Payal Radhakrishna Biography: Age, Family, Kannada to Telugu Journey and Latest News

 

Payal is wearing a sophisticated, form-fitting black dress. The dress features a halter neckline with thin straps and a ruched or gathered design across the bodice and waist, which accentuates her silhouette. A striking feature of the outfit is a high, dramatic slit on her left side, revealing her leg. She is wearing strappy black high heels with a delicate ankle strap.

Quick Facts: Born 13 August 1996 (age 30) · Mangalore, Karnataka · Actress and model · Works primarily in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil cinema · Breakthrough: Bhinna (2019).

Payal Radhakrishna was born on 13 August 1996 in Mangalore, Karnataka, to Radhakrishna and Chethana Radhakrishna . She grew up in Bangalore and completed her education there. During her college years, she entered The Mega Model Hunt by Prasad Bidappa Model Management and emerged as a finalist, which opened doors to freelance modelling work in Mumbai . She appeared in commercials for major brands including Amazon India, Saffola, Rexona, and Bhima Jewellers .

Her acting debut came with the 2017 Kannada action thriller Bengaluru Underworld, directed by P.N. Satya, where she played Sirisha opposite Adhitya Singh . However, it was the 2019 psychological thriller Bhinna, directed by Adarsh Eshwarappa, that established her as a serious performer. She portrayed dual roles as Kaveri and Devaki, and the film earned critical acclaim, winning a Dadasaheb Phalke Award and a Best Regional Film honor at the Madrid International Film Festival, with Payal receiving a Best Actress nomination .

She expanded into Tamil with the ZEE5 series Singa Penne (2020–2021) as Mahalakshmi, and into Telugu with the Aha web series Tharagathi Gadhi Daati . Her Telugu film work includes Ala Ninnu Cheri (2023) and Prasanna Vadanam (2024) .

Latest News: Payal’s 2026 slate has been busy across multiple languages. She starred opposite Thiruveer in the rural drama Papam Pratap, which released in theatres on 17 April 2026 and began streaming on ETV Win from 7 May 2026 . The film follows a newlywed couple whose marriage unravels within three days when the bride, Bujjamma (Payal), leaves her husband and approaches the village panchayat . She also appeared in Happy Journey (2026) and has several other projects in the pipeline . In August 2026, she shared a candid New York City travel post reflecting on solo travel and gratitude, which drew attention from her followers . In April 2026, she posted a stylish black outfit photoshoot with the caption “Who did I cook!?” while promoting Papam Pratap .