Jayanthi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kamala Kumari (1945-01-06)6 January 1945 Bellary,Madras Presidency, British Raj |
| Died | 26 July 2021(2021-07-26) (aged 76) Banashankari, Bangalore,Karnataka, India |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1960–2021 |
| Spouse | Peketi Sivaram |
| Children | 1 |
Kamala Kumari (6 January 1945 – 26 July 2021), known by her stage nameJayanthi, was an Indian actress known for her work inKannada cinema andTelugu cinema.[1][2] She was noted for her contributions to different genres of films from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. She had appeared in over 500 films in various languages, includingKannada,Telugu,Tamil,Malayalam,Hindi andMarathi.
Jayanthi has been recipient of sevenKarnataka State Film Awards,[3] four times asBest Actress and twice asBest Supporting Actress, thePresident's Medal for Best Actress and twoFilmfare Awards for Best Actress. She has been cited as Kannada cinema's "most bold and beautiful" actress by various media outlets, a title for which she has received substantial publicity.[4] The Kannada film industry honored her with the title "Abhinaya Sharadhe", (Goddess Sharada in acting).[citation needed]
Jayanthi was born inBellary, in the erstwhileMadras Presidency of British India on 6 January 1945.[5] Her father Balasubramanyam worked as English professor at the St Joseph's College inBangalore. Her mother was Santhanalakshmi. Jayanthi was the eldest of three siblings and had two younger brothers. Her parents separated when she was young and her mother took the children and moved toMadras.[citation needed] Jayanthi's mother was keen on making her daughter a classical dancer and hence she joined a dance school. Her friend in dance school was the popular Tamil actressManorama.
As a child, Jayanthi went to the studios to see her idolN. T. Rama Rao. He called her and made her sit on his lap. Affectionately, he had asked her whether she would agree to become his heroine and the little girl had merely blushed. The pair would go on later in life to produce successful films such asJagadeka Veeruni Katha,Kula Gowravam,Kondaveeti Simham andJustice Chowdhury. During her teens, she had the chance to act in a few Tamil and Telugu movies in bit parts. Jayanthi was ridiculed most of the time as she was plump and could never dance well. Jayanthi promised herself that one day she would prove her worth.
Jayanthi's life changed when noted film directorY. R. Swamy spotted her during one of her dance rehearsals and cast her in his filmJenu Goodu after persuading her mother.[4] He also gave her the stage name.[1] Jayanthi enjoyed a good run in the Kannada Film industry. She has costarred in more than 40 movies withRajkumar, the doyen of Kannada cinema.[6]
Jenu Goodu, Jayanthi's first Kannada film was commercial success. Her next Kannada film as heroine was T. V. Singh Thakur'sChandavalliya Thota, the first film that paired her withRajkumar. Based onT. R. Subba Rao's novel the film was a huge success and even won thePresident's Medal for Best Film in Kannada. The next major film that Jayanthi starred in was the 1965Miss Leelavathi directed by M. R. Vittal in which she played the title role. Considered a film with a bold theme at the time, Jayanthi was launched as the glamour-diva wearing skirts, T-shirts and nighties which was a first for a Kannada film. The film was a huge success and catapulted Jayanthi to fame. She is credited with being the first Kannada actress to wear swimsuit on screen.[1] The film won Jayanthi the President's award. Jayanthi recalled the occasion in one of her interviews thatIndira Gandhi (thenMinistry of Information and Broadcasting), after giving the award, gave her a kiss and wished her good luck.[7] She went on to act in over 30 films withRajkumar.
Jayanthi featured in Tamil films from 1962 to 1979 and acted with all major stars as the leading lady. She costarred withM. G. Ramachandran inPadagotti andMugaraasi, withGemini Ganesan inKanna Nalama,Velli Vizha,Punnagai,Ganga Gowri andIru Kodugal, withJaishankar inNil Gavani Kadhali andKaadhal Paduthum Paadu andEthir Neechal withNagesh. She was directorK. Balachander's regular actress and they went on to work in films such asIru Kodugal,Bama Vijayam,Ethir Neechal,Punnagai,Velli Vizha andKanna Nalama. She acted withJayalalithaa andManorama inMugaraasi.[citation needed] The song Aadhi Naadan Ketkindraan picturised on her sung by TMS-Janaki was very popular.
During the late 1970s and the 1980s Jayanthi starred in many Kannada movies that required a slightly mature actress, often paired with Srinivasa Murthy and Prabhakar.[2]
Jayanthi was married to film director and actorPeketi Sivaram for a few years and then the couple separated.[5] On 27 March 2018, it was falsely reported by several media houses that actress Jayanthi had died. While her fans took to social media to offer their condolences, her family members refuted the rumors as false. The then 73-year-old actress complained of breathing difficulties and was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru and was recuperating and responding well to the treatment.[8]
In 2009, she gave her voice to anHIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organizationTeachAids.[9]
Jayanthi died on 26 July 2021 at the age of 76, due to age related ailments at her residence in Bengaluru.[10][11]
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