Sowmya Sathyanarayana (18 July 1972 – 17 April 2004), better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...

. She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She also acted in a few

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

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 ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

films. She has received three

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

, two

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

and six

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

. In 2002, she received the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...

as a producer for the

Kannada film Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

'' Dweepa''. Soundarya established herself as the most popular Telugu actress of the 1990s and is best known for her performances in films such as '' Ammoru'' (1995), ''

Pavitra Bandham ''Pavitra Bandham'' ( ''The Holy Bond'') is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Muthyala Subbaiah. It stars Venkatesh and Soundarya, with music composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was produced by C. ...

'' (1996), '' Anthahpuram'' (1998), ''

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

'' (1999), '' Doni Saagali'' (1998), '' Dweepa'' (2002) and ''

Apthamitra ''Apthamitra'' () is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language Psychological horror film written and directed by P. Vasu and produced by Dwarakish. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Soundarya and Ramesh in the lead roles, while Prema, Avinash and Dwarak ...

'' (2004). She won three

for ''Pavitra Bandham'' and Special Jury Prize for ''Ammoru'' and ''Anthahpuram''.

Personal life

Soundarya was born in Mulabagilu,

Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...

on 18 July 1972, and brought up in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. Her parents are K. S. Sathyanarayana and Manjula. Her father was a Kannada film writer and producer. She discontinued her Intermediate after her first year in Bangalore. On 27 April 2003, she married G. S. Raghu, a

software engineer Software engineering is a branch of both computer science and engineering focused on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software applications. It involves applying engineering principles and computer programming expertise to develop ...

by profession.

Career

Soundarya's first film was the Kannada film ''Baa Nanna Preethisu'', directed by S. Siddalingaiah, released in April 1992, immediately followed by ''Gandharva'' in July 1992 which was a hit. She did lead roles in Kannada and went on to become a popular actress. Her first film in Telugu was ''Manavarali Pelli'' (1993). In Tamil, she got major acclaim for her debut film '' Ponnumani'' (1993), opposite Karthik for playing the role of a mentally disabled person. Real commercial recognition came to her with '' Hello Brother'' (1994), directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana, in which she starred alongside

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna (Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, ''Nāgārjuna''; ) was an Indian monk and Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy, philosopher of the Madhyamaka (Centrism, Middle Way) school. He is widely considered one of the most importa ...

and

Ramya Krishna Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna, is an Indian actress predominantly known for her work in Telugu and Tamil films, along with appearances in Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films. Early life Ramya was born ...

. She has also collaborated with actor Karthik for '' Muthu Kaalai'' (1995). She played an award-winning role in '' Ammoru'' (1995), directed by

Kodi Ramakrishna Kodi Ramakrishna (23 July 1949 – 22 February 2019) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over the course of his career, he directed more than 100 films across various genres, earning a repu ...

, starring alongside Ramya Krishna and Suresh and played the role of Bhavani, a devotee of Goddess Ammoru. She had eleven releases in 1995. She continued her successful run with '' Amma Donga'' (1995), '' Sipayi'' (1996), ''

'' (1996), ''Maa Aayana Bangaram'' (1997), '' Dongaata'' (1997), '' Aaro Pranam'' (1997) and ''Osi Na Maradala'' (1997). She also starred alongside

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...

in '' Arunachalam'' (1997), which became the highest-grossing film of 1997 in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

. The industry regarded her to be the golden hand, as a former director's daughter, she always regarded the success not as a one-man show, but teamwork across 36 departments. In 1998, '' Doni Saagali'' in Kannada were commercially successful. In Tamil, she also starred alongside

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

and Prabhudeva in ''

Kaathala Kaathala ''Kaathala Kaathala'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and produced by P. L. Thenappan. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Prabhu Deva, Soundarya and Rambha. It revolves around two men fall ...

'' directed by Singeetam Srinivas Rao. ''

Choodalani Vundi ''Choodalani Vundi'' () is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Gunasekhar, and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. This film stars Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Anjala Zaveri and Prakash Raj. ...

'' opposite

Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...

took her to the pinnacle. '' Anthahpuram'', directed by

Krishna Vamsi Pasupuleti Venkata Bangarraju (born 28 July 1962), known professionally as Krishna Vamsi, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over a career spanning three decades, he has received three Na ...

, stood as one of the finest performances of Soundarya in her career, winning her a State

Nandi Award for Best Actress The Nandi Award for Best Actress was commissioned in 1977. The winner is awarded a "Silver Nandi" and a cash award of 30,000. Superlatives The Actresses with most wins are listed in total order List of winners of Nandi Awards for Best Actress ...

and also her second consecutive

Filmfare Award for Best Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in ...

. The romantic drama ''

'' (1999), opposite Venkatesh, was another blockbuster and won her a third

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...

. Her other releases, ''

Padayappa ''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan in his penultimate release and Rajinikanth in the titular lead. Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya share other lead r ...

'' (1999) opposite Rajinikanth. She starred opposite

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

in the Hindi movie ''

Sooryavansham ''Sooryavansham'' (, ) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. It stars Amitabh Bachchan in dual roles, with Soundarya (in her only Hindi film), Jayasudha, Rachna Banerjee, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan ...

