Meet ‘Assi’ Actress Kani Kusruti, Criticised For Bold Roles, Chose Her Own Surname, Lives With Ex-BF

Kani Kusruti, a name which has drawn significant attention over the years in Malayalam cinema, is one of the most interesting actresses. Just like her unique last name, Kani has an exceptional personality. Bold and buoyant is what defines Kani and make her stand apart from other actresses. Kani, who prefers taking challenging roles, recently grabbed attention for playing a r*pe victim in the film, Assi. Her strong screen presence got her in spotlight. However, Kani has been in the limelight for her past choices as well. Let us read on to know more about her.

Kani Kusruti’s liberal background

Kani Kusruti was born to social workers Maitreyan and Jayashree in a liberal household. She grew up in Thiruvananthapuram and got introduced to the Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre. She also joined the Thrissur School of Drama. She completed her training in physical theatre at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

Kani shares a very warm bond with her parents, who never forced her to conform to social norms to fit in with society. The actress addresses her parents by their names, Maitreyan and Jayashree. In an interview with Kerala Kaumudi, Kani revealed the reason behind calling her parents by their names and said:

“Never once did I feel like calling him father. I get the same feeling when I call him Maitreya. What a word means is the relation of that word to that man. When I call Maitreyan Maitreya, whatever connection and love I have, I feel the same in that word. I get the feeling of father when I call Maitreya. I don’t believe that emotion comes only with the word father, mother.”

Kani Kusruti chose her own last name

Kani was not given a surname at birth, as her parents dropped their own surnames to challenge caste-based social hierarchies. At the age of 15, she adopted the name ‘Kusruti’ (which means ‘mischievous’ in Malayalam) as her last name because it was required on her 10th-grade exam application.

Kani Kusurthi faced criticism for her bold roles

Kani started her acting career in theatre and later moved into films. She first gained wide attention through the 2009 anthology film, Kerala Café, followed by films like Shikkar, Cocktail and OK Computer. It was in 2020, when Kani won the Best Actress award at the Kerala State Film Awards for the film, Biriyani. Kani received a lot of criticism for her role in Biriyani as she decided to go n*de in the movie as her character demanded it. She also won the Best Actress award for Biriyani at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Internationally, Kani has acted in productions such as The Indian Tempest and Burning Flowers – 7 Dreams of a Woman. In 2024, she appeared in All We Imagine as Light. The film was screened at international film festivals and won several accolades. Apart from this, Kani has also featured in many TV shows.

Kani Kusruti lives with her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend

Kani Kusrithi’s liberal views extend beyond her professional background. She is known for her unconventional and transparent views on partnerships. The actress was in an open relationship with filmmaker, Anand Gandhi for nine years. Their relationship ended because Anand wanted to settle down, and Kani was not in favour of it.

Kani, in an interview with Kerala Kaumudi, spoke about her relationship with Anand and said she was not looking for any relationship after they broke up. In her words:

“Anand and I were not in an open relationship. Anand could never do that. Still, Anand tried to be open and couldn’t so we took a decision. After that, the romantic relationship between us was abandoned. I’m not looking for romance in a relationship. I don’t want any of that. All I want is to be able to understand each other when we talk, that’s all.”

Despite their breakup, nothing has soured between Kani and Anand. In fact, she currently resides in Goa with five people, including her former boyfriend, Anand, and his current partner, Shreya Dudheria. In one interview, she also stated that if her ex-boyfriend and his partner had children, she would help raise them. As for Kani, she is not ready to have a child and has frozen her eggs for the future.

What do you think about Kani Kusruthi and her liberal thoughts?

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