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Jayanthi (actress)
Encyclopedia
Jayanthi (born October 11, 1950) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 500 films, including films in the Kannada, Telugu
, Tamil
, Malayalam, Hindi
and Marathi language
s. In Kannada movies, she was honored with the title Abhinaya Sharade.
. Her maiden name before she came to films was Kamala Kumari. Her father Balasubramanyam worked as English professor at the St Joseph's College in Bangalore
. Her mother was Santhanalakshmi. Jayanthi was the eldest of three siblings and had two younger brothers.
Jayanthi's childhood was never smooth. Her parents separated early in life and her mother took the children and moved to Madras. Jayanthi's mother was keen on making her daughter a classical dancer and hence she joined a dance school run by Chandrakala. Her friend in dance school was the famous Tamil actress Manorama.
As a child on one occasion when Jayanthi went to the studios to see her idol N 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 as Jagadeka Veeruni Katha
, Kula Gowravam, Kondaveeti Simham and Justice Chowdhury.
Jayanthi was ridiculed most of the times as she was plump and could never dance well. During her teens she had the chance to act in a few Tamil and Telugu movies in bit parts. On one such occasion (as Jayanthi remembered in one of her interviews) the great Telugu actress Savitri was upset with newcomer Jayanthi who could not convincingly narrate a few Tamil dialogues. She stormed out of the sets saying that the director had brought in people who hardly knew acting or the language. Jayanthi was shattered after the episode but promised herself that one day she would prove her worth. She enjoyed a good run in the Kannada Film industry and formed very good pair with the famous actor and doyen of Kannada Cinema Dr.Rajkumar
, with whom she acted in more than 30 movies.
Jayanthi's life changed completely when noted Kannada director Y R Swamy spotted her during one of her dance rehearsals. He brought her to Kannada films such as Jenu Goodu. He also changed her name to Jayanthi.
and Pandari Bai
. Incidentally this was actress Chandrakala
's first film as well. Jenu Goodu was a commercial success. Her next major film was T V Singh Thakur's Chandavalliya Thota. The film starred veteran actors Uday Kumar, Dr Rajkumar and Jayashree. This was the first film that paired Raj and Jayanthi. Based on Ta Ra Su's novel by the same name, Chandavalliya Thota was a huge success and even won the President's Medal for best film. Jayanthi in one of her interviews fondly remembered an incident during the shooting of this film. During a particular scene Jayanthi's character dies and Uday Kumar has to fall on her to cry. Uday Kumar was so engrossed in his acting that he had forgotten that he had put his whole body weight on the young girl Jayanthi, who was yelling in pain and asking him to get up.
The next major film that Jayanthi starred in was Miss Leelavathi. This film was released in the mid-60's and directed by M R Vittal. Miss Leelavathi was a very bold film for its time and Jayanthi played the title role. The story is about the influence of bad parenting on young Leelavathi's mind. She is the darling of her father (Ashwath) who supports her in all her endeavours. Leelavathi grows up to be rebel in the house and stands up against the conventional values of life. She refuses marriage
, wishes to be a career-oriented women and has a care-free attitude towards premarital sex. Unfortunately she pays for the consequences.
Miss Leelavathi had a very bold theme considering the fact that it was made at a time when the film industry was very conservative
. Jayanthi was launched as the glamour-diva through the film and she was at her best. This was probably the first Kannada film to show-case a heroine's glamour. The film was a huge success and catapulted Jayanthi to fame. Jayanthi for the first time in Kannada film history wore skirts, T-shirts and even a nightie on screen. She is credited for introducing most of the modern day outfits onto the Kannada screen for the first time. She also wore a swimsuit
for the film, which the producers' first choice for the role had refused to do. Miss Leelavathi had some of the lovely songs like "Nodu ba nodu ba nammoora" and Kuvempu's classic "Doni Saagali". Miss Leelavathi got Jayanthi the President's award. Jayanthi fondly remembered the occasion in one of her interviews when she received the award from Smt Indira Gandhi
(then IB Minister). Mrs Gandhi after giving away the award called back Jayanthi and gave her a sweet kiss and wished her good luck. She has also acted in numerous films with Kalyan kumar. In Tamil She acted with all major stars. She was director K. Balachander
's most sought after actress and they went on to work in numerous films.
