Mammootty’s heroine made her film debut in Malayalam at 15 without knowing a word of the language; now has a net worth of over Rs 2,000 crore

It was a school play that paved the way for Rambha's film debut in legendary Malayalam director Hariharan's Sargam.

Kochi | Updated: August 26, 2025 04:09 PM IST

Rambha in legendary Malayalam director Hariharan's Sargam. (Credit: IE Malayalam)

When making up her mind to go on stage for the first time to play Goddess Amman in a school play, 15-year-old Yeedi Vijayalakshmi, born in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada, had not expected that the decision would change her life forever. It was this opportunity that paved the way for her film debut in legendary Malayalam director Hariharan’s Sargam (1992), which went on to win several National and State awards.

The performance of Yeedi Vijayalakshmi — introduced in Sargam under the screen name Amrutha — as the female lead, Thankamani, also impressed everyone and the audience’s respect for her multiplied upon learning that she was a non-Malayali who didn’t know a single word in the language, yet played a deeply rooted character with perfection. Soon, she landed her first Telugu movie, in which she portrayed a polar opposite, modern character named Rambha, which ultimately became her official screen name thereafter.

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After her debut, it took no time for Rambha to grab the attention of A-listers and industry bigwigs. She soon appeared opposite “Superstar” Rajinikanth, Mammootty, “Thalapathy” Vijay, Ajith Kumar, Chiranjeevi, Krishna Ghattamaneni, Daggubati Venkatesh, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayakanth, Prabhu, Karthik, and Jagapati Babu in massive films.

Rambha and Salman Khan in Bandhan. (Express archive photo)

Her notable movies include Arunachalam, Hitler, Chronic Bachelor, Ninaithen Vandhai, Kaathala Kaathala, Maatho Pettukoku, Dharma Chakkaram, Raasi, Endrendrum Kadhal, Champakulam Thachan, Sidhartha, Muddula Priyudu, Allari Premikudu and Rowdy Annayya. In addition to Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu, she also worked in Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, and Bhojpuri films. In 2003, she became a producer by bankrolling director Parameswar’s action-adventure Three Roses, wherein she shared the screen with Jyothika and Laila.

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In 2010, Rambha married Canadian businessman Indrakumar Pathmanathan and moved to Toronto, taking a hiatus from cinema. She and her husband have three children: Lavanya, Sasha, and Shivin. The actor was last seen in the Malayalam film The Filmstaar (2011), which featured Dileep and Kalabhavan Mani in the lead roles. Although she is not currently active in cinema, she has often appeared as a judge on various television reality shows, with her most recent stint being in Jodi Are U Ready Season 2.

Now 49, Rambha also serves as a partner in her husband’s business. Indrakumar is the director of a company called Magic Woods, and the couple has about five companies. Producer Kalaipuli S Thanu once reportedly revealed that Rambha and her husband’s net worth is around Rs 2,000 crore.

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