Rima Kallingal

Rima Kallingal (born 18 January 1984) is an Indian actress, dancer, and film producer who primarily works in Malayalam cinema. Trained in dance from a young age, she participated in reality television before placing first runner-up in the Miss Kerala 2008 pageant, which led to her film debut in Ritu (2009).^[1] Her performance in 22 Female Kottayam (2012) earned her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam. She is a co-founder of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organisation formed in 2017 to advocate for gender equity and safe working conditions in the Malayalam film industry.^[2]

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Kallingal began practising dance when she was three years old. She was born to K. R. Rajan and Leenabhai, at the Ayyanthol Kallingal family home in Thrissur district.^[3] She studied at Stanes Anglo-Indian School in Coonoor up to fifth grade and completed her schooling at Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Thrissur, graduating in 2001. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Christ University, Bengaluru.^[3]

She is also trained in taekwondo, chao (a Manipuri martial art), and kalari.^[3] She joined the Bengaluru-based contemporary dance company Nritarutya after graduation and performed with the company on national and international stages before transitioning to acting.^[3]

She was a semi-finalist on the Asianet reality show Vodafone Thakadhimi, and later participated in the Miss Kerala 2008 beauty pageant, placing first runner-up to Shree Thulasi in a tie-breaker.^[4]

Director Lal Jose noticed Kallingal on a magazine cover and approached her for a goat herder role in the Tamil film Mazhai Varappoguthu. The project did not go ahead, but director Shyamaprasad subsequently cast her in the lead female role of Varsha in Ritu (2009), which marked her acting debut.^[1][4] In 2009 she also appeared in the anthology film Kerala Cafe, in the segment Mrityunjayam, and in Neelathaamara directed by Lal Jose.

In 2012, Kallingal was cast opposite Fahadh Faasil in 22 Female Kottayam, directed by Aashiq Abu, playing a nurse and rape survivor seeking justice. The film performed well commercially^[5] and won Kallingal the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.^[6] The film also drew praise from critics; Sify wrote that Kallingal delivered "a spectacular performance" and that she "poured her heart into her character".^[7]

In 2013, she hosted the Mazhavil Manorama reality show Midukki, following which the Kerala Film Chamber imposed a temporary ban on her, which was subsequently revoked.^[8] That same year she played a housewife in August Club. Paresh C. Palicha of Rediff.com noted that Kallingal portrayed a character "who has learnt to stifle her feelings and finding other ways to give them an outlet".^[9]

In 2015 she appeared alongside Manju Warrier in Rani Padmini, playing a disruptive North Indian woman on a road trip from Kerala to Shimla. The film was a commercial success^[10] and critic Deepa Soman described her performance as a "knockout".^[11]

In Virus (2019), directed by Aashiq Abu, Kallingal played nurse Akhila, a character based on Lini Puthussery — the nurse who died treating Kerala's first patient in the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak.^[12] Lini Puthussery's husband, who attended a screening of the film, said that Kallingal's portrayal was faithful and delivered "a flawless performance as Lini".^[13] Kallingal co-produced the film with Aashiq Abu under their production banner OPM Cinemas.^[14] Sowmya Rajendran described her performance as "expressive".^[15]

In the 2021 film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam, directed by Don Palathara, Kallingal played an entertainment journalist opposite Jitin Puthenchery. Baradwaj Rangan described her performance as "terrific".^[16] The film won her Best Actress at the Diorama International Film Festival.^[17]

In 2023 she appeared in Neelavelicham, a horror drama co-produced with Aashiq Abu.^[18]

In 2025, Kallingal starred in Theatre, written and directed by Sajin Baabu, playing Meera, a woman who has lived an isolated life on a coastal Kerala island alongside her elderly mother. The film explores the conflict between traditional belief and modern science. The film had its world premiere at the Eurasian Bridge International Film Festival in Yalta on 9 October 2025, before its theatrical release on 16 October 2025.^[19] The role was physically demanding; director Sajin Baabu noted that Kallingal spent several hours atop a coconut tree for a single scene and completed multiple retakes despite sustaining bruises.^[20] The film won Kallingal a joint Kerala Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, shared with Nazriya Nazim.^[21]

Kallingal co-founded the production banner OPM Cinemas alongside her husband, director Aashiq Abu. The company has backed a range of films, including Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016), directed by Dileesh Pothan, which was a significant commercial success. As a statement of commitment to workplace safety, Aashiq Abu announced that OPM Cinemas would establish an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) for every film it produces — the first Malayalam film production company to make such a public commitment.^[2]

Alongside her screen career, Kallingal has maintained an active presence as a performer and choreographer. In 2014 she established Mamangam, a dance studio in Kochi, which closed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[22] She subsequently reconstituted it as Mamangam Dance Company, which continues to produce and tour contemporary dance work.

In November 2023, Mamangam Dance Company presented its debut full-length contemporary dance production, Neythe — Dance of the Weaves, at the Fine Arts Society Hall, Kochi. The 35-minute work paid tribute to the handloom weavers of Chendamangalam and was inspired by the displacement of livelihoods after the 2018 Kerala floods. The production was staged at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala in Thrissur in March 2025.^[23]

Kallingal also created Nayika, a one-hour dance production tracing a century of women in Malayalam cinema, beginning with a tribute to P. K. Rosy, the industry's first actress.^[24]

In May 2017, following the sexual assault of a prominent Malayalam film actress in Kochi, Kallingal was among a group of women film professionals who petitioned the Chief Minister of Kerala and subsequently co-founded the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). The WCC was formally registered as a society on 1 November 2017.^[25]

The WCC's petition to the government resulted in the formation of the Justice Hema Committee in 2018, tasked with studying the conditions faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee submitted its report in December 2019; it was made public in August 2024 and documented systemic issues including gender-based discrimination, inadequate workplace safety, and the prevalence of power-based exploitation.^[26]

As a member of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), Kallingal resigned in protest when the association reinstated a member accused in the 2017 assault case while the matter was still under judicial consideration. She was one of three WCC members — along with Geethu Mohandas and Remya Nambissan — to resign alongside the survivor herself.^[2]

Kallingal has spoken publicly about the personal and professional costs of the collective's advocacy. "We knew it would be tough, but we never imagined it would cost us personal relationships, careers and expose us to such intense social trolling," she told The Federal in 2024.^[26] A widely cited moment from this period was her display of the WCC's Avalkoppam ("With Her") solidarity banner following a dance performance at the state government's awards ceremony in 2018, which was met with sustained applause.^[26]

Kallingal's roles in 22 Female Kottayam, August Club, and Rani Padmini are cited among the strongest female-led characters in Malayalam cinema.^[27] Kallingal was named the Kochi Times Most Desirable Woman in 2012.^[28]

Kallingal married director Aashiq Abu on 1 November 2013, at the Kakkanad Registration Office, Kochi.^[29] Ahead of the ceremony, the couple donated ₹1 million towards the welfare of cancer patients at the General Hospital, Ernakulam, and ₹25,000 towards the dietary kitchen at the same hospital.^[30]

All projects are in Malayalam language unless noted.

• Rima Kallingal at IMDb
• Rima Kallingal on Instagram