18 Facts About Oviya

Helen Nelson, was born on 29 April 1991 and better known professionally by her stage name Oviya, is an Indian actress who works in the Tamil and Malayalam films appeared in few Kannada and Telugu films.

Oviya made her breakthrough as an actress in Sarkunam's rural romantic comedy Kalavani, before appearing in other films including Pandiraj's Marina, Moodar Koodam and Madha Yaanai Koottam.

Oviya has enjoyed box office success through her roles in Sundar C's Kalakalappu and the horror comedy Yaamirukka Bayamey.

In 2017, Oviya appeared on the reality series Bigg Boss Tamil 1.

Oviya began her career as an actress by portraying supporting roles in Malayalam films, notably working in Kangaroo and Puthiya Mukham starring Prithviraj and as one of the lead characters in the college drama Apoorva.

Oviya then worked towards completing a BA in Functional English at Vimala College in Thrissur, before director Sargunam approached her for Kalavani.

Similarly, a reviewer from The Hindu stated "Oviya looks cute and emotes well, which is a rarity these days".

Likewise, the black comedy Moodar Koodam and the thriller Madha Yaanai Koottam featured Oviya in performance-based roles and both won critical acclaim.

Oviya portrayed a glamorous role for the first time in Sundar C's comedy Kalakalappu, where she worked alongside a star cast of Shiva, Vimal and Anjali.

Oviya's acting career began to decline after 2014 and she was primarily offered glamorous roles in low-profile films.

Oviya subsequently moved on to portray a role in the low-budget Hindi film Yeh Ishq Sarfira and then the leading role of a city girl in the Kannada film, Mr Mommaga.

In 2017, Oviya took part in the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss hosted by Kamal Haasan for the Star Vijay channel.

Oviya gained instant popularity on the show through her charm and honesty, in comparison to other housemates.

The popularity of Oviya reached such a high in late July 2017 that the makers of an unrelated Tamil film, Balloon, included a song titled "Neenga Shut Up Pannunga" and dedicated it to the actress.

In early August 2017, Oviya quit the show on medical grounds, following a week-long spat with Arav regarding her one-sided romantic feelings for him.

Oviya called for the public to forgive Shakthi and Julie for their behaviour towards her on the show.

Oviya's acting career saw positive developments following her stint on the show and her subsequent popularity.

Oviya appeared in a sequel to her breakthrough film, Kalavani, titled Kalavani 2 and the female-orientated, controversial script, 90ML, both releasing to negative reviews and poor box office collections.