Born on April 18, 1977, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Soundarya began her acting career at a young age. She made her debut in the 1995 Tamil film "Raja Rani," followed by her Kannada debut in "Ammavru" (1996). Her breakthrough performance in "Tayuya" (1997) catapulted her to stardom, establishing her as one of the leading actresses in Kannada cinema.