Swasika Vijay

Swasika Vijay—born Pooja Vijay, but honestly, everyone just knows her as Swasika now—has made quite a mark in Indian cinema, especially down South. She jumped into movies back in 2009, kicked things off with “Vaigai,” playing a village girl. People really noticed her right from the start. Didn’t take her long to bag another role, this time in “Goripalayam,” while she was still juggling her studies. Not the easiest thing, but she pulled it off. Jump a year ahead, she was in “Maithaanam,” diving into themes of friendship and love. Critics were pretty happy with that one—screened at film festivals in Dubai and Chennai too, so, not bad at all. Then, in 2012, Swasika tried her luck in Malayalam films with “Cinema Company,” a story about friends dreaming of making a movie. Same year, she popped up in “Ayalum Njanum Thammil,” a medical drama about two doctors at odds. That one? Big hit. She wasn’t afraid to switch things up either. In “Panduvam,” she became a psychiatrist, stepping out of her usual rural girl roles. Over the years, she’s taken on all sorts—comedy in “Ittymaani: Made in China,” drama in “Vasanthi” (which actually got her a state award), even science fiction with “Appuchi Gramam,” and a bunch of other genres. TV wasn’t left out either—she’s done serials, hosted shows, short films, ads, you name it. She’s the kind of actress who just keeps busy, never quite sticking to one thing.