Priya Prakash Varrier (aka Priya Varrier or Priya Prakash Warrior) is an Indian movie actress, model and Internet celebrity based in Kerala, India. In 2018, Varrier appeared in the Malayalam movie Oru Adaar Love, where she was seen flirtatiously winking at a boy and giving other teenage romantic gestures. The romantic scenes were massively shared online and she became an instant internet sensation in India and elsewhere.
In the wake of the Internet stardom, Varrier reportedly received several offers to play in Bollywood movies. She, however, is said to have declined the offers due to her ongoing studies and her engagement with other creative projects in the pipeline.
After the winking video from the movie Oru Adaar Love went viral, Priya Prakash Varrier became one of the most searched-for Indian people on Google for a period of a few hours.
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 | NATIVE NAME: | പ്രിയ പ്രകാശ് വർറൈർ | ||||||
 | BIRTHDAY: | 12 September 1999 | ||||||
 | BIRTHPLACE: | Thrissur, Kerala, India | ||||||
 | EDUCATION: | Bachelor of Commerce Vimala College, Thrissur | ||||||
 | PROFESSION: | Actress, Singer | ||||||
 | NOTABLE WORK: | Oru Adaar Love | ||||||
 | AWARD(S) | Nokia YWMA (winner) | ||||||
 | HEIGHT: | 5’ 2” | ||||||
 | BOYFRIEND: | Hrishikesh Saji (rumoured) | ||||||
 | NATIONALITY: | Indian | ||||||
 | ETHNICITY: | Indian | ||||||
 | RELIGION: | Hindu | ||||||
 | SALARY | Not known | ||||||
 | NET WORTH: | Approx: 1m INR | ||||||
 | FAMILY: | Father: Prakash Varrier | Mother: Preetha Varrier Brother: Prasiddh Varrier | |||||
 | CHILDREN: | None (as of 2018) | ||||||
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Early Life & Education
Priya Prakash Varrier was born on 12 September 1999 in Punkunnam, Thrissur, Kerala, India into a middle class Malayalam family. Even though her official name is Priya Prakash, most of her school friends and her family members reportedly call her simply Riya. Varrier belongs to the Ambalavashi, non-Bramhmin family. In the ranks of Hinduism, the Ambalavashis rank between the Brahmins and the Nairs caste, and their role, mostly, is to take care of services at a Hindu temple.
Varrier’s father, Prakash Varrier, is a government employee at India’s Central Excise Department and her mother, Preetha Varrier, is a housewife. She also has a younger brother, Prasiddh Varrier.
She spent most of her childhood in Punkunnam and attended a local private school. According to India Today, as of 2018, Verrier is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree from Vimala College in Thrissur, Kerala.
Career
Priya Prakash Varrier started her career in the entertainment industry by appearing as a model.
In 2017, Priya Prakash Varrier started her career in the entertainment industry by appearing as a model. She took part in beauty pageants and walked the modelling ramp in a number of occasions, including the Aiswaryarani 2017, a popular fashion show. Varrier is also trained as a classical dancer and often posted her musical and dance performances online through her social media accounts.
Prior to her debut in a Malalayam movie, she appeared in a music video titled nee vaanam naan mazhai.
Priya Prakash Varrier in Oru Adaar Love
The 2018 viral video
Priya Prakash Varrier’s winking video made an internet sensation in 2018.A 28-second video clip trailer for a song in her debut Malayalam film, Oru Adaar Love, in one scene of which she winks flirtatiously, was published on YouTube on 9 February 2018. The clip received over 10 million hits within a week and was massively shared online before, during and after the Valentine’s Day (14 Feb). The song, Manikya Malaraya Poovi, was sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and was a revised and modern version of a Mappila (folklore Muslim) song. As of 19 March 2018, the song has 54 million views on YouTube alone.
After the huge sensation created by the video, some media commentators labelled her as India’s national crush.
The song created some controversy as well. Businessman Zaheer Ali Khan and some other men went on to file a police complaint against the movie director Omar Lulu and her claiming that the song hurt the Muslim religious sentiments.
Another complaint made by Muqeed Khan, an engineering student, claimed that the movie mentioned the relationship of Prophet Mohammed and his wife Bibi Khatija. Which, according to him, violated Muslim religious sentiments.
Personal life
Some tabloids in India have reported that, Priya Prkash Varrier dated Hrishikesh Saji in the past. However, neither party has confirmed the relationship and the authenticity of the relationship has never been verified independently.
In various media interviews, she has said that she has been humbled by the media limelight that came with the Internet stardom.
DNA India reported that she admired Mahendra Sing Dhoni as a cricketer and wants to meet him some day.
Social media presence
As the winking video went viral, Varrier’s social media accounts flooded with new followers. Within a single day, she had more Instagram followers than some of India’s top celebrities. As of March 2018, her Instagram account has more than 5.2 million followers, whereas, nearly half a million people follow her on Facebook.
