Manju is from the Sanskrit mañju (मञ्जु — sweet, pleasant, beautiful). A modern American baby name in the broader Sanskrit-Malayalam heritage aesthetic. Manju Warrier (born 1978) is an Indian Malayalam cinema actress, dancer, and singer — widely considered one of the foundational figures of Malayalam cinema since the 1990s and one of the greatest contemporary Malayalam superstars. Debuted at age 16 in Sakshyam (1995); breakthrough in Sallapam (1996), Aaraam Thampuran (1997) opposite Mohanlal, Pathram (1999), and Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999). Won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress four times — for Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999), Sallapam (1996), Pathram (1999), and Karinkunnam Sixes (2016). Took a 14-year hiatus after marriage to actor Dileep (1998-2014, divorced 2017); returned with How Old Are You? (2014), widely considered a foundational comeback work for women in Malayalam cinema. Subsequent foundational films: Karinkunnam Sixes (2016), Udaharanam Sujatha (2017), Aami (2018) — biopic of Malayalam writer Madhavikutty (Kamala Surayya), and Lalitham Sundaram (2022). Mother of foundational dancer Meenakshi Dileep.
Featured throughout Malayalam cinema.
Manju reduces to nine.