Vinayan remembers Taruni Sachdev; calls the 'Vellinakshatram' actor a 'wonder child'

Director Vinayan shared his memories of child artist Taruni Sachdev who played Prithviraj’s daughter in the film 'Vellinakshatram'. Taruni entered Malayalam cinema through Vinayans films 'Vellinakshatram' and 'Sathyam'.

A wonder child who shocked everyone

After sharing an old photo from the sets of 'Vellinkakshatram' Vinayan wrote, “Taruni acted in my film Vellinakshatram when she was four years old. In the same year she also acted in 'Sathyam'. In both films Prithviraj was the hero. That wonder child who had an acting charm that amazed everyone passed away along with her mother Geetha in a helicopter accident in Nepal in 2012 when she was just 14 years old.”



Taruni started acting through advertisement films. She was only four years old when she acted in Vellinakshatram. The song “Kukkurukuru Kukkurukkan” from the film is still loved by children even today. With just one film, Taruni became very popular. She quickly became a favorite among families and kids.

Short life, lasting impact

Taruni was born on May 14 (1998) in Mumbai. After 'Vellinakshatram' she acted in many films. Director R. Balki later brought her into the Amitabh Bachchan film 'Pa' where she played Amitabh’s friend. Her last film was the Tamil thriller 'Vetri Selvan' which was released in 2014. She had completed most of her important scenes before her death.

On May 14 (2012) Taruni was traveling with her mother from Pokhara to Jomsom in Nepal on an Agni Air Dornier 228 aircraft. The plane crashed, and both lost their lives. Around 20 passengers died in the accident. Their bodies were brought to Mumbai and cremated on May 16.


Vinayan's previous directorial was 'Pathonpatham Noottandu' which turned out to be a superhit with rave reviews from the audiences.

ETimes gave the movie a rating of 4 stars out of 5 and our review read, "Siju Wilson showcases an epic performance as Velayudha Chekavar by submerging himself in the warriors' skin. The hardwork and sincerity of the actor in bringing perfection to everything in the character - the horse rides to subtle responses - make the character immortal. Kayadu Lohar genuinely makes the dalit woman Nangeli, who stood against casteism by revolting against the breast tax, monumental. It was a pride to watch her effortlessly moving around and giving complete justice to the legendary woman from Cherthala. Vishnu Vinay who played Kanna Kurup has also done a fabulous job and is a promising actor. Every performer on screen was a treat to watch."Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”