Monday, July 17, 2017
Born: Dhivyadharshini Neelakandan
Birthday: 17 February 1981
Place of Birth: Chennai, India
Other names: DD
Occupation: Actress, TV anchor
Known for: Koffee with DD, Anbudan DD
Spouse: Srikanth Ravichandran
Dhivyadharshini is an Indian television host and actress from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Initially making her debut as an actress, she featured in supporting roles in films including Kamal Haasan's production Nala Damayanthi (2003), before going on to work in television serials, drawing attention for her performances in Raadan Media ventures, Selvi and Arasi. Since 2007, she has regularly been a host for shows on Vijay TV and in 2014, began hosting Koffee with DD, her own show.
Career
Dhivyadharshini born on 17 February 1981 made her debut as a television anchor in 1999, aged 18, when she successfully auditioned to be the child anchor for Vijay TV's Ungal Theerpu. She made a breakthrough as an actress, portraying a serious character in K. Balachander's television serial Rekkai Kattiya Manasu shown on Raj TV, and subsequently her performance helped her gain further acting assignments. Her feature film debut came in the form of Kamal Haasan's production venture, the 2003 comedy film Nala Damayanthi, where she played the sister of Madhavan's character. She followed it up with a serious role of a girl who commit suicide in the campus horror film Whistle (2003). Dhivyadharshini also featured in the independent English film Five by Four directed by Roopa Swaminathan, where she played one of five Chennai girls, whose lives the film follows. After a few more cameo appearances in films, Dhivyadharshini moved back to television where she played notable roles in Raadan Media ventures, Selvi and Arase. She has also contributed as a dubbing artiste in films, notably voicing Vega Tamotia in Saroja and Piaa Bajpai in Goa.
Since 2007, Dhivyadharshini has become one amongst the leading TV anchors as featured on Tamil television and has notably continued to host several reality TV shows on Vijay TV. She hosted the initial seasons of Jodi Number One alongside Deepak and Aravind Akash, as well being the initial host of Boys Vs. Girls. Famous for their energetic and bubbly humor, her collaborations with Deepak became popular and the pair regularly hosted shows together. She went on to host further shows including Home Sweet Home and Airtel Super Singer, before Vijay TV made her the host of her own show Koffee with DD, an hour long show where she interviews personalities from the film industry.
Personal life
Dhivyadharshini was born to a Tamil father, Neelakandan, and a Malayali mother, Srilatha. Her sister Priyadarshini is also a television host, while her younger brother is an airline pilot. She attended Our Lady's Matriculation Higher Secondary School, and has since has continued part-time education at Anna Adarsh College, Chennai.
She married Srikanth Ravichandran, an assistant director of Gautham Menon, on 29 June 2014. The pair were friends for six years, after which their parents suggested the idea of having them married.
