Nikhila Kesavan

Nikhila Kesavan is a very talented actress and director in the Theatre scene of Chennai. She is one of the most prominent names in the theatre industry of India, she is also a permanent committee member on the Madras Players, the oldest theatre group in India in English.

As a director, most of the plays that she has directed have been adapted from a novel. Her most notable adaptation was in 2007, when she adapted the popular novel ‘Five Point Someone’ by Chetan Bhagat Chetan Bhagat is a renowned Indian author who was >> Read More... . She received rave reviews for her work. Originally being staged in Chennai, it was then also played out in many other metro cities. Some of the other adaptations include Tunnel Vision and A Temporary Matter.

In 2013, Nikhila adapted another stellar novel, this time the critically acclaimed ‘Serious Men’ by Manu Joseph Manu Joseph is a Malayalam journalist and writer, >> Read More... . Nikhila was very much impressed with the plot of the novel, which revolves around a Dalit man who lies about his son being a mathematical genius, and how his life spirals out of control from then on. This was another super hit stage show by Nikhila and further cemented her position as one of the best.

A year later in 2018, Nikhila along with Ramakrishna directed another stage play called Chudamani. This was based on stories written in Chudamani, and what really got the attention of Nikhila was that how uplifting and progressive the messages in the play have been.

Her latest work in the theatre has been directing another Manu Jospeh adapted novel, she adopted the plot of Miss Laila, Armed and Dangerous and renamed her play as Laila and Jamal. In an interview, Nikhila describes how the thriller novel really captured her imagination and she immediately felt as if she should make a play about it after reading it.

Apart from theatre, Nikhila made her acting debut in Kuttram Kadhital in 2015.