Meet actress who began as child artist, worked in 32 films, 48 TV serials, quit acting to become IAS, failed five times, now works as…

Indian cinema comprises a host of actors and actresses who aren't highly educated. Some have attained limited formal education, and plenty of them abandoned academic pursuits to chase careers in acting. Many dropped out of studies, and some didn't even attend college. However, in this article, we are going to talk about an actress who began her acting career at the age of four and appeared in over 32 films and 48 TV serials. She relinquished her established career to embark on a distinguished journey as an IAS officer. She is none other than HS Keerthana. 

Who is HS Keerthana?

Born in Hoskare village in the Kunigal taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka, Keerthana worked with popular South Indian stars in her career spanning over decades. She is known for her performances in Karpoorada Gombe, Ganga-Yamuna, Muddina Aliya, Upendra, Kanoor Heggadati, Circle Inspector, and others. She won several accolades, particularly for her role in the film Kannathil Muthamittal. She received a National Film Award for Best Child Artist. She is the daughter of actor and director R. Parthiban. 

Why did Keerthana quit acting?

Keerthana stopped acting at the age of 15 to pursue her father's goal of becoming a civil servant. At the peak of her career, she left the film industry to focus on her studies. In 2011, she cleared the Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) exam and worked as a KAS officer for a couple of years. This experience fueled her passion to pursue the UPSC exams; hence, she dedicated herself to the preparation. She faced multiple failures—five unsuccessful attempts. However, her perseverance paid off, and she cleared the exam in her sixth attempt in 2020, securing an All India Rank of 167 in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2019. She was first posted as the Assistant Commissioner of Mandya District, Karnataka.