Padmavathy Iyengar, better known by her stage name, Menaka, is an Indian actress and film producer.^[1] She made her debut in the 1979 Tamil film Ramayi Vayasukku Vanthutta. In an acting career spanning from 1980 to 1987, Menaka appeared in over 125 films as a heroine, mostly in Malayalam. She also appeared in few Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. She married Malayalam film producer G. Suresh Kumar.^[2] After 19 years, she made a comeback through the television serial Kaliveedu.^[3] At 8th SIIMA, she received SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award.^[4]

Menaka, whose real name is Padmavathy, was born into a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district, India.^[5] She was the only daughter among the four children of Rajagopal and Saroja. Both her parents were school teachers. Her mother Saroja taught at the Lourdes Girls' Higher Secondary School in Perambur, Madras.^[6][7]

Menaka had become one of the highest-paid actresses in South Indian cinema when she decided to retire from acting post-marriage.^[6] After 24 years, she made a comeback as a film actress in 2011 with Fazil-directed Living Together, in a character role.^[8]

Menaka married film producer G. Suresh Kumar at Guruvayur Temple on 27 October 1987. They have two daughters — Revathy and Keerthy Suresh.^[5] Initially they settled in Chennai and later moved to Thiruvananthapuram. Keerthy is a film actress and Revathy is an assistant director.^[9][10]

• All shows are in Malayalam unless noted otherwise