Prema

Prema, born Neravanda Chengappa Prema on January 6, 1977, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, is an Indian actress who works primarily in the South Indian film industry.

She belongs to the Kodava community from Coorg (Kodagu) and was born to Chetticha and Kavery in a military hospital. She studied at Mahila Seva Samaja High School in Bangalore and completed her PUC at SSMRV College, Bangalore.

She made her acting debut in 1995 opposite Shiva Rajkumar in the Kannada action drama Savyasachi. That same year, she achieved her breakthrough with Om (1995), directed by Upendra, in which she played a powerful female lead alongside Shiva Rajkumar.

Full Name	Prema
Other Name(s)	Neravanda Chetticha Prema
Occupation	Actress
Date of Birth	06-January-1977 (49 years)
Birth Location	Bangalore, India
Gender	Female
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Hindu
Zodiac Sign	Capricorn
Height	163 cm
Weight	53 kg
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Hobbies	Dancing

The film became a cult classic crime-drama and earned Prema great recognition, including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress. Her performance in Om also won her her first Filmfare Award.

Following her success in Om, she became a star in the Kannada film industry during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

She delivered several memorable performances in films such as Nammoora Mandara Hoove (1996), Chandramukhi Pranasakhi (1999), Devi (1999), Yajamana (2000), Kanasugara (2001), and Apthamitra (2004). Her role in the 2001 romantic drama Kanasugara won her her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Kannada.

Prema expanded her career beyond Kannada cinema into Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil films, appearing in over 80 films across all major South Indian languages in a career spanning over two decades. Notable credits in other languages include the Malayalam film The Prince (1996) and the Telugu film Devi, which collected Rs. 18 crores and was later dubbed into Hindi.

Other significant acting credits include Nammoora Mandara Hoove (1996), Dhee (2007), and Upendra Matte Baa (2017).

Prema has shared screen space with renowned actors including Vishnuvardhan, Mohanlal, Venkatesh, Jagapati Babu, Mohan Babu, Krishna, Shivrajkumar, V. Ravichandran, Upendra, Saikumar, and Ramesh Aravind.

She is married to Jeevan Appachu. Prema has received multiple awards throughout her career, including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress, two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress (Kannada), and awards from Screen Videocon, Udaya TV, Devikarani, Chitrapremigala Sangha, and Cinema Express.

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