Born on April 8, 1988, Nithya Menen hails from Bangalore, Karnataka, but belongs to a Malayali family. Nithya wanted to become a journalist and even pursued journalism at Manipal University. However, in the second semester, Nithya realised that journalism was not what she wanted to do. (All picture courtesy/Nithya Menen's official Instagram account)

Nithya Menen enrolled at the FTII Pune for a course in cinematography. She had a tough time convincing her parents when she told them about pursuing a career in acting.

Nithya's parents were hesitant initially. "I think our parents' generation is too scared about our future and they want us to see go for a secure profession. So, being a banker, a doctor or an engineer is usually the right profession for them. In my home, creative jobs such as acting and music were not highly encouraged. Today, of course, my parents can see I am doing well and are okay now," Nithya told IANS in an interview recently.

Nithya Menen is a major star in the southern film industry. Very few know that in 1998, Nithya made her acting debut as a child artist with the film 'The Monkey Who Knew Too Much'. Nithya was just 10, then. She played the role of younger sister to Tabu in the film.

At age 20, Nithya entered the film industry as a lead actress. She made her debut in Malayalam with Akasha Gopuram in 2008. She made her Telugu debut with Ala Modalaindi in 2011 and in Tamil with 180, that too released in the same year.

Over a decade into her flourishing career in the South, Nithya Menen made her Bollywood debut with Mission Mangal in 2019. The film, that featured four other actresses namely Sonakshi Sinha, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu and Kirti Kulhari along with Akshay Kumar, saw Nithya playing a scientist.

Well, several filmmakers tried to woo her for Bollywood over the past few years owing to her flourishing career in South. However, she claimed that she never wanted to debut in a conventional rom-com, unlike the norm.

For Nithya Menen, Bollywood is just another language as she worked in four different languages down south, already! The award-winning actress did not want to succumb to the pressure of doing a Hindi film.

"My choice of films from the beginning was unconventional, maybe because I never wanted to become an actor. It was not my biggest dream. I did a film because I loved the story. So when I decided to debut in Bollywood, I was not really looking for a conventional rom-com," said Nithya in an interview with IANS.

While it was earlier believed that only Bollywood stars enjoy pan-India appeal, Nithya Menen dismissed the notion. "A few months ago, I stepped out of a Mumbai restaurant and was surprised to see people asking me for selfies. Later, I figured that the dubbed version of South films are popular. It's not necessary to be a Bollywood star to be recognised," said Nithya in an interview with mid-day.

Her Bollywood debut was a hit. How did that affect her career? "I don't feel like it has affected my career or anything like that. It is going exactly the way it has always been," said Nithya, who always juggles between many films in one year.

More offers from Bollywood? "Yeah, there have been offers. I think it has made a good impact. I get more responses from people who have watched the film," said Nithya.

Apart from acting, she also gave voiceover to the Telugu version of the Hollywood animated film Frozen II, last year.

In 2020, Nithya makes her debut in the web world, with the web series Breathe: Into The Shadows, co-starring Abhishek Bachchan and Amit Sadh. In the trailer, Nithya is seen breaking down and trying to look for her missing child. Breathe: Into The Shadows streams from July 10 on Amazon Prime Video.

Here's wishing all the best to Nithya for Breathe 2!