Unlike the Tamil or Telugu variety, Malayalam actresses are not exactly 'hot'. In fact, most of them are overweight! But it appears Malayalam filmmakers and audience prefer that way.
The funniest thing is, the most glamorous girls migrate to Tamil and Telugu cinema, like Asin, Nayanthara, Gopika and now, Renuka Menon.
rediff.com takes a look at the reigning heroines of Malayalam cinema.
Kavya Madhavan
At 21, this attractive girl started her career as a child artiste, in films like Mammootty's Azhagiya Ravanan. Nowadays, she is mostly paired opposite comedy king Dileep. Kavya faced severe flak by declaring she would not act opposite older men like Mammootty and Mohanlal, but she later withdrew the statement.
She may not be as talented as Meera Jasmine (in Perumazhakalam, Meera towered over her) but she is the top-billed actress in Malayalam now.
Text: Shobha Warrier | Design: Satish Bodas