She ruled the ’90s with Salman Khan and Rajinikanth, today her net worth stands at ₹2,000 crore - Guess who?

She was among the busiest and most popular heroines of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Yeedi Vijayalakshmi, better known by her screen name Rambha, achieved phenomenal success across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi cinema, long before the concept of ‘pan-Indian’ stardom took root. She shared the screen with top superstars, including Salman Khan, Mammootty, and Rajinikanth, creating some of that era's most memorable on-screen pairings.

Rambha's debut film to winning National award journey

Rambha debuted with the 1992 Malayalam musical drama 'Sargam', directed by Hariharan. As Thankamani, a village belle with a passion for music, she won audiences over despite not knowing the language. According to The Indian Express, her performance was lauded for its depth and charm, and the film became both a critical and commercial hit. Ranking as the third-highest grosser of the year and winning a National Award, Sargam catapulted her into instant stardom. Soon after, she entered Telugu cinema with 'Aa Okkati Adakku' opposite Rajendra Prasad—a success that also gave her the name Rambha, which stuck throughout her career.

Films opposite Rajiniikanth, Chiranjeevi, etc

What followed was a dream run. Rambha starred in back-to-back blockbusters opposite legends such as Rajinikanth, Mammootty, Thalapathy Vijay, Ajith Kumar, Chiranjeevi, Krishna, Venkatesh, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayakanth, Prabhu, Karthik, and Jagapati Babu. In 1996, she became a nationwide sensation when the song “Azhagiya Laila” from “Ullathai Allitha” became a chartbuster. Her filmography is dotted with hits like 'Arunachalam', 'Hitler', 'Chronic Bachelor', 'Ninaithen Vandhai', 'Kaathala Kaathala', 'Maatho Pettukoku', 'Dharma Chakkaram', 'Raasi', 'Endrendrum Kadhal', 'Champakulam Thachan', 'Sidhartha', 'Muddula Priyudu', 'Allari Premikudu', and 'Rowdy Annayya'.

Rambha entered Bollywood in 1995 with 'Jallad', opposite Mithun Chakraborty, and later shared the screen with big names like Anil Kapoor, Govinda, and Suniel Shetty. However, it was her pairing with Salman Khan that struck a chord with audiences. Together, they delivered memorable performances in David Dhawan’s comedy 'Judwaa' and the family drama 'Bandhan', both of which cemented her place in Hindi cinema.

Rambha moved to Toronto post marriage

In 2010, Rambha stepped away from films after marrying Canadian entrepreneur Indrakumar Pathmanathan. She moved to Toronto, focusing on her personal life while raising their three children—Lavanya, Sasha, and Shivin. Her last big-screen outing was the 2011 Malayalam film 'The Filmstaar', featuring Dileep and Kalabhavan Mani. Though she hasn’t returned to films, Rambha has stayed connected to showbiz, appearing as a judge on popular reality shows, most recently Jodi Are U Ready – Season 2.

Beyond entertainment, Rambha is also involved in her husband’s business ventures. Indrakumar heads Magic Woods, a Canada-based interiors and furniture company, along with a portfolio of other businesses, some of which are based in Chennai. One of these ventures even carries Rambha’s name. As per The Indian Express, veteran producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu once revealed at a film festival that the couple’s combined net worth is estimated to be around ₹2,000 crore.