Madhavi was born in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh. Her father was a deputy commissioner in commercial tax department, due to which her family moved to various places including Tirupati, Nellore, Guntur, Vijayawada and Hyderabad, before settling in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where she did her studies. She completed her degree in Biotechnology from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2005. She is an Indian model and film actress, mainly in Kollywood and occasionally in Tollywood. After starting her acting career in Telugu cinema, she shifted to Tamil cinema where she was part of several successful films.