Meena began as a child artist in films like Nenjil Oru Alayam (1982) and Anbe Sivam . Her transition to lead heroine in the late 1980s was seamless. However, her golden era started in the mid-1990s with the blockbuster Muthu (1995) opposite Rajinikanth. Her portrayal of Ranganayaki—a grounded, loyal village woman who sings the iconic "Thillana Thillana"—set the template for the "ideal Tamil heroine."

Meena entered the television space not as a guest, but as a primary stakeholder. She starred in highly rated Tamil serials such as Lakshmi and Kalyanam , which dominated prime-time television slots. By bringing film-grade acting to daily soaps, she elevated the standard of television entertainment content in South India. Reality TV and Judging Mastery

Meena married software engineer Vidyasagar in 2009, and the couple has a daughter, Nainika, who followed her mother into the industry with a role in the Vijay-starrer Theri (2016) at the age of just five. Tragically, her husband passed away in June 2022. Despite the personal tragedy, Meena has remained resilient and continues to work actively in the industry.