Bhavana was born as Karthika Menon on 6 June 1986 in Thrissur, Kerala. She is the daughter of assistant cinematographer G. Balachandran and Pushpa.
Her journey began at Holy Family Convent Girls High School, Thrissur, where she laid the foundation for her future in the world of cinema. In 2002, at the age of 16, Bhavana made her cinematic debut with the Malayalam film Nammal.
She later ventured into Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films, sharing screen space with several acclaimed actors.
The actress came into the limelight after she was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle while travelling to Kochi. The incident took place in February 2017.
The assault was carried out by a gang led by the prime accused, Pulsar Suni, and was reportedly filmed. The charge sheet included 10 accused.
While Pulsar Suni and five others were convicted and sentenced for the crime, actor Dileep was acquitted of all charges after the court ruled that a conspiracy could not be established, sparking widespread controversy.
Regarding Dileep's involvement, the police suggested the motive was revenge, claiming the actress had informed his then-wife, Manju Warrier (a key witness), about his alleged affair.
As the matter intensified, the Malayalam film fraternity organised a solidarity meet in Kochi, attended by industry bigwigs like Mohanlal and Mammootty. While addressing the gathering, actor Manju Warrier, a close friend of the survivor and Dileep’s ex-wife, alleged, “There has clearly been a criminal conspiracy behind this crime.”
Following the incident, after getting acquitted, Dileep criticised Manju Warrier, alleging that the controversy intensified after her public statement, wherein she suggested a criminal conspiracy behind the assault.
Reacting to the accusation, she shared a note stating that she has a lot of respect for the judiciary; however, she said justice for the survivor remains incomplete.
A week after the verdict, Bhavana shared a strong statement citing six reasons for losing faith in the trial court. The survivor did not name anyone in the social media post.
Part of her long note mentioned, "Not every citizen in this country is treated equally before the law."
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