Monisha Unni

Monisha Unni (24 January 1971 – 5 December 1992) was an Indian actress, known for her works Predominantly in Malayalam films and in a few Tamil films.^[1]

Monisha Unni
Born	Monisha 24 January 1971 Panniyankara, Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Died	5 December 1992(1992-12-05) (aged 21) X-ray Junction, Cherthala, Alappuzha
Alma mater	Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
Occupation(s)	Actress Classical Dancer
Years active	1984–1992
Known for	Nakhakshathangal Perumthachan Kamaladalam
Parent(s)	Narayanan Unni Sreedevi Unni

Monisha was 16 when she became the youngest actress ever to receive the National Film Award for Best Actress for Nakhakshathangal (1986), her debut feature film.^[2] Along with Sharada, Shobhana, Meera Jasmine, and Surabhi Lakshmi. Monisha Unni is one of six Malayalam actresses who have won the National Film Award for Best Actress.^[3][4]

In her short career, Monisha collaborated with directors such as M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Hariharan, Priyadarshan, Ajayan, Kamal and Sibi Malayil.^[5]

Early life

Monisha Unni was born in Panniyankara, Kozhikode, in 1971 to Narayanan Unni and Sreedevi Unni.^[6] She completed her schooling at St. Charles High School, Bangalore, and Bishop Cotton Girls School, Bangalore. She then completed her graduation in psychology at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.^[7] She had an elder brother, Sajith Unni.^[8]

Death

Monisha Unni was working on the Malayalam film Cheppadividya when she died in a car accident. On 5 December 1992, a car carrying Monisha and her mother Sreedevi Unni collided with a KSRTC bus at X-Ray Bypass Junction near Cherthala in Alappuzha district of Kerala. She was 21 years old. Monisha was sleeping on the back seat when the accident occurred. Her mother, Sreedevi was thrown out of the car, but escaped with bruises and fractures. Monisha, however, died within minutes due to cervical fracture of her spine. Reports said Monisha was bleeding through her nose and ears. Although she was taken to the nearby KVM hospital, she had died. The driver of their Ambassador car too died in the accident. ^[3][9] After conducting an autopsy at Government Medical College, Alappuzha, her dead body was taken to her home in Bengaluru, where she was cremated. Thousands attended her funeral.

Career

Malayalam novelist M. T. Vasudevan Nair, who is also a screenwriter and film director, was a family friend of Monisha. M. T. was responsible for Monisha's entry into films. She made her debut in Nakhakshathangal (1986), which was written by M. T. and directed by Hariharan. The film portrayed a love triangle involving three teenagers. Monisha's portrayal of Gowri, the film's female protagonist, won her the National Film Award for Best Actress in 1987.^[7][10]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Language	Notes
1984	Paavayya		Tamil	A 16 mm B/W Tamil short film directed by U. S. Vaasan (based on "Vilaivu", a short story by K. I. Rajanarayanan)
1986	Nakhakshathangal	Gowri	Malayalam	National Film Award for Best Actress
	Rithubhedam	Thankamani
	Sayam Sandhya	Vinumol
1987	Pookkal Vidum Thudhu	Gowri	Tamil
	Lawyer Bharathi Devi	Leela	Telugu
1988	Aryan	Sainabha	Malayalam
	Chiranjeevi Sudhakar	Sandhya	Kannada	Twin role
		Sarala
	Kanakambarangal	Sreedevi	Malayalam
1989	Dravidan	Salma	Tamil
	Adhipan	Geetha	Malayalam
1990	Kuruppinte Kanakku Pustakom	Sathi
	Veena Meettiya Vilangukal	Sridevi
	Perumthachan	Kunhikkavu Thamburatti
	Kaazhchakkappuram	Ammu
1991	Venal Kinavukal	Nalini
	Kadavu	Devi
1992	Unna Nenachen Pattu Padichen	Dhanam	Tamil
	Thalastaanam	Radha	Malayalam
	Oru Kochu Bhoomikulukkam	Viji
	Kudumbasametham	Thulasi
	Kamaladalam[11]	Malavika
	Champakulam Thachan	Ammu
	Cheppadividya	Elsa
1993	Moondravadhu Kann	Priya	Tamil