Shamna Kasim

"The ghost queen of South films" was how The Hindu described Shamna Kasim after a run of ghost roles that included the hit Avunu (2012), its 2015 sequel and Raju Gari Gadhi (2015). Billed as Poorna in Telugu and Tamil films, she is an actress, dancer and model from Kannur, Kerala, and works across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada cinema. As a girl she changed schools to give more time to dance. Her first film was the Malayalam drama Manju Poloru Penkutty (2004). Her Telugu debut, Sri Mahalakshmi (2007), gave her a first major role, and she played the female lead in her first Tamil film, Muniyandi Vilangial Moonramandu (2008). The Kannada film Jhossh (2009) ran for 100 days and was her biggest early success. In Malayalam, her films include Chattakkari (2012), Aaru Sundarimaarude Katha (2013) and Mili (2015). She shaved her head for Kodiveeran (2017) and has judged dance reality shows on Telugu and Malayalam television. Later films include Madhura Raja, Maarconi Mathaai, Akhanda, Drushyam 2, Dasara and the Tamil horror thriller Devil, and in 2025 she returned to her Akhanda role in Akhanda 2: Thaandavam. Following the popular Kurchi Madathapetti song, she features in the song Ala Bolelo in Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 (2026), a cameo for which she publicly thanked director Nelson.