Priyamani was born on 4 June 1983 to Vasudev Mani and Latha Mani in a Tamil Iyer family with roots in Palakkad and grew up in Bangalore. As a result of her dynamic exposure in different South Indian states, she speaks Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. After completing her schooling, Priyamani was roped in to model for print advertisements. As a subsequent result of her extended modelling, she began to earn opportunities to star in films. After being approached by several directors and being considered for roles, she finally starred in director Bharathiraja's film Kangalal Kaidhu Sei which was released in 2004. She is currently doing her final year of B.A. Psychology.