Sai Pallavi Biography: The Doctor-Turned-Star Playing Sita in Ramayana

October 28, 2026

Daniel Reed

Sai Pallavi is an Indian actress and dancer known for natural, makeup-light performances across Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil cinema. Born on 9 May 1992, she shot to fame as Malar in Premam (2015) and now plays Sita in Ramayana: Part 1, which premiered in Los Angeles on 28 October 2026.

Quick facts

Full name: Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan
Born: 9 May 1992, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India (family from Kotagiri, Nilgiris)
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Actress, dancer
Education: Medical degree, Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia (2016)
Known for: Premam, Fidaa, Gargi, Amaran, Ramayana: Part 1
Marital status: Unmarried (as of October 2026)

Early life and education

Sai Pallavi was born on 9 May 1992 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, into a Badaga family from Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district. Her father, Senthamarai Kannan, was a Central Excise officer and former footballer, and her mother, Radha, is a dancer who encouraged her interest in dance. Her younger sister, Pooja Kannan, has also worked as an actress. Pallavi was schooled at Avila Convent School in Coimbatore, where she was already known as a talented dancer. As a teenager she competed in television dance shows, including Vijay TV’s Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva? and ETV’s Dhee, and had small, uncredited film appearances in Kasthuri Maan (2005) and Dhaam Dhoom (2008).

She then studied medicine at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia, completing her degree in 2016. She passed India’s Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in Trichy on 31 August 2020, but has not registered as a practising doctor in India, choosing acting instead. She filmed her breakthrough role during breaks from medical school. (Wikipedia)

Career

Premam and the Malayalam breakthrough (2015–2016)

While still a medical student, Pallavi was cast by director Alphonse Puthren as Malar, a college lecturer, in the Malayalam romantic drama Premam (2015). The film became a huge hit across South India, and her natural, expressive performance made her an overnight star. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South, then followed it with the thriller Kali (2016), opposite Dulquer Salmaan. (Wikipedia; Mid-day)

Telugu stardom: Fidaa and beyond (2017–2021)

Pallavi made her Telugu debut as Bhanumathi, a strong-willed Telangana village girl, in Sekhar Kammula’s Fidaa (2017), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She followed it the same year with Middle Class Abbayi opposite Nani, made her Tamil debut with Diya (2018), and scored a viral dance hit with “Rowdy Baby” from Maari 2 (2018). In 2021 she won further acclaim for Love Story and for playing a devadasi in Shyam Singha Roy, which earned her a Filmfare Critics Award. (Wikipedia; Mid-day)

Gargi, Amaran and critical peak (2022–2024)

In Gargi (2022), a Tamil legal drama, Pallavi played a schoolteacher fighting to prove her father’s innocence; it won her the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress. She then played Indhu Rebecca Varghese in Amaran (2024), the biopic of Major Mukund Varadarajan, opposite Sivakarthikeyan, and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for it at the 70th Filmfare Awards South in February 2026, dedicating the award to the real family behind the story. (Rediff; Moneycontrol)

Hindi debut and Ramayana: Part 1 (2025–2026)

Pallavi made her Hindi film debut in Ek Din (2026), opposite Junaid Khan, in which she played Meera. Her biggest project to date followed: Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part epic Ramayana, in which she plays Sita opposite Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Yash as Ravana. The film held its world premiere on 28 October 2026 at the David Geffen Theatre in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, with Kapoor, Pallavi and Yash on the red carpet. Ramayana: Part 1 releases worldwide on 5 November 2026, with Part 2 slated for Diwali 2027. (Republic World; India TV; The Telegraph)

Major achievements

Pallavi has won multiple Filmfare Awards South, including Best Female Debut for Premam, Best Actress – Telugu for Fidaa and Love Story, Critics Best Actress – Telugu for Shyam Singha Roy and Virata Parvam, and Best Actress – Tamil for Gargi and Amaran. She also won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Gargi, and Forbes named her to its India 30 Under 30 list in 2020. She is known for turning down work that does not fit her values — most famously, in 2019 she rejected a reported ₹2 crore fairness-cream endorsement. (Mid-day; The Times of India)

Personal life

Pallavi is unmarried and keeps her personal life private; she has not publicly confirmed any relationship, and this article does not speculate about one. She lives with her family in Coimbatore when not filming, is a trained dancer and an avid badminton player, and speaks Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English, Kannada and Georgian. (Wikipedia)

Net worth snapshot

As of October 2026, Sai Pallavi’s net worth is estimated at ₹45–50 crore (roughly $5.4–6 million), based on reported film fees and selective endorsements. Her fee has risen from around ₹2.5–3 crore per film early in her career to a reported ₹6 crore-plus for Ramayana: Part 1. The full breakdown, earnings timeline and methodology are in the companion article.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sai Pallavi?

Sai Pallavi is an Indian actress and dancer, born on 9 May 1992, who works in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She became famous as Malar in Premam (2015) and now plays Sita in Ramayana: Part 1.

Is Sai Pallavi a real doctor?

Yes, by education. She completed her medical degree at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia in 2016 and passed India’s Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in 2020, but she chose acting over practising medicine.

What was Sai Pallavi's first film?

Her breakthrough film was the Malayalam romantic drama Premam (2015), in which she played Malar, a college lecturer. She had earlier appeared in small, uncredited roles as a teenager.

Is Sai Pallavi married?

No. As of October 2026, Sai Pallavi is unmarried and has not publicly confirmed any relationship. She keeps her private life out of the spotlight.

What role does Sai Pallavi play in Ramayana?

Sai Pallavi plays Sita in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1, opposite Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Yash as Ravana. The film releases worldwide on 5 November 2026.