Lakshmi Devi Kanakala (1939/1940 – 3 February 2018) was an Indian actress, chiefly known for her roles in

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

. Also an accomplished dancer, she worked as a trainer at

Madras Film Institute The M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute, formerly known as the Adyar Film Institute, is Asia's first-ever film and television training institute. Established in 1945 as Adyar Film Institute, it is one of the pioneer film in ...

and mentored such actors as

Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...

, Allari Naresh, Subhalekha Sudhakar, and Suhasini. Chiranjeevi referred to her as "Saraswathi Devi (the goddess of knowledge)".

Personal life

Lakshmi Devi was married to Devadas Kanakala, a veteran Telugu actor, who appeared in numerous films over four decades. The couple had two children,

Rajeev Kanakala Rajeev Kanakala (born 13 November 1968) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu films and television. He started his career in television serials and short films, where he not only acted but also produced and directed. He is marri ...

(also an actor) and Sri Laxmi.

Death

Lakshmi Kanakala died in a private hospital in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possi ...

. She was 78 years old.

Films

*''Prema Bandham'' *''Police Lockup'' *''

Kobbari Bondam ''Kobbari Bondam'' () is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language comedy film, produced by K. Achi Reddy, S. V. Krishna Reddy under Manisha Films, presented by Kishore Rathi and directed by Katragadda Raviteja. The film stars Rajendra Prasad and Niros ...

'' as Raju's mother

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanakala, Lakshmi 1939 births 2018 deaths Telugu actresses Indian actresses Date of birth missing Indian acting coaches Year of birth uncertain