Born Asha Kelunni Nair in Kochi to an Indian Army officer and a mother of Palakkad Iyer heritage, she honed her skills as a Bharatanatyam dancer before being spotted in a school fashion-show photograph that led director Bharathiraja to cast her in Mann Vasanai, earning a Filmfare Special Award - South. She quickly expanded into Malayalam with Kattathe Kilikkoodu and entered Telugu cinema through S…
