Gouri G. Kishan

Gouri G. Kishan was still in Class 12 when an uncle in Dubai told her about a casting call. She auditioned for '96 (2018) and played the teenage version of Jaanu, the character played by Trisha. It remains her most familiar role, and the warm response to it brought more offers. Born in Adoor in Pathanamthitta district, she grew up in Chennai, attended The Hindu Senior Secondary School and later earned a BA in Journalism from Christ University, Bengaluru. She acts mostly in Tamil and Malayalam films and has worked in Telugu too. Margamkali (2019), opposite Bibin George, became her Malayalam debut, reaching screens ahead of Anugraheethan Antony, which had been planned as her first Malayalam film but was delayed. In 2020 she played Jaanu again in Jaanu, the Telugu remake of '96, and drew praise from critics, including in The Hindu. She was a college student in Master (2021) and one of three female leads, with Rajisha Vijayan and Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli, in Mari Selvaraj's Karnan with Dhanush. Sridevi Shoban Babu (2023), in which she played the title character, gave her a first lead role in Telugu.