Andrea Jeremiah is an Indian actress, playback singer, dancer, composer and musician who mainly works in the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. Andrea began her career in the film industry as a playback singer and eventually went on to become an actor.
EARLY LIFE
Andrea Jeremiah was born in an Anglo-Indian Roman Catholic family in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. Her father was a lawyer and her mother a homemaker. The pretty actress grew up in Chennai with her younger sister and went to Sacred Heart Matriculation Higher Secondary School and completed her graduation from Women's Christian College. Andrea is a self-confessed geek and until she finished her 12th board exams, she aspired to become a psychiatrist. But, she always had a keen interest in music and she started playing piano since she was eight years old and by the age of 10, she was part of the Jackson Five-style troupe known as Young Stars. Her time with the group formed the base for her career in singing and music composition.
While the actress was in college she participated in several stage plays that were organized by The Madras Players and EVAM. She even organized a company called TSMGO Productions (The Show Must Go On) to promote the live art and artistes. In an interview, the actress said that while she was in college she received many film offers but she turned down the offers because she had no intention of becoming an actor.
PERSONAL LIFE
In 2012, Andrea Jeremiah was romantically linked to the photographer-actor Sunder Ramu, however, she denied that they are in a relationship and announced that they have been close friends for over a decade. A year later, in August 2013, after her private photos with music composer, Anirudh Ravichander surfaced on the internet, she confirmed that she was in a relationship with him. Andrea later announced that she is not bothered about the leaked pictures and that the two have ended their relationship. She was also linked to her , Annayum Rasoolum, co-star, Fahadh Faasil but the actress rejected the reports.
MOVIE CAREER
As an Actor
Andrea Jeremiah started her acting career by appearing in Girish Karnad's Nagamandala theater, as part of the group she performed all over India. She got her break in the film industry when she was signed by the famed director, Gautham Menon to sing a song in his super-hit movie, Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu starring Kamal Haasan and Jyothika. Impressed by her demeanor, the director then roped her in to play the lead role in his next movie, Pachaikilli Muthucharam, which was the adaptation of the James Siegel's novel Derailed. The movie, which marked Andrea's acting debut in the film industry, it had her playing the role of a housewife whose husband engages in an extra-marital affair. Andrea was selected for the role after Shobana, Tabu, and Simran all turned down of the offer.
The actress next appeared in K. Selvaraghavan's fantasy-adventure film, Aayirthil Oruvan alongside Karthik Sivakumar and Reemma Sen. The film released in 2010 and it was received with mixed reviews. In 2011, Andrea played a supporting role in Mankatha, directed by Venkta Prabu. The movie featuring Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Premgi Amaren and Lakshmi Rai released in August 2011 and it was a commercial and critical hit. Two years later, in 2013 the actress made her Malayalam film debut with Annayum Rasoolum directed by Rajeev Ravi. The movie was commercially successful and critically acclaimed; Andrea claims her performance in the movie is one of the best in her career.
In 2015, the actress was cast in the blockbuster hit Tamil movie, Vishwaroopam co-starring the superstar, Kamal Haasan, Pooja Kumar, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, Jaideep Ahlawat and Miles Anderson. In the same year, Andrea starred in a Malayalam movie, Loham directed by Ranjith. The movie was her first appearance alongside the superstar, Mohanlal. The actress who has been switching between Malayalam and Tamil industry as well as balancing her singing and acting career has a few exciting releases in 2016 including, Vishwaroopam 2.
As a Singer
Since Andrea began her career in the film industry, she has stated that her focus was always on Music and that she always wanted to be a singer. The actress started her career as a playback singer in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. She has worked with renowned composers like Harris Jayaraj, Devi Sri Prasad, G.V Prakash Kumar and Yuvan Shankar Raja and has received several nominations at the Filmfare and Vijay Awards.
As a Composer
Apart from singing for other composers, Andrea also produces her own music; she is known for writing, composing and singing 'Soul of Taramani,' a single, which she composed her Tamil film, Taramani. The actress has also composed several theme songs and albums.