Kani Kusruti is a distinguished Indian actress primarily known for her work in Malayalam cinema. She first gained critical acclaim in 2009 for her role in the anthology film Kerala Cafe, which showcased her talent to a wider audience. Her breakthrough came with the film Biriyaani (2020), for which she won the Best Actress award at the Kerala State Film Awards as well as the Best Actress Award at the Moscow International Film Festival, cementing her status as a powerful performer. Recently, she has starred in independent films such as All We Imagine as Light and Girls Will Be Girls (both released in 2024), further showcasing her versatility and commitment to meaningful cinema.

Born in Cheruvakkal, a small village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Kani hails from a family of social activists and rationalists, Jayasree A. K. and Maitreya Maitreyan, who deliberately dropped their last names to challenge social hierarchies in India. At the age of 15, Kani invented her own last name, “Kusruti,” meaning “mischievous” in Malayalam, to meet a bureaucratic requirement during her class 10th examination. Growing up in Thiruvananthapuram, she became involved with the Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, a vibrant platform for theatre practitioners that played a crucial role in shaping her artistic sensibilities.

Kani further honed her craft by moving to Thrissur, where she studied theatre arts at the Thrissur School of Drama from 2005 to 2007. Seeking to deepen her understanding of physical theatre, she pursued advanced training at the prestigious L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris for two years. This rigorous education has greatly influenced her approach to acting and performance, helping her carve a unique space for herself in Indian theatre and cinema.