Niranjana Anoop

Niranjana Anoop’s story is honestly kind of wild when you think about it—this girl basically grew up with dance in her veins and cinema in her DNA. Born in Kozhikode, Kerala, she had art all around her, thanks to her mom Narayani running the Punarjani School of Dance and being an absolute legend in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. No pressure, right? But Niranjana didn’t just sit back and ride her family’s coattails—she jumped in, nailed the moves, and picked up the rhythms herself. That dance background? It shows every time she steps in front of a camera. School-wise, she went to Choice School in Cochin, and even now, she’s juggling college life (Mass Communication, if you’re curious) with film shoots. Total multitasker. Oh, and as if having a super-talented mom wasn’t enough, her uncle’s none other than Ranjith Balakrishnan—yep, the film director. So, yeah, cinema runs in the family. Her big film break came in 2014 with the Tamil flick “Yasagan,” playing Shalini. Not exactly a small start. She kept the momentum going with “Soan Papdi” and “465.” Then came her Malayalam debut in “Loham” (2015)—seriously, she was everywhere. Roles in “Puthan Panam,” “C/O Saira Banu,” “Kala Viplavam Pranayam,” and “B. Tech” just proved she wasn’t some one-hit wonder. People noticed, and not just because of her last name. Niranjana’s got that rare combo of talent and drive, making her a fresh face to watch in both Malayalam and Tamil cinema.