Girija ShettarGirija was a lead actress in South Indian films from the age of 17. She won numerous awards and is well known for two perennially popular films: Geetanjali (1989, dir. Mani Ratnam) and Vandanam (1989, dir. Priyadarshan). Her citations include: Encyclpaedia of Indian Cinema (eds. Ashish Rajadhyaksha & Paul Willemen) and the inclusion of Geetanjali in the British Film Institute's 2002's Mani Ratnam retrospective on strong female leads. She left films to pursue academic studies and yoga. Working as a senior business journalist in London for 14 years, she became a meditation facilitator in 2023, building on 30 years of practice and supported intellectually by post-graduate studies in psychology and Indian philosophy, including a PhD in the integral yoga philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. Girija's latest film in which she features in a special role is Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali ('Dewdrops, Sunshine and a Blade of Grass'). The film was released by Paramvah Studios in September 2024 and is available on Amazon Prime. Read More Read Less