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Kani Kusruti Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 6, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth12 September 1985

Age39 Years

BirthplaceCheruvakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

ProfessionActress, Model

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyDaughter of Jayasree A. K. and Maitreya Maitreyan

Kani Kusruti Biography

Kani Kusruti is an Indian actress known for her work in Malayalam cinema and theatre. Trained in theatre in India and Paris, she rose to wider attention as

Early life and background

Kani Kusruti was born on 12 September 1985 in Cheruvakkal, a village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She grew up in Thiruvananthapuram and attended a Malayalam-medium government school. Her parents, Jayasree A. K. and Maitreya Maitreyan, are social activists who chose not to use a family surname; Kani adopted the surname Kusruti, which means mischievous in Malayalam, when she was fifteen.

Her early exposure to performance came through street plays and later involvement with the Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, where she began working as a theatre artist. These formative years in theatre shaped her approach to acting and storytelling.

Career

Kani made her film debut in 2003 with a supporting role in the Malayalam film Anyar and appeared the same year in Manushyaputhri. She continued to work in theatre and film while pursuing formal training: she studied at the School of Drama & Fine Arts in Thrissur and later trained in physical theatre at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris for two years.

Following her return to India she began taking on a steady stream of film work. She appeared in The Kerala Cafe (2009) and by 2013 was featured in several Malayalam productions including Oru Indian Pranayakadha, North 24 Kaatham, Hotel California, and Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla. Her Tamil debut came in 2014 with Pisaasu, and she also appeared that year in Burma. In 2017 she had a role in the Tamil film Spyder.

Kani’s performance as Khadeeja in the Malayalam film Biriyaani (2019/2020) brought significant recognition. That work earned her multiple Best Actress awards in 2019 and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress in 2020. She has also been active on screen beyond feature films: she made her television debut in 2015 on the Flowers TV series Ishwaran Sakshiyayi, and in 2021 she entered the digital space with appearances in the Disney+ Hotstar series OK Computer and the Sony LIV series Maharani.

Theatre has remained a throughline in her career. Her theatrical debut with Abhinaya was in the production Bhagavadajjukam, and she worked with the company from 2000 to 2006 before further study and a continued mix of stage and screen projects.

Public profile

Kani’s public statements and actions reflect a willingness to speak on social issues. In 2019 she and other public figures signed an open letter to the prime minister expressing concern about lynching and violence against minorities; that letter later prompted legal action in one jurisdiction. She has spoken publicly about the difficulties women face in the film industry, including experiences that led her to temporarily step back from films and focus on theatre.

Her work has sometimes attracted controversy. A 2016 short film she appeared in provoked strong reactions online because of its subject matter. Separately, her choice of red lipstick at a state film awards ceremony in 2021 became a topic of discussion; she described the choice as a deliberate push against colour-based beauty taboos.

Kani has used public platforms such as magazine cover shoots to make personal statements about representation: when photographed for a women’s magazine in 2020 she requested minimal makeup and asked that her body hair not be edited out of the images.

Personal life and interests

Kani is the only child of her parents. She is unmarried. Her father is Maitreya Maitreyan and her mother is Dr Jayasree AK, a community medicine specialist and lecturer. She trained academically in theatre, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and further studies at the Jacques Lecoq school in Paris.

She follows a non-vegetarian diet and has described a traditional Kerala meal as her comfort food. Kani cites directors and actors from Malayalam cinema among her influences and has acknowledged that, had she not become an actor, she might have pursued public health, medicine or dance.

Latest updates

In recent years Kani continued to work across film, television and streaming platforms. After the heightened recognition for Biriyaani, she appeared in several 2022 Malayalam films including Super Sharanya, Pada, Vichithram, and Nishiddho. Her most notable digital and streaming appearances in 2021 included roles in OK Computer and Maharani.

She remains a visible figure in Malayalam cinema and theatre, combining stage training with screen work and public engagement on social issues.
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Recent Work

Biriyaani

Played the lead role of Khadeeja in the Malayalam-language film; award-winning performance.

2019/2020
OK Computer

Played Monalisa Paul in the Disney+ Hotstar web series.

2021
Maharani

Played Kaveri Sridharan in the Sony LIV series.

2021
Super Sharanya, Pada, Vichithram, Nishiddho

Appeared in multiple Malayalam films released in 2022.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Debut in Malayalam cinema with Anyar (2003)
  2. Trained at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris
  3. Multiple Best Actress awards for Biriyaani, including the Kerala State Film Award (2020)
  4. Television debut on Ishwaran Sakshiyayi (2015) and digital debut with OK Computer (2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Kani Kusruti born?

12 September 1985

What is Kani Kusruti known for?

Actress, Model

What is Kani Kusruti’s marital status?

Unmarried