

In 2005, she acted in her first Tamil-language film, Thavamai Thavamirundhu, a drama that dealt with familial bond, depicting a father-son relationship, in which she was paired opposite actor-director Cheran. For her portrayal of a mother of a young girl, who struggles to accommodate another child, a victim of the Gujarat earthquake, she received rave reviews and the Asianet Award for Best Female New Face of the Year. This made possible her entry into the Malayalam film industry in the same year, starring in the film Kaazhcha alongside Mammootty. Padmapriya says, she accepted this offer "for the sake of friendship". She played the role of a sexually exploited poor sister of a blind man in the film. Padmapriya made her acting debut in the 2003 Telugu film Seenu Vasanthi Lakshmi,a remake of the Malayalam film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum. She also holds a PG Diploma in Environmental Law from National Law School of India University and Masters in Public Administration from New York University. While studying in 12th class in Andhra Pradesh, Padmapriya did a music album. She has also won Miss Andhra Pradesh in 2001. During her free-time, she ventured into modelling, which would later pave her way to the film business and acting. After GE she was with Symphony in Bangalore. She was then working for GE Capital as a risk consultant in Bangalore and Gurgaon. Later, she pursued an MBA degree in finance at KIAMS, Harihar. She did her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Trimulgherry, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh and studied at Loyola Academy, Alwal, Secunderabad, from which she graduated with a B.


Padmapriya was born in Delhi to Janakiraman, a brigadier in the Indian Army, and Vijaya.
