Vidhya Rani is an Indian politician and actor. She was the daughter of Veerappan, a notorious Indian criminal and sandalwood smuggler. In 2020, she was welcomed for joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Wiki/Biography
Vidhya Rani was born on Tuesday, October 30, 1990 in Salem, Tamil Nadu as Vijayalakshmi Veerappan (age 33; as of 2023). Her zodiac sign is Scorpio. She attended St. Joseph’s Residential School in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Women’s Christian College, Chennai and a Bachelor’s degree in BALLB from VV Puram Law School, Bangalore.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Vidhya’s father, Veerappan, was a gangster in the 1990s who later became a domestic terrorist.
Veerappan
Her father was involved in many illegal activities such as kidnapping, murder, extortion, sandalwood smuggling, and killing elephants for their tusks. He killed 184 people, including 97 policemen and forest officials. In addition, he was involved in killing approximately 900 elephants for their tusks. In October 2004, the Special Task Force (STF) implemented Operation Cocoon and captured Veerappan. On October 18, 2004, the STF successfully shot him dead at Papparapatti in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, after he sustained gunshot wounds. At the time of her father’s death, Vidya was attending a boarding school, where she had studied since childhood. She was the last person in the family to learn of his death. Her mother’s name was Mutulakshmi and she was a politician.
mutulakshmi
She has a sister, Prabha.
Vidya’s sister Prabha
husband and children
Vidhya married Mariya Deepak on March 30, 2011.
Vidhya Rani and Mariya Deepak
She has two children, a son and a daughter.
Vidya Rani’s son
Vidya Rani’s daughter
Relationships/Affairs
Vidhya and Mariya Deepak dated for two years before getting married in 2011.
Profession
politics
In February 2020, Vidya became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She joined the party at an event in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, which was also attended by party general secretary Muralidhar Rao and former Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan . In this incident, she said,
I want to work for the poor and underprivileged irrespective of their caste and religion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans are for the people and I want to take them to the people. “
Vidya Rani joins BJP
In July 2020, she was elected as the vice-president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJYM), the youth wing of the party.
Movie
She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Maaveeran Pillai (2023).
Vidhya Rani in the movie Maaveeran Pillai
Facts/Trivia
- Vidhya’s parents got married in January 1990 in a forest temple. Some time later, her mother became pregnant with Vidhya, and they lived in the forest for eight months during her pregnancy. However, as her due date approached, Mutulakshmi decided to return to her parents’ home. Fearing arrest, Mutulakshmi’s father took her to Chennai, where she surrendered to the police. She was then placed in the girls’ hostel and later gave birth to Vidya. A police officer named Sylendra Babu named the baby Vidya Rani.
Veerappan and wife
- She uses the name “Vidhya Veerappan” on her social media accounts.
- Vidya revealed in an interview that she met her father once when she was six years old. The incident happened during school holidays when she was in her grandfather’s village Gopinatham near Hanur in Karnataka. He came to where she was playing, chatted with her for a while, and then left. He encouraged her to excel in studies, become a doctor, and help others. Vidya learned more about him from the people around him, and they all said he was a kind-hearted man.
- As a young woman, Vidhya witnessed the aftermath of a conflict between her father and the police. Many people around her suffered mentally and financially as a result of these conflicts. Their lack of access to basic education had a strong impact on her. Therefore, she has always had a desire to help these people and make a difference in their lives.
- Vidhya mentioned in an interview that her teachers and sisters played an important role in shaping her into a good person. Education was crucial in helping her make the right choices in life. While studying law, she made many friends who, despite her background, accepted her for who she was, without any judgement. Her friends are very supportive and lend a helping hand whenever she encounters difficulties.
- Vidya manages a small school for children in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. The school has seven teachers and arranges morning classes and activities according to a fixed schedule. They also have extra activities during the day. On weekends, they offer English speaking classes and civil service tutoring, taught by experts who are successful in these fields.
- In 2011, Rani came into the limelight when she chose to stand up for her husband Deepak against her mother. They met at a college event and fell in love, which lasted two years. After graduation, they got married and officially registered their marriage on April 23, 2011. Rani’s mother was unhappy with the marriage because Deepak was a Christian, but his parents were supportive. After their marriage, Rani and Deepak lived together in a hotel room for six months. However, her mother convinced her to return to her hometown and promised to accept the marriage and attend events near the Veerappan memorial site in Macheri village in Salem district. While there, Rani’s mother tried to convince her to reconsider her decision and prevent her from reuniting with her husband. In September 2011, Deepak filed a petition in court seeking the return of his wife as Rani’s mother was not allowing her to return home. When the court heard the habeas corpus petition, they did not know Rani’s identity. However, when she appeared in court, she expressed her desire to be with her husband and said she was 21 years old and could make her own decisions. After the court verified the documents, they were allowed to live together. Later, Rani’s mother asked her family not to support her financially. Rani’s mother claimed in an interview that Deepak manipulated her daughter and used her money since she lost her job.
- She said in an interview that she had a deep passion for serving the community, which led her to join politics. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan suggested her to do social work for a political party as she enjoyed it.
- On July 27, 2023, the online streaming platform Netflix released the trailer of the documentary “The Hunt for Veerappan”. The documentary will be available to stream on the platform on August 4, 2023. This documentary focuses on the life of Vidhya Rani’s father.
Movie “Chasing Veerappan” poster
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education