Padmavathi Malladi

Padmavathi Malladi (born 14 May 1985) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu feature films and web series. Known for her forthright dialogues and slice-of-life storytelling, she garnered critical acclaim for her work as a screenwriter for Mahanati (2018), Ammu (2022) and Brinda (2024) for which she was nominated at the 2025 Critics' Choice Awards.

Padmavathi made her directorial debut with Gandhi Tatha Chettu (2024). The film garnered critical acclaim for its production and the performance of its lead actor, Sukriti Veni Bandreddi. The film received numerous accolades nationally and globally, including the Best Child Artist Award for Sukriti at the 71st National Film Awards, Best Film at the 30th Minsk International Film Festival & the 2024 Noida International Film Festival.

Born to academicians in a mixed culture family, Padmavathi developed a fondness for languages and built a strong vocabulary in Telugu at an early age. She started her film career with Chandra Sekhar Yeleti as a writer for Manamantha (2016) starring Mohanlal and Gauthami, before collaborating with Radha Krishna Kumar for Radhe Shyam starring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde which was ultimately released in 2022 having been in production for six years.