Malavika Avinash is a multifaceted Indian actress, television personality, journalist, dancer, and politician born on 28 January 1976 in Chennai to N. Ganesan, a banker and writer from Thanjavur, and Savithri, a vocalist and dancer. She grew up in Bengaluru and holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Bangalore University, where she secured the third rank. She began learning Bharatanatyam at age five under Prof. M.R. Krishnamurthy of Kalakshetra and later trained under Padmashri Leela Samson in Delhi. She started her acting career as a child artist with the Kannada film Krishnaavataar (1988) and went on to work in Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil films under acclaimed directors. Her role as Nanjamma in the Kannada TV serial Grihabhanga and her performances in Mayamruga made her a household name. She served as Head of Programming at Zee Kannada and hosted the popular show Baduku Jataka Bandi. She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013 and was appointed as Co-Spokesperson for BJP Karnataka in February 2014. She was part of the ensemble cast in the blockbuster KGF: Chapter 2 (2022). In 2016-17, she participated in Bigg Boss Kannada Season 4 and reached the finale, finishing fourth.

Hosting the Zee Kannada show Baduku Jataka Bandi; Kannada TV serial Mayamruga; ensemble role in KGF: Chapter 2 (2022); BJP Karnataka State spokesperson.

Frequently Asked