Malashri was born and brought up in Madras (now Chennai) into a Telugu speaking family. She shot to fame with Nanjundi Kalyana in 1989 but her personal life hit an all-time low the same year when her mother died in a road accident.

She had an affair with actor Sunil, her co-star in many films. But in 1994 she met with a car accident when her car got hit by a truck. While Malashree suffered multiple injuries, Sunil died within an hour.