Jayanthi was a prominent Kannada actress who worked in the Indian film industry for over five decades. She was born on January 1, 1945, in Bellary, Karnataka, India, and started her acting career in the 1960s. Jayanthi has acted in over 500 films in various languages including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi.
Jayanthi was known for her versatile acting skills and could portray a wide range of characters on screen. She was also a trained classical dancer and often incorporated her dance skills into her film performances. She was awarded numerous accolades throughout her career including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress seven times.
Jayanthi was known for her humble and down-to-earth personality and was highly respected in the film industry. She passed away on July 26, 2021, at the age of 76 due to age-related health complications. Her contribution to the Indian film industry will always be remembered and she will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come.
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Kamala Kumari |
| Profession | Actress |
| Famous For | Miss Leelavathi |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 157 cm in meters– 1.57 m in feet inches– 5’ 2” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 75 kg in pounds– 165 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 6 January 1945 |
| Age (as in 2018) | 73 Years |
| Birthplace | Bellary, Karnataka, India |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Madras, India |
| Debut | Film: Bharya Bhartalu (1961)
Mangaiyar Ullam Mangatha Selvam (1962, Tamil)
|
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Hobbies | Dancing |
| Boys, Affairs, and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Not Known |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | Peketi Sivaram (Actor, Director)
|
| Children | Son– Krishna Kumar Daughter– None |
| Parents | Father– Balasubramanyam (English Professor) Mother– Santhanalakshmi |
| Siblings | Brother– 2 Sister– Not Known |
| Favorite Things | |
| Favorite Actor | N T Rama Rao |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Jayanthi
- Does Jayanthi smoke?: Not Known
- Does Jayanthi drink alcohol?: Not Known
- Jayanthi’s parents got separated after a few years of their marriage, and her mother moved to Madras with her children.
- Her mother wanted Jayanthi to become a classical dancer.
- She started her career as a supporting actress when she was just a teen. At that time she was very chubby and was not good at dancing. So she was not treated very well on the sets.
- Later, she joined a dance school and learned different forms of Indian classical dance.
- Jayanthi was practicing dance for her movie scene when Kannada director Y. R. Swam saw her and offered her a Kannada movie ‘Jenu Goodu.’ However, she had worked in Tamil and Malayalam films before, but ‘Jenu Godu’ proved to be the film that established her as an actress.
- She was the first Kannada actress to wear a nighty, swimwear, and a skirt in any Kannada film. The name of the film was ‘Miss Leelavathi’ and was the boldest and very much ahead of its time.
- Jayanthi even won the President’s award for ‘Miss Leelavathi,’ which was presented to her by Indira Gandhi (then IB Minister).
- Her husband, the famous actor, and director Peketi Sivaram was the most significant support for her.
- She has worked with many famous stars of her time including Rajkumar, Gemini Ganeshan, M.G. Ramachandran, Muthu Raman, Jaishankar, etc. Also, she is the only actress to have been paired with actor Rajkumar in more than 45 films.
- She has been friends with Tamil actress Manorama who was also in her dance school when they were teenagers.
- Jayanthi has worked in more than 500 films in various languages including Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. She also appeared in an English TV show named Brown Nation (2016), which was telecasted on Netflix.
- She was also titled ‘Abhinaya Sharadhe,’ which means ‘Goddess Sharada’ as a remark for her contribution to the Kannada film industry.
- Anu Prabhakar, the famous Kannada actress, was her daughter-in-law and both still share a good bond.