Meet Mirnalini Ravi, an engineer-turned-actress from Bengaluru who has seamlessly carved a space for herself in South Indian cinema. She now calls Chennai home for all the brilliant work she’s been doing. She made her debut with Super Deluxe and soon went viral with the catchy “Tum Tum” song in Enemy. The gorgeous girl who was born in Pondicherry went on to impress audiences with her stellar roles in Gaddalakonda Ganesh, Champion, MGR Magan, Jango, Organic Mama Hybrid Alludu, Mama Mascheenda and Romeo, blending charm with quiet confidence. Currently balancing a Tamil web series and a Telugu film, her easy screen presence and youthful appeal continue to make her one to watch.

You’re from an engineering background. How did you get your breakthrough into the film industry?
It was destiny that brought me here. It was very accidental. I started as an engineer and was working for IBM in Bangalore. Back then there was an app called Dubsmash, which is now popular as reels and TikToks. So, my videos that I was doing just for fun, got popular and I started getting a lot of offers from the Tamil industry for acting in films. My parents were not happy about the idea and it took me almost a year to make them understand that this is what I wanted to do. Then later I landed up with the film Super Deluxe and one film led to another.

What have been some of the highpoints of your career so far?
Super Deluxe itself was a big high. Then I was also featured in a Kumar Raja film and a lot of people really appreciated my work. The visibility was huge and to be a part of a debut film that did so well with everyone really appreciating it was great. To be a part of such a big debut was a big thing for me. And then later films like Cobra and then Enemy came out which were also a huge success. The Tum Tum song became a huge viral. It is still trending. My personal first favourite forever will be the fact that AR Rahman, was a part of it when they signed me up. They told me the music is going to be by AR Rahman and he usually does only one song from the entire album. They told me that song would be shot on me. I was excited and I told them I’m definitely doing this. And then Telugu films happened. I feel so blessed that I kept getting many offers after that.

Any interesting incidents you’d like to recall during some of these shoots?
Everything was really surprising for me, because this world was something that I never envisioned for myself. I never saw myself on a big screen. Because my complete roadmap to future was being an engineer, or probably go abroad and study masters. And suddenly one day I was standing in front of the camera and people asking me do you know this character? I didn’t watch a lot of films then, so I didn’t remember the names. I just knew Superman and some really big popular names from big films, like Rajini Sir’s films. We don’t watch all the films. So, coming from that kind of a family background, the experience itself was very different. I was going through something new everyday and learning and evolving.

What are your other passions, besides acting and dancing?
I really like travelling. Lately I’ve been travelling to a lot of countries, I just love to look at the architecture and the culture of the places I visit. Recently I went to Japan and I loved the people for their kindness and rich culture. It’s really nice to travel, as it’s very enriching. Sometimes I would call my parents from my travels and tell them I am settling in this country and they would tell me – you better come back soon. And at times, there can also be spots where you may feel that my country is much better.

What’s next on your travel bucket list?
I would love to go to Australia next. I visited Japan on my birthday and I’ve also explored UK extensively, so I’m hoping to do Australia soon and see the kangaroos.

What are your Christmas plans?
My parents live in Bangalore and I live in Chennai for my work, so I think I might be going back to Bangalore. But I’m not sure yet and may suddenly make an impromptu plan to travel out of the country.

What is your style statement?
I like timeless styles. I’m not someone who follows trends blindly. In future when I look back at my pictures, I would like to see myself as minimalistic and classy.

What’s your fitness and nutrition regime?
Fitness is a journey that goes on and on. Currently I’m on strength training. It keeps changing, as I get very bored if I repeat my routine. Earlier I used to do a lot of cardio but now it’s about building muscle and toning.

I never go on crash diets. I like to find a balance and make sure that my nutrition and diet chart becomes a part of my lifestyle. I like to eat everything but in limited portions. It’s very funny because I don’t add sugar in my coffee, but then suddenly I would see a brownie and start eating it. My mother would ask me, what diet is that? So, it is fluctuating like that. I keep adding and subtracting. So if I eat biryani in the afternoon, I will just have a soup at night.

Your favourite actor?
I really like Zendaya from Hollywood and back home I like Suriya and Vijay sir.

Your favourite director?
Mani Ratnam sir.

You’re from Bangalore and now that you live in Chennai, what do you miss about Bangalore the most?
The climate, of course. I also miss the whole vibe. I keep shuttling between the cities as my parents live in Bangalore. The good part about Chennai is that the warm weather here keeps me very active and I really want to keep working. And back in Bangalore I just want to keep sipping hot chocolate and sleep. Especially, since my mom is in Bangalore, so obviously there’s a lot of good food, and home is also like a spot to rest. So, Chennai is a work city and Bangalore is my home city.

Do you handle your social media yourself?
Yes, I handle it myself and it’s nice to receive all the love from my fans on social media. I can relate to all my fans as I’m somebody who came from an engineering background and then because some of my videos went viral, I became famous with my fans. But I still like to be that girl-next-door.

What are the current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently doing a web series in Tamil. We just shot for 100 days. That long stretch was very consuming. I got to learn to have a lot of patience, but I’m enjoying the process. I’m also doing a Telugu film. I can’t really give out the names yet as they’re still in production. Both the projects will be announced officially in January 2026.