Ann Alexia Anra, best known for her role as a child in the 1996 Tamil comedy Avvai Shanmugi, has since grown up and ventured into the environmental sector as an entrepreneur. Directed by KS Ravikumar and written by Crazy Mohan, Avvai Shanmugi starred Kamal Haasan and Meena, with a notable supporting cast that included Gemini Ganesan, Nagesh, and others. Anra's other well-known film is the 2000 hit Hera Pheri, which remains a classic, still generating memes and laughs even over two decades after its release.
In Avvai Shanmugi, Anra played the role of a kidnapped little girl, sparking a series of comedic events. Today, she describes herself as an "ex-actress" and works as a sustainability consultant.
When the COVID-19 pandemic kept people at home, many turned to classic films like Hera Pheri, reigniting interest in Anra’s childhood performance.
Raised in Chennai, Anra is now dedicated to her work in the environmental field, where she has launched initiatives like Take Me Back Chennai and Wasted 360 Solutions.
Despite her early success in films, Anra's parents were initially reluctant for her to pursue acting. They had no objections to her doing advertisements, but they were hesitant about the time commitment required for films. She was allowed to take part in Hera Pheri because it was filmed during her summer vacation, but after that, her parents decided against letting her act in more films. In addition to Avvai Shanmugi and Hera Pheri, Anra appeared in two other films: the Tamil movie Thaayin Manikodi with Tabu, and a cameo role in the Hindi film Hathyara alongside Mithun Chakraborty.
Currently, Anra has no intention of returning to acting. While she occasionally gets offers for commercials, she feels that her best work was as a child actress and has no desire to revive her career in film.
