Thilakavathi was born in and completed her schooling in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu.
In 1976, she became the first woman from Tamil Nadu to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
Later that year, she was appointed the DIG for the Chengalpattu-MGR range, that covered districts Chengalpattu East and West, and South Arcot.
[2] In 2010, she was posted as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board, upon receiving a promotion to the rank of Director general of police.
Some of her works including Vaarthai thavari vittai, Arasigal aluvathillai and Muppathu kodi mugangal have been adapted for television.