Dhanush's co-actress is set to wear the khaki uniform on screen. Her real-life father also served the country as a GST officer and represented India in football in Pakistan

Sai Pallavi is currently on a roll. The actress has several projects lined up, including Ramayana and Om. She is playing the role of Sita in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, which is slated to hit theatres on November 5. Showcasing her versatility, Sai Pallavi will also don the khaki uniform as an IPS officer in the Dhanush-Mammootty starrer Om. But do you know that Sai Pallavi's real-life father also served the country?

All you need to know about Sai Pallavi's father

Yes, you read that right. Sai Pallavi's father, Senthamarai Kannan, is a retired Assistant Commissioner from the Central Excise Department. He concluded his service in Coimbatore in 2024.

A native of the Badaga community in the Nilgiris, he was also an accomplished football player in his youth. He played as a forward for Universal FC in Chennai and represented India in international tournaments during the 1980s. Although he was initially hesitant about Sai Pallavi pursuing acting while she was studying medicine, he ultimately supported her career after reviewing the script of her debut film, Premam.




During her appearance on Jayammu Nischaymmu Raa Season 2, Sai Pallavi spoke about her father and said, "He is a football player, he played for India. He went to Pakistan, Lahore and two or three other places to play for India. To my surprise, during Amaran movie shooting, so many people, including professors and football coaches, talked about him. He just kept it secret from me and my sister. He never took the fame to his head that he is a football player who once played for India."

On his 60th birthday, Sai Pallavi expressed her gratitude to her father and wrote, "Thank you for all that you’ve done to give us this peaceful life! Thank you for the great genes, from giving me your strong footballers legs to migraines, from being so sensitive & yet so strong and living a life that will forever inspire me and Pooju!"



For the unversed, Sai Pallavi will play the role of Additional SP Nithya Reddy IPS in the upcoming movie OM Chapter 1: Udhiram - The Blood Wood. Hailing from Naidupet, Andhra Pradesh, her character is the daughter of a martyred Indian Forest Service officer. Ever since she unveiled the first look from the film, fans have been screaming, "Like father, like daughter".

She is going to the screen with co-stars Dhanush and Mammootty ahead of the film's worldwide theatrical release on November 20, 2026.

Sai Pallavi's professional front

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sai made her Bollywood debut with Ek Din, opposite Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan. Up next, she will be seen as Goddess Sita in Ramayana. She will share screen space with Ranbir Kapoor and Yash. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the mythological epic also stars Ravie Dubey, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh and others. Advance bookings have already begun.