Saridey Varalakshmi (13 August 1925 – 22 September 2009) was an Indian actress and singer who worked in Telugu and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

-language films. She was popular for her roles and songs in Telugu films like '' Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam'' (1960) and '' Mahamantri Timmarasu'' (1962) and Tamil films like ''

Veerapandiya Kattabomman Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. He fought the British East India Company and was captured by the British with the help of the ruler of the kingdom of Pu ...

'' (1959) and in '' Poova Thalaiya'' (1969).

Life

Varalakshmi was born in Jaggampeta, Andhra Pradesh, India. She started her career as child artist in saint role in '' Balayogini'' (1937), when she was nine years old. Gudavalli Ramabrahmam was engaged by the pioneer filmmaker K. Subramanyam to direct the Telugu version of this movie. He spotted young Varalakshmi in Kurnool. Subramanyam later cast her in his classic '' Seva Sadanam'' (1938) with M. S. Subbulakshmi.Melody-filled screen presence by Randor Guy in The Hindu, 2009
/ref> She played a young friend of the heroine (M.S.), and they became close friends. She played a young girl's role in ''Parasuraman'' (Tamil, 1940) along with T. R. Mahalingam. T. R. Sundaram, cast her in a major role in his box office hit 'Aayiram Thalai Vaangi Apoorva Chinthamani' (1947). The title role was played by V. N. Janaki. The film was a major success and Govindan and Varalakshmi made an attractive pair. T. R. Sundaram cast her again in the lead role in 'Bhojan' (1948). Her first successful movie was '' Balaraju'' in 1948 produced and directed by

Ghantasala Balaramaiah Ghantasala Balaramayya was an Indian film director, producer, and actor in Telugu cinema. His notable films include '' Sri Seetarama Jananam'' (1944), '' Balaraju'' (1948), '' Swapna Sundari'' (1950), and ''Sri Lakshmamma Katha'' (1950). Balar ...

. She later acted with all top heroes in Telugu and Tamil industries including M K Tyagaraja Bhagavatar in the classic Tamil film by B A Subba Rao called 'Syamala' in 1953;

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...

(''Veerapandiya Kattabbomman''),

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), popularly known by his initialism M.G.R. and as Makkal Thilagam/Puratchi Thalaivar, was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of ...

(''Chakravarthi Thirumagal'', ''Maattukara Velan'', ''Needhikku Thalaivanangu''),

Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films. G ...

(''Poova Thalaiya'', ''Panama Pasama''), N. T. Rama Rao ('' Satya Harischandra''), A. Nageswara Rao(ANR) ('' Balaraju''), V. Nagayya (''Naga Panchami''), Ranjan (''En Magan'') and R. S. Manohar (''Maamiyaar''). She was also famous for her voice, and sung her songs in all movies she acted. Her roles as Sivaji's wife in ''

'', and important roles in '' Poova Thalaiya'', '' Savale Samali'', ''Maattukkara Velan'', Shivaji's sister in ''Raja Raja Chozhan'' and ''Neethikku thalaivanangu'' won her critical acclaim as a talented singer and actress in Tamil movies. In her later career, she acted in mother and aunt roles. She married film producer A. L. Srinivasan, an elder brother of Kavignar Kannadasan; they had two children named Nalini and Muruga She continued to act after marriage in senior roles in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She sang many beautiful songs in Telugu and Tamil films. Her son, S. Muruga, died after suffering cardiac arrest in Chennai on 22 October 2013. He lived for 48 years. Her daughter Nalini is a homemaker with 2 children.

Death

Varalakshmi was bedridden during the last 6 months of her life after she

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

and injured her back. She died on 22 September 2009.

Honors and awards

She has received several awards commending her service to Tamil cinema. The most recent ones were: # Sivaji Ganesan Memorial Award Presented by the Sivaji Family in October 2007 # Kavignar Kannadasan Award presented by the Tamil Nadu Government in 2004

Filmography

Note: The lists are not comprehensive.

Discography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Varalakshmi, S. 1927 births 2009 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in India Indian women playback singers Indian film actresses Telugu playback singers 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian actresses Tamil playback singers Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Singers from Andhra Pradesh People from East Godavari district Indian child actresses Child actresses in Telugu cinema 20th-century Indian women singers Film musicians from Andhra Pradesh Women musicians from Andhra Pradesh