''. '' Premaku Velayera'' (1999), '' Premaku Swagatam'' (2002) with J. D. Chakravarthy further solidified her position. She starred in '' Annayya'' (2000), opposite

, '' Ninne Premistha'' (2000) and '' Azad'' (2000), opposite

'', Jayam Manadera'' (2000) and '' Devi Putrudu'' (2001) opposite Venkatesh, and several others that displayed her acting abilities and ''

Sri Manjunatha Manjunath or Manjunatha is another name for the Hindu deity Shiva. It may also refer to: People * B. C. Manjunath, Indian classical musician/percussionist * Master Manjunath (Manjunath Nayaker) (born 1976), an Indian actor and public relations pr ...

'' (2001) opposite

Arjun Sarja Srinivasa Sarja (born 15 August 1962), better known by his stage name Action King Arjun, is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has mainly acted in Tamil cinema, Tamil films in addition to Telugu ...

. She shared screen space with actor

Vijayakanth Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor, filmmaker, philanthropist and politician. He worked in Tamil cinema in a career spanning four decades. He ventured into politi ...

for ''

Thavasi ''Thavasi'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. R. Udayasankar starring Vijayakanth in dual lead roles as father and son, with Soundarya, Vadivelu, Jayasudha, Prathyusha, Nassar and Sriman playing other piv ...

'' (2001) and '' Chokka Thangam'' (2003). In 2002, she received the

(producer) for '' Dweepa''. She has acted in the Malayalam comedy film '' Yathrakarude Sradhakku'' (2002) with

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Telugu cinema, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri language films. He is also a chenda ...

and '' Kilichundan Mampazham'' (2003), with

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

and

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...

. In 2004,

Balakrishna Bala Krishna (). Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship already flourished in and around Mathura several centuries before Christ. A second important element is ...

announced the remake of '' Nartanasala'', and a launch event was held in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. Soundarya was signed to play

Draupadi Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the Indian epic poetry, ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of K ...

but the film was shelved following her death. However the first 17 minutes are available to stream online. Her last film was ''

'', a runaway hit starring Vishnuvardhan and Ramesh Arvind. The film won her the

Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada cinema, Kannada films ''(Sandalwood)''. The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972. The year indicates the year ...

posthumously in 2004. She worked with almost all the top directors, like

Dasari Narayana Rao Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1942 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, lyricist, and politician, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over his four decade career, he directed more than 150 feature ...

, K. Raghavendra Rao,

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of India's most versatile and innovative filmmakers. He has directed around sixty films across ...

, A. Kodandarami Reddy,

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

, S. V. Krishna Reddy,

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor who primarily works in Tamil cinema and few Telugu films. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Indian cinema. He has won m ...

, E. V. V. Satyanarayana,

Muthyala Subbaiah Muthyala Subbaiah (born: 15 September 1950) is an Indian film director. He has directed 50 Telugu language, Telugu films. Known for his films with heavy dose of human emotions, he is sometimes referred as ''Sentiment Subbaiah''. Personal life ...

Gunasekhar Gunasekhar (born 2 June 1964) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has directed films in action, romance, mythological, and historical drama genres. He has won a National Film Award, multiple Nand ...

, P. Vasu,

Muppalaneni Shiva Muppalaneni Shiva is an Indian film director and writer who works in Telugu cinema. He has directed movies for production houses like Suresh Productions, Super Good Films, Sravanthi Movies, Ramakrishna Cine Studios & Etharam films etc. His succ ...

Bharathi Kannan S.Bharathi Kannan is an Indian film director, who has directed Tamil films. He was primarily active in the 1990s and early 2000 and is most noted for his work on devotional films. Career He started his career in 1981, joining as an assistant d ...

Sundar C Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1968), known professionally as Sundar C, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He has directed over 30 films and received the Kalaimamani#2009, Kalaim ...

Death

On 17 April 2004, Soundarya died in an aircraft crash along with her brother Amarnath in

. The aircraft, a

Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal airc ...

, took off at 11:05 a.m. and turned west before crashing on the campus of the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the University of Agricultural Sciences. It had reached a height of and, before achieving required rate of climb speed, took a steep left turn leading to a stall. It crashed into the ground nose down and burst into flames. B. N. Ganapathi, one of the two persons working on the experimental fields of the university, who rushed to the aircraft to save the occupants, said the plane wobbled before the crash.

Legacy

Soundarya is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She was known as a versatile actress, who played distinctive roles. Critics noted that she had a fine sense of characterisation. Due to this ability, Soundarya struck a chord with the Telugu audience despite being from Karnataka. ''Ammoru'', ''Pavithra Bandham'', ''Doni Saagali'', ''Raja'', ''Sooryavansham'', and ''Dweepa'' are her best known films that saw her playing strong female characters.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''The New York Times'' article
{{Authority control 1972 births 2004 deaths Actresses from Bengaluru People from Kolar district Actresses in Malayalam cinema Kannada actresses Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in India Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2004 Filmfare Awards South winners Nandi Award winners Indian women film producers Kannada film producers Film producers from Bengaluru 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Businesswomen from Karnataka Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award