Jamuna was born inHampi in present-dayKarnataka in aKannadiga family.[4][5][6][7] Her parents were Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kowsalya Devi. She first was named Jana Bai. Her father was a Madhva Brahmin, while her mother was aVaisya, resulting in aninter-castelove marriage. Jamuna grew up inDuggirala, in theGuntur district ofAndhra Pradesh.[2] Her father was involved in the business ofturmeric andtobacco and their family moved there when she was seven years old.[4] WhenSavitri was performing drama in Duggirala, she would stay at Jamuna's house. Later, Savitri invited Jamuna to act in films. She began performing as heroines in movies at the age of 16.[2][4][8]
Jamuna was a stage artist in school. Her mother taught her vocal music andharmonium. In 1952, Dr. Garikipati Raja Rao of the Indian People's Theatre Association saw her stage showMaa Bhoomi and offered her a role in his filmPuttillu.[2]
^"I Love Hyderabad".archive.vn. 24 June 2007. Retrieved11 September 2020.{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^abcdNarasimham, M. L. (1 September 2013)."PUTTILLU (1953)".The Hindu. Archived fromthe original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved14 February 2016.
^Madhavan, Pradeep (23 January 2015)."அமுதாய்ப் பொழிந்த நிலவு -அந்தநாள் ஞாபகம்" [The immortal Moon – Memories of the good old days].The Hindu (in Tamil). Archived fromthe original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved14 February 2016.
