Chandra Lakshman was born to Lakshman Kumar and Malathi into a brahmin family in Trivandrum. Later family shifted to Chennai, where she also did her schooling and graduation. She had her education from J. N School, Chennai, M.G.R Institute of Hotel Management and Madras University. A trained bharatanatyam dancer, she was doing her hotel management training, when director Santhosh saw her and decided to cast her in his film Manasellam.
