Priya Mani Raj, who is better known as Priya Mani to her fans, is one of the most popular actresses in the South Indian film industry. She has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. She has won the National Film Award, three Filmfare South Awards and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for her acting skills. Currently, the actress is 41 years old. Still, she is at the top of popularity in the South film industry. In her 2-decade acting career, she has acted in about 37 movies. According to media reports, Priya Mani charges between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 1 crore per film. Her current net worth is estimated at Rs 60.85 crore.
| Attributes | Details |
| Born | 4 June 1984 |
| Alma mater | Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | Mustafa Raj |
Bio Details
Priya Mani was born on 4 June 1984 in Bangalore, Karnataka, to a Tamil Palakkad Iyer family. Her father, Vasudevan Mani Iyer, was a horticulturist by profession, and her mother, Latamani Iyer, was a national-level badminton player. Priya Mani is also known as the granddaughter of Karnataka singer Kamala Kailash, the cousin of actress Vidya Balan, and the niece of playback singer Malgudi Subha.
She studied at Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore, and later completed her pre-university course and degree from Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College, Bangalore. She had a deep passion for acting since childhood. Since then, she used to act alongside her studies. During her school years, she modeled for Kanchipuram Silks, Erode Bharani Silks, and Lakshmi Silks. Due to this, film director Fazil contacted her to act in a film, but Priya did not agree to the offer due to her board exams.
Personal Life
In 2016, Priya Mani got engaged to event organizer Mustafa Raj and they got married in Bangalore in 2017. Since Mustafa Raj is a Muslim, Priya Mani faced a lot of negative criticism.
Filmy Contributions
Priya Mani made her debut in Telugu cinema in 2003. Her first assignment in the Telugu film industry was ‘Ivare Atagadu’. She then made her debut in Tamil cinema in 2004 with the movie ‘Kangalal Kaidhu Sei‘ and in the same year with the movie ‘Sathyam’. Priyamani, who has been working in the film industry for more than 2 decades since 2003, has worked in about 35 movies.
Some of her notable movies:
2009– Ramayana, Puthiya Mukham
2010– Pranchiyettan and the Saint
2016– Idol Ramayana
2023– Jawan
2024– Article 370
2025– Officer on Duty
In 2007, Priyamani won the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for her work in the movie ‘Paruthiviran’. She then won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Malayalam for the movie ‘Thirakkatha’ in 2008 and in Kannada for ‘Charulatha’ in 2012.
