Menu

Vidhya Rani Age, Caste, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Quick Info→
Age: 33 Years
Husband: Mariya Deepak
Hometown: Salem, Tamil Nadu

Vidhya Rani

Bio/Wiki
Birth nameVijayalakshmi [1]Vijayalakshmi - Instagram
Other Name Vidhya Veerappan [2]Vidhya Veerappan - Facebook
Profession(s)• Politician
• Actor
Famous forBeing the daughter of Indian bandit-turned-domestic terrorist Veerappan
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 165 cm
in meters- 1.65 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Politics
Political PartyBharatiya Janata Party
BJP logo
Political Journey• February 2020: Joined the Bharatiya Janata Party
• July 2020: Elected as the Tamil Nadu State Vice-president of party's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) 
Acting
DebutTamil Film: Maaveeran Pillai (2023)
Vidhya Rani in the film 'Maaveeran Pillai'
Personal Life
Date of Birth30 October 1990 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2023) 33 Years
BirthplaceSalem, Tamil Nadu
Zodiac signScorpio
NationalityIndian
HometownSalem, Tamil Nadu
SchoolSt.Joseph's Residential School, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
College/University• VV Puram Law College, Bangalore
• Women's Christian College, Chennai
Educational Qualification(s)• Bachelor in Arts from Women's Christian College, Chennai [3]The Times of India
• B.A. L.L.B from VV Puram Law College, Bangalore [4]The Hindu
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/BoyfriendsMariya Deepak (2009-2011)
Marriage Date30 March 2011
Family
Husband/SpouseMariya Deepak
Vidhya Rani with Mariya Deepak
ChildrenSon- Name Not Known
Vidhya Rani's son
Daughter- Name Not Known
Vidhya Rani's daughter
ParentsFather- Veerappan (bandit-turned-domestic terrorist)
Veerappan
Mother- Muthulakshmi (politician)
Veerappan's wife
SiblingsBrother- None
Sister- Prabha
Vidhya Rani's sister, Prabha

Vidhya Rani

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vidhya Rani

  • Vidhya Rani is an Indian politician and actor who is known for being the daughter of Indian dacoit and sandalwood smuggler Veerappan. She gained popularity when she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2020.
  • Vidhya’s parents got married in a forest temple in January 1990. Sometime after their marriage, her mother conceived Vidhya and during her pregnancy, they lived in the forest for eight months. However, as the time for delivery neared, Muthulakshmi decided to go back to her parent’s home. Due to the fear of arrest, Muthulakshmi’s father took her to Chennai, where she surrendered to the police. She was then placed in a women’s hostel and eventually gave birth to Vidhya. An STF officer named Sylendra Babu named her Vidya Rani.

    Veerappan with his wife

    Veerappan with his wife

  • Her father participated in numerous illegal activities, including kidnapping, murder, extortion, smuggling of sandalwood, and poaching elephants for their ivory. He was found guilty of killing a total of 184 individuals, out of which 97 were police officers and forest officials. Additionally, he was involved in the killing of around 900 elephants for their tusks.
  • In October 2004, a Special Task Force carried out ‘Operation Cocoon’ with the aim of apprehending Veerappan. During this operation, on 18 October 2004, he was killed by the STF in Papparapatti, Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu as a result of injuries sustained from ballistic trauma. When her father died, she was in a boarding school where she studied since Pre-KG and was the last one in the family to be informed about his death.

    Officers of STF celebrating after Veerappan's death

    Officers of STF celebrating after Veerappan’s death

  • According to her, she met her father once when she was around six years old during a school vacation when she was at my grandfather’s village Gopinatham, near Hanur in Karnataka. He came to where she was playing, chatted with her briefly, and then left. She recalled him encouraging her to do well in her studies, become a doctor, and serve others. The other things she got to know about him were from the people in her surroundings. They told her that her father was a good human being.
  • When she was young, she saw many people who suffered from clashes between her father and the Police. According to her, they were mentally and economically affected and didn’t have basic education, so she always wanted to help them.
  • In an interview, she said that her teachers and sisters have helped him become a good person. Education played an important role in her life in choosing the correct path. She further said that while she was pursuing law, she made many friends despite her background. She added that her friends knew who she was but never judged her for that and even helped her when she faced any problems.
  • She runs a small kids’ school in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district. Vidya’s school has around 7 teachers and follows a regular schedule with classes and activities in the morning. After that, they have additional activities. On weekends, they provide spoken English classes and civil services coaching, taught by experts who have excelled in those fields.
  • Rani made headlines in 2011 when she stood against her mother for her husband. According to various media reports, her husband Deepak, fell in love with Rani when he met her at a college function. Their relationship continued for two years and after graduation, they married each other. The marriage was registered with the Kodambakkam Sub-Registrar on 23 April 2011. Rani’s mother was not happy with their marriage because Deepak was Christian, but Deepak’s parents totally accepted their relationship. They lived in a hotel room for six months. One day, Rani’s mother took her back to their hometown with the promise that she would accept her marriage. She also expressed her desire to have Rani’s presence at a function near Veerappan‘s memorial site in Macheri village, Salem district. During Rani’s time there, her mother attempted to convince her to reconsider her decision. Rani was not allowed to go back to her husband. In September 2011, her husband filed a petition in court alleging his mother-in-law, Muthulakshmi, was not allowing his wife to come back home. When Justices C Nagappan and M Sathyanarayanan heard the habeas corpus petition, the court was not aware of Rani’s identity. When Rani was produced to the court, she told that she wished to be with her husband and because she was 21 years, she could take such a decision. After the submission of documents, the court permitted them to live together. After some days, her mother asked the family members to not help Rani with any money. In an interview, she also stated that her daughter was manipulated by Deepak and he was just using her money as he was unemployed.
  • In February 2020, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in an event organised in Krishnagiri of Tamil Nadu where Party general secretary Muralidhar Rao and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan were present. In the event, she said,

    I want to work for the poor and underprivileged irrespective of their caste and religion. PM Narendra Modi’s schemes are for the people and I want to take them to the people.”

    Vidhya Rani joining BJP

    Vidhya Rani joining BJP

  • In July 2020, she was elected as the Tamil Nadu State Vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the party’s youth wing.
  • In an interview, she explained that she always had a strong interest in serving the community which is why she joined politics. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan suggested she do social work for a party because she liked doing it.
  • On 27 July 2023, the OTT platform Netflix released the trailer for the documentary titled ‘The Hunt for Veerappan’ and on 4 August 2023, the documentary was made available for streaming on the platform. The documentary was based on the life of Vidhya’s father.

    Poster of the film 'The Hunt For Veerappan'

    Poster of the film ‘The Hunt For Veerappan’