Sumathi is an Indian actress from

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. She started her career at the age of two. She starred in many

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 ...

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 ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

language films.

Personal life

Sumathi was born in

a city in

India. Her father and mother were originally from Madurai. Her father managed several businesses such as photo studio and printing press. Her mother, was a housewife taking care of Sumathi and her seven brothers and three sisters. Her elder brother

Master Prabhakar Master Prabhakar, (born Prabhakar) is an Indian actor, who primarily worked in Tamil and Hindi cinema, and few Telugu and Kannada films and acted in about 60 programmes for Doordarshan, between 1977 and 1987 and as a technician he has worked ...

was the first one in the family to enter the film industry. In 1966, Sumathi moved in with her Aunt along with Prabhakar to pursue her dreams. Sumathi entered the film industry when a director was looking for a young baby to play a role in a

film along with veteran actor

Bharath Gopi Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer, and director. Considered one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema, Gopy was one of ...

. Sumathi is married and settled in America with their daughter and son.

Career

She started her film career in Tamil movies as a child actress (Baby Sumathi) by playing the role of daughter of

Gopi Gopi (, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of Braj. They are regarded as the consorts and devotees of Krishna and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''Bhakti'') to him as described i ...

in the late 60's. She appeared in many children's movies. She played dual roles and in some movies acted as a boy. Soon she moved to Telugu and Malayalam films, where she starred in many films. As Baby Sumathi grew up, she took to modeling and started endorsing many products. She has won many Nandi and

Filmfare awards 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 Times G ...

as a child. She acted many films with her third elder brother Master Prabhakar and second younger brother Kumar. As soon as her brothers entered the film industry, most of her family members were interested to go on the same line. Sumathi's cousin was a well known actress who was successful in various Tamil films. Sumathi's other cousins were cinematography and assistant directors. Sumathi also dubbed for many actresses in the past in many languages. In her acting career, she was often stereotyped as the

girl next door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in Romance novel, romantic stories. She is named so because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a friendship that late ...

. She acted with many stars such as

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Jaya Bachchan Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party ...

, Manorama,

Nagesh Nageshwaran Rao (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in ov ...

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, ...

Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016), popularly known as Amma, was an Indian actress, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. She ...

, Ambika, and Bhagyaraj to name a few. Her debut film, as heroine, was Bhagyaraj's directorial debut; '' Suvarillatha Chithirangal'' (1978) in Tamil. She gave up her acting career at the peak after her marriage in 1989 to move to America.

Awards

Child Artist awards in Malayalam

Baby Sumathi is a three-time winner

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a cinema of kerala, motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs (Kerala), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and sin ...

for Best Child Artist (female).Kerala State Film Awards
*1969 Best Female Child Artist (female) Baby Sumathi - ''Nadhi'' *1972 Best Female Child Artist (female) Baby Sumathi *1977 Best Female Child Artist(female) Baby Sumathi - ''Shankupushpam''

Filmography

Malayalam

*''Nadhi'' (1969) as Babymol *''Kuttavali'' (1970) as Young Santhi *''Kochaniyathi'' (1971) as Young Indu *''

Anubhavangal Paalichakal ''Anubhavangal Paalichakal'' () is a 1971 Malayalam-language film scripted by Thoppil Bhasi and directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. The film stars Sathyan, Prem N ...

'' (1971) as Kumari *''

Thettu ''Thettu'' is a 1971 Indian Malayalam film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and produced by C. C. Baby. The film stars Sathyan and Sheela in the lead roles. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast * Sathyan as Johnny *Sheela as Bab ...

'' (1971) as Minimol *'' Muthassi (film)'' (1971) as Rekha *''Panitheeratha Veedu'' (1972) *'' Prathikaram'' (1972) as Leela *''Professor'' (1972) as Rema *''Sree Guruvayoorappan'' (1972) *''Achanum Bappayum'' (1972) as Young Amina *''Maram'' (1973) *''Padmavyooham'' (1973) as Leenamol *''

Panitheeratha Veedu ''Panitheeratha Veedu'' () is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Nanditha Bose, Roja Ramani and Jose Prakash. It is an adaptation of Parappurath's 1964 novel of the same name. It ...

'' (1973) as Roshini * ''

Veendum Prabhatham ''Veendum Prabhatham'' (''Morning Again'') is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. Bhaskaran and produced by M. P. Rao and M. R. K. Moorthy. The film stars Prem Nazir, Vijayasree, Sharada (actress), Sharada, Jose Prakash and Pre ...

'' (1973) as Young Ravi *''Azhakulla Celina'' (1973) as Sajan *''Kaamini'' (1974) as Young Seema *''Moham'' (1974) *''Nagaram Sagaram'' (1974) *''Chandrakandam'' (1974) as Young Vinayan, Bindu (double role) *''Poonthenaruvi'' (1974) as Young Valsamma *''Jeevikkan Marannu Poya Sthree'' (1974) *''Bhoogolam Thiriyunnu'' (1974) as Gopi's daughter *'' Sethubandanam'' (1974) as in dual role as Kavitha / Saritha *''Swamy Ayyappan'' (1975) Young Girl *''

Chattambikkalyaani ''Chattambikkalyaani'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam film, directed by J. Sasikumar and produced by Sreekumaran Thampi. The film stars Prem Nazir, Lakshmi, K. P. Ummer and M. G. Soman in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjun ...

'' (1975) as Young Kalyani *''Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre'' (1975) as *''Soorya Vamsham'' (1975) *''Chief Guest'' (1975) *''Thiruvonam'' (1975) as Manju *''Pravaham'' (1975) as Young Ragini *''Hiridhayam Oru Kshethram'' (1976) as Sumam * Abhimaanam (1976) as Latha *

Anubhavam ''Anubhavam'' is a 1976 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Ramachandran. The film stars Sheela, Vincent, M. G. Soman and Jayabharathi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer. Cast *Sheela as ...

(1976) as Young Mary *''Chennay Valarthiya Kutty'' (1976) as Young Omana *''Thulavarsham'' (1976) as Young Ammini *''Chottanikkara Amma'' (1976) *''Shankupushpam'' (1977) as Mini *''Sathyavan Savithri'' (1977) *''Hridayame Sakshi'' (1977) *''Sree Murukan'' (1977) *''Aradhana'' (1977) *''Sneha Yamuna'' (1977) *''Amme Anupame'' (1977) *''Aa Nimisham'' (1977) *''Veedu Oru Swargam'' (1977) *''Aasheervatham'' (1977) *''Aval Oru Devalayam'' (1977) *''Neethipeedham'' (1977) *'' Vidarunna Mottukal'' (1977) Kanchana *''Samudram'' (1977) as Bindu *'' Rathi Nirvedam'' (1978) as Shanthi *