Manam poster
7.2

A married couple die in an accident, leaving behind a son. As he grows up and becomes successful, he comes across reincarnations of his father and mother as youngsters, and vows to bring them back together.

Manam

2014