Menaka Suresh, born Padmavathi Iyengar, is a prominent Indian actress and film producer known mononymously as Menaka. She began her film career in 1980 with the Tamil movie Ramayi Vayasukku Vanthutta and went on to become one of the most successful actresses in South Indian cinema during the 1980s. Between 1980 and 1987, she acted in over 125 films, primarily in Malayalam, while also appearing in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. Her decision to step away from acting came at the peak of her career, following her marriage to Malayalam film producer G. Suresh Kumar.

Menaka was born into a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district. She was the only daughter of Rajagopal and Saroja, both of whom were school teachers. Her mother, Saroja, taught at the Lourdes Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Perambur, Madras. Despite her relatively short initial career span, Menaka had established herself as one of the highest-paid and most recognizable faces in the South Indian film industry.

After retiring from films post-marriage, Menaka returned to the entertainment industry nearly two decades later. She made her comeback with the television serial Kaliveedu and re-entered films in 2011 with Fazil’s Living Together, this time in a character role. In recognition of her contributions to cinema, she was honored with the SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA), underscoring her enduring legacy in Indian cinema.