In 2009, she gave her voice to an HIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAIDS
.
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Malayalam, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Marathi language
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
s. In Kannada movies, she was honored with the title Abhinaya Sharade.
Early life
Jayanthi was born in BellaryBellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....
. Her maiden name before she came to films was Kamala Kumari. Her father Balasubramanyam worked as English professor at the St Joseph's College in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. Her mother was Santhanalakshmi. Jayanthi was the eldest of three siblings and had two younger brothers.
Jayanthi's childhood was never smooth. Her parents separated early in life and her mother took the children and moved to Madras. Jayanthi's mother was keen on making her daughter a classical dancer and hence she joined a dance school run by Chandrakala. Her friend in dance school was the famous Tamil actress Manorama.
As a child on one occasion when Jayanthi went to the studios to see her idol N 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 as Jagadeka Veeruni Katha
Jagadeka Veeruni Katha
Jagadeka Veeruni Katha is a 1961 Telugu Drama film directed and produced by Kadiri Venkata Reddy under the banner of Vijaya Pictures. It is subsequently dubbed into Tamil language entitled Jagathala Prathapan and Kannada, Bengali, Oriya and Hindi languages.It is a Musical film with music score...
, Kula Gowravam, Kondaveeti Simham and Justice Chowdhury.
Jayanthi was ridiculed most of the times as she was plump and could never dance well. During her teens she had the chance to act in a few Tamil and Telugu movies in bit parts. On one such occasion (as Jayanthi remembered in one of her interviews) the great Telugu actress Savitri was upset with newcomer Jayanthi who could not convincingly narrate a few Tamil dialogues. She stormed out of the sets saying that the director had brought in people who hardly knew acting or the language. Jayanthi was shattered after the episode but promised herself that one day she would prove her worth. She enjoyed a good run in the Kannada Film industry and formed very good pair with the famous actor and doyen of Kannada Cinema Dr.Rajkumar
Rajkumar
Rajkumar , born as Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju was a popular actor and singer in the Kannada film industry...
, with whom she acted in more than 30 movies.
Jayanthi's life changed completely when noted Kannada director Y R Swamy spotted her during one of her dance rehearsals. He brought her to Kannada films such as Jenu Goodu. He also changed her name to Jayanthi.
Rise to fame
Jeenu Goodu was Jayanthi's first kannada film. She was married to Film Director Peketi Sivaram. He backed her all the way and very soon she became a famous actress in Kanada. She acted alongside veterans like AshwathK. S. Ashwath
K. S. Ashwath was a veteran Kannada film actor. He has acted in more than 350 films during his five-decade-long career.-Early life:Aswath was born in Karaganahalli Village, Arakalagudu Taluk, Hassan district, Karnataka, India...
and Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai was a prominent heroine of South Indian languages films mostly in Kannada and Tamil during the 1950s and 60s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Dr. Rajkumar and Sivaji Ganesan...
. Incidentally this was actress Chandrakala
Chandrakala
Chandrakala is an Indian film actress who worked in hundreds of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. Her most significant role was in the film Alaigal directed by C. V. Sridhar.-Partial filmography:* Shola Aur Shabnam * Jeenu Goodu...
's first film as well. Jenu Goodu was a commercial success. Her next major film was T V Singh Thakur's Chandavalliya Thota. The film starred veteran actors Uday Kumar, Dr Rajkumar and Jayashree. This was the first film that paired Raj and Jayanthi. Based on Ta Ra Su's novel by the same name, Chandavalliya Thota was a huge success and even won the President's Medal for best film. Jayanthi in one of her interviews fondly remembered an incident during the shooting of this film. During a particular scene Jayanthi's character dies and Uday Kumar has to fall on her to cry. Uday Kumar was so engrossed in his acting that he had forgotten that he had put his whole body weight on the young girl Jayanthi, who was yelling in pain and asking him to get up.
The next major film that Jayanthi starred in was Miss Leelavathi. This film was released in the mid-60's and directed by M R Vittal. Miss Leelavathi was a very bold film for its time and Jayanthi played the title role. The story is about the influence of bad parenting on young Leelavathi's mind. She is the darling of her father (Ashwath) who supports her in all her endeavours. Leelavathi grows up to be rebel in the house and stands up against the conventional values of life. She refuses marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, wishes to be a career-oriented women and has a care-free attitude towards premarital sex. Unfortunately she pays for the consequences.
Miss Leelavathi had a very bold theme considering the fact that it was made at a time when the film industry was very conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
. Jayanthi was launched as the glamour-diva through the film and she was at her best. This was probably the first Kannada film to show-case a heroine's glamour. The film was a huge success and catapulted Jayanthi to fame. Jayanthi for the first time in Kannada film history wore skirts, T-shirts and even a nightie on screen. She is credited for introducing most of the modern day outfits onto the Kannada screen for the first time. She also wore a swimsuit
Swimsuit
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...
for the film, which the producers' first choice for the role had refused to do. Miss Leelavathi had some of the lovely songs like "Nodu ba nodu ba nammoora" and Kuvempu's classic "Doni Saagali". Miss Leelavathi got Jayanthi the President's award. Jayanthi fondly remembered the occasion in one of her interviews when she received the award from Smt Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
(then IB Minister). Mrs Gandhi after giving away the award called back Jayanthi and gave her a sweet kiss and wished her good luck. She has also acted in numerous films with Kalyan kumar. In Tamil She acted with all major stars. She was director K. Balachander
K. Balachander
K. Balachander is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. Balachander is known for his distinct film-making style. His films analyse unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He has directed nearly 80 films and has worked in 100 films either as director or...
's most sought after actress and they went on to work in numerous films.
In 2009, she gave her voice to an HIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAIDS
TeachAIDS
TeachAIDS is a nonprofit organization that develops HIV prevention education technology materials, based on an approach invented through research at Stanford University.The TeachAIDS software has been cited as a model health intervention...
.
Filmography
- Soubhagya Devathe
- Shiva Kotta Sowbhagya (1985)
- Thayi Karulu (1988) (Co-Actors: TaraTara (Kannada actress)Tara is a Kannada film actress. She won the Best Actress award in the 2005 National Film Awards for her role in the film Hasina , which also received the Best Film on Family Welfare award...
, VajramuniVajramuniVajramuni was an actor in the Kannada film industry who acted in more than 300 movies. He died at the age of 62.. He had been suffering from protracted kidney-related illness and was on dialysis for a couple of years...
, Srinivasa MurthySrinivasa MurthySrinivasa Murthy is one of the finest actors in the Kannada film industry who has earned a stature as the most dependable artist. Known for his graceful acting, Srinivasa Murthy is a disciplined actor who has carved out a niche in historical and emotional roles. He has shown variety in his acting...
, Jai Jagadish) - UshaUshaUsha was a city in the Western part of Galilee. It is noteworthy because in the 2nd century , the Sanhedrin, or rabbinic court, was moved from Yavne in Judea to Usha, and then from Usha back to Yavne, and a second time from Yavne to Usha....
(1991) (Kannada) (Co-Actors: Suhasini, Ramakrishna; Directed By Raaghava; Music By Raajan - Nagendra)
Films with Raj
- Raj-Jayanthi pair has acted in the large number of movies. Their movies are:
- Chandavalliya Thota
- Pratigne
- Muriyada Mane
- Thumbida Koda
- Vatsalya
- Bangalore Mail
- Choori Chikkanna
- Rowdy Ranganna
- Bhale Raja
- Chakratheertha
- Bala Bandhana
- Punarjanma
- Kula Gowrava
- Chikkamma
- Mantralaya Mahatme
- Devara Makkalu
- Devara Gedda Manava
- Kiladi Ranga
- Kranti Veera
- Jedara Bale
- Simha Swapna
- Nandagokula
- Deavru Kotta Thangi
- Sri Krishnadevaraya
- Bettada Huli
- Immadi Pulikeshi
- Bahaddur Gandu
- Prema Mayi
- Manasiddare Marga
- Nanna Thamma
- Kasturi Nivasa
- Paropakari
- Raktha Kaneeru