Kovai Sarala Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Birth name	Sarala Kumari [1]Natkatti
Full name	Kovai Sarala
Profession	Actress
Famous Role(s)	• Palaniammal Sakthivel Gounder in Tamil film Sathi Leelavathi (1995) • Sarala in Muni 2: Kanchana (2011) • Sarala in Mersal (2017) • Veerathayi in Sembi (2022)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 163 cm in meters- 1.63 m in feet & inches- 5’ 4”
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Film (Tamil): Velli Ratham (1979) Film (Telugu): Veera Prathap (1987) Film (Malayalam): Thaliritta Kinakkal (1980) Film (Kannada): Africadalli Sheela (1986)
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian, Sathi Leelavathi (1995), Poovellam Un Vasam (2001), and Uliyin Osai (2008) • Best Female Comedian, ayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary (2000) and Ori Nee Prema Bangaram Kaanu (2003) • Vijay Award for Best Comedian, Kanchana (2011) • Life Time Achievement Award, The Galatta Crown 2022 • JFW Achievers Award (2022)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 April 1962 (Saturday)
Age (as of 2024)	62 Years
Birthplace	Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Coimbatore, Tamil
Political Inclination	Member of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) political party [2]India Times
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Name Not Known (Army Officer) Mother- Shakthi Illam
Siblings	Brother- One Brother Sister- Four Sisters
Favourites
Comedy Artist(s)	Venniradai Moorthy, Manorama, Sachu
Tamil Film(s)	Karakattakkaran (1989), Varavu Ettana Selavu Pathana (1994), Sathi Leelavathi (1995), Viralukketha Veekkam (1999), Viswanathan Ramamoorthy (2001)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Kovai Sarala

• Kovai Sarala is an Indian actress who is often seen in various supporting roles in the Tamil and Telugu film industries.

• She is the winner of the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian, Best Female Comedian, and the Vijay Award for Best Comedian for her comedy scenes and timings in various films.

• She belongs to a Malayali family.

• Kovai Sarala has lent her vocals to popular songs such as “Marugo Marugo” from the movie Sathi Leelavathi, “Thekkathi Mappillai” from Magalirkaaga, and “Rama Rama” from Villu.

• In an interview, Kovai said that it was because of the support of her father and sister that she entered the world of entertainment.

• To pay respect, Kovai often calls the actors younger to her with the word “Garu.”

• Out of all the Tamil films in which she has acted, Karakattakkaran (1989), Varavu Ettana Selavu Pathana (1994), Sathi Leelavathi (1995), Viralukketha Veekkam (1999), and Viswanathan Ramamoorthy (2001) are her favourite ones. ^[3]The Hindu

• In one of her interviews, she said that she is always grateful to several Tamil directors and assistant directors for excusing her for not speaking Tamil properly. She used to falter while speaking Tamil and it was only due to their support she was able to speak the language fluently.

• When Kovai was in the 9th grade, she was given the chance to collaborate with Vijayakumar and K.R. Vijaya in the movie Velli Ratham (1979).

• After being inspired by MGR’s (Maruthur GopalaMenon Ramachandran) films, Kovai developed a deep passion for acting. At the age of 15, she embarked on her second film, Mundhanai Mudichu. In this movie, Kovai portrayed the character of Arukkani, a pregnant woman who was 32 years old. The film was released in 1983.
  

  Kovai Sarala in Mundhanai Mudichu (1983)

• In the film Chinna Veedu, released in 1985, Kovai took on the role of a 65-year-old mother to Madanagopal, portrayed by K. Bhagyaraj.

• Kovai Sarala took on a significant role in the 2022 film “Sembi” as she portrayed Veerathayi, the grandmother of Sembi, a ten-year-old girl who becomes a victim of gang rape by three powerful offenders. The story primarily focuses on Veerathayi’s journey and her relentless pursuit of justice for her granddaughter. The film, written and directed by Prabhu Solomon, had a global theatrical release on December 30, 2022. Additionally, it was made available on an OTT platform in February 2023.

• She loves to wear salwars, trousers, and comfortable clothes while at home and wears sarees only for shooting.

• Kovai Sarala revealed that her name was Sarala and it was a journalist who added the city name “Coimbatore” and made Coimbatore Sarala or Kovai Sarala ^[4]Tamil Hindustan Times

• After completing her schooling, Kovai Sarala came to Chennai along with her parents. They took a rented house for Rs. 300 in Alwar Pettah. At that time she started looking for opportunities in the film industry. ^[5]Tamil Asianet News

• In an interview, she shared her experience of working as a comedian in various films. She said,

Women comedians are not really scarce, it is just that they do not get continuous work. It was the lack of work that prompted me to work in other language films. There are not good comedy writers now. Male comedians, for all these years, have had their own team or writers. But women like us couldn’t do that. We couldn’t afford to employ four-five writers. We made do with whatever we got and tried to pull off something unique. Films like Shah Jahan happened like that.”

• Kovai played the role of a grandmother Veerathayi in the Tamil film Sembi (2022). To give a realistic look to her character of grandmother, she dyed her hair grey and underwent a de-glam transformation. ^[6]The New Indian Express
• While shooting for the film Sembi in 2022, she didn’t use VFX effects to climb the trees. She said,

I wasn’t prepared for the tree scene at all. I had to sit on a tree branch for four hours overlooking a 1,500 ft drop. There was no point in having safety precautions because if someone falls down from such height, you can’t even find the body. I believe that my acting instructions come from the Almighty, and I don’t have the right to question that. Despite all my efforts, some even asked me whether it was VFX and that hurt me a bit. Right from this scene to carrying Raghava Lawrence master on my hip in the Kanchana films, everything I do is real.”

• Kovai’s name was Sarala Kumari and it was a journalist who added the name Kovai and made it Kovai Sarala. ^[7]Tamil Hindustan Times

• Kovai takes good care of the children of her siblings. She has no plans of getting married to anyone. She said that she is married to her films and wants to work till her death. She feels that the concept of marriage is not for her and she wants to remain single. ^[8]Behindwoods

• Kovai Sarala became a member of Kamal Haasan’s political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), on 8 March 2018. She joined MNM during the party’s Women’s Day festivities held at their headquarters in Chennai. ^[9]The News Minute
  

  Kovai Sarala at headquarters of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in Chennai

• She has appeared as a judge on various reality shows like Asatha Povathu Yaaru? (2007), Comedyil Kalakkuvathu Eppadi (2013), and Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam. She was also a host of the reality show Paasa Paravaigal and the kids’ game show Chellame Chellam.