Chitra Shaji Kailas (born Annie Jobbie; 21 July 1975), better known by her birth name Annie, is an Indian television host and former actress from Kerala, who appears in Malayalam television and films. Her film career spanned three years from 1993 to 1996 with a total of 16 films in Malayalam cinema, she retired from acting post-marriage and returned as a television host in 2015.
She debuted as an actress in 1993 in the film Ammayane Sathyam directed by Balachandra Menon. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her role in Mazhayethum Munpe (1995).[1] Her other most noted films include Parvathy Parinayam (1995) directed by P. G. Viswambharan, Rudraksham (1994), Tom & Jerry (1995), Puthukkottayile Puthumanavalan (1995), and Swapna Lokathe Balabhaskaran (1996).
Early life
Annie hails from Pala and was raised in Thiruvalla. She was born to Jobbie and Mariamma in 1975. She has three older sisters, Lissy, Mary, and Tessy. Her mother died when she was in eighth grade.[2]
Though she was from Pala, her family was settled at Thiruvananthapuram due to her father's job. She did her schooling at the Holy Angel's Convent School in Thiruvananthapuram and then joined All Saints College for higher studies. It was during this time that she began acting in movies.
Annie is married to Shaji Kailas. She converted to Hinduism three months after her marriage and changed her name to Chitra. The couple has three sons: Jagan, Sharon, and Rushin.[3]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Ammayane Sathyam | Parvathi / Thomas / Ramkumar Chengammanad | |
| 1994 | Rudraksham | Gouri | |
| 1995 | Aksharam | Meenakshi | |
| Mazhayethum Munpe | Shruthi | ||
| Alancheri Thamprakkal | Meera/Lekha Varma | ||
| Parvathy Parinayam | Parvathi | ||
| Mazhavilkoodaram | Binu | ||
| Kalyanji Anandji | Nirmala, Shivagami | ||
| Tom & Jerry | Meenakshi | ||
| Indian Military Intelligence | Song appearance | ||
| Puthukkottayile Puthumanavalan | Geethu | ||
| Sakshyam | Daisey | ||
| 1996 | Kireedamillatha Rajakkanmar | Nancy & Bincy | |
| Mookkilla Rajyathu Murimookkan Rajavu | Chandini Varma | ||
| Mr. Clean | Nandini Thampi | ||
| Swapna Lokathe Balabhaskaran | Chandrika | ||
| 2023 | Alone | Dr. Susan | Voice only[4] |
Television
| Year | Program | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Chitrageetham | Host | Doordarshan | |
| 2010 | Uthradapachakam | Kairali TV | ||
| 2015–2020 | Annie's Kitchen | Amrita TV | ||
| 2017 | Comedy Stars | Judge | Asianet | |
| 2018 | Annieyude Ruchikootukal | Host | Amrita TV | |
| Tasty days in Dubai with Annie | ||||
| Super Jodi | Judge | Surya TV | Replaced Shwetha Menon | |
| 2019 | Sakalakalavallabhan | Judge | Asianet | |
| 2020 | Red Carpet | Mentor | Amrita TV | |
| 2022 | Jananayakan | Herself | special show | |
| 2023 | Super Ammayum Makalum | Judge | ||
| Cook with comedy | Asianet | |||
| 2024–present | Annie's Kitchen | Host | Amrita TV | |
| 2024 | Amrita Cake Carnival | Judge | Amrita TV | Christmas special show |
Awards
- 1996 - Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for Mazhayethum Munpe[1]
- 2016 - Vayalar Awards - Best Television Host
Controversies
Annie's Kitchen a cookery cum chat show hosted by Annie in Amrita TV have invited lot of criticism over sexist remarks, endorsing patriarchy, stereotyping, conservatism and body shaming.[5][6] She was subjected to a lot of social media trolls in 2020, following one such talks with Nimisha Sajayan.[7]
References
- 1.[1.2]"Filmfare Awards". filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999.
- 2."അടുക്കള തന്നെ അരങ്ങ്". mangalamvarika.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- 3."Mrs Shaji Kailas speaks". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- 4."Alone Movie Review: A daring experiment that becomes a tiring experience". Cinema Express. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- 5."2 tsp patriarchy, 1 litre stereotyping: Why 'Annie's Kitchen' needs to be called out". The News Minute. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- 6."I feel sisterhood isn't about pitting women against each other: Annie". The Times of India. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- 7."'Will apply make-up if needed,' Nimisha Sajayan replies to naysayers". OnManorama. Retrieved 3 February 2022.