Meet specially-abled actor who debuted at 18, performs through imitation, is skilled in Bharatnatyam and has done 58 films so far

Meet the actor who, until now, has proven to everyone how acting can be a mode of expression for the specially abled as well. She has worked with some of the biggest stars across South cinema and was recognized for her exceptional skills in Bharatanatyam. 

Can you take a guess at who we are speaking about? Yes, it’s Abhinaya.

Who is Abhinaya?

Born in November 1991, Abhinaya has cemented her fame across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema. She is both speech and hearing impaired, and yet it has not stopped her from being one of the most sought-after stars in regional cinema.

Due to her disabilities, Abhinaya found it difficult to cope with mainstream schooling. She also attended a school for the specially abled. However, she found it challenging to pursue academics and subsequently left education after the 10th standard.

Abhinaya’s foray into modelling and films

One of her inherent passions from the beginning was the art of imitation and performance, which eventually led her to pursue a career in films. With additional years of therapy and training, she was partially able to overcome her speech and hearing impairments.

At the age of 17, Abhinaya forayed into acting with the 2009 Malayalam film Naadodigal, which led to her gaining fame and attracting the attention of many.

How Abhinaya’s parents helped her fuel her passion for acting

Well, her journey towards such a competitive space like movies wasn’t easy, especially since she had been specially abled. Abhinaya’s first step towards it began by mastering sign language along with learning lip-reading in English.

According to an IMDb report, the actress had also undergone a Cochlear implant procedure, which enabled her to hear with the aid of a machine. 

Initially, her mother used to help her write all the dialogues from the scripts in full English and thereafter practice with her before her shot. In fact, many of her co-artists also helped her continually, to the end where she did not need to be given many takes for a scene.

Abhinaya bagged her debut due to her phenomenal dancing skills

Besides acting, Abhinaya is exceptionally talented in Bharatanatyam, a skill that eventually helped her secure her debut film, Naadodigal. Well, director Samudrakani came across her photoshoot and dancing skills in a video, which prompted him to cast her in his Malayalam movie.

Fame into movies, shift towards Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films

Following the massive success of Naadodigal, Abhinaya was cast to star in the Kannada and Tamil remakes of the same film. The project and its remakes fetched her a number of awards as well.

Thereafter, she was lined up with several promising offers. These included Jr NTR’s Dammu, Nagarjuna’s Dhamarukam, Suriya’s Aum Arivu, and much more. In 2015, Abhinaya signed her Malayalam debut with The Reporter.

The same year, she also made her debut in Bollywood with the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Shamitabh.

Abhinaya’s personal life

The actress maintains an active presence on Instagram, where she regularly posts glimpses of her life and work. In March 2025, Abhinaya got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Vegesena Karthik. The same year in April, the couple tied the knot in a grand affair in Hyderabad.

Abhinaya’s work front

Coming to her film career, the last year of 2024 saw Abhinaya deliver one of her path-breaking performances alongside Joju George in the movie Pani. Her performance was immensely lauded by the audiences and critics alike.

Moving on, the year 2025 will see Abhinaya being part of Nayanthara’s film, Mookuthi Amman 2, as well as Demonte Colony 3. 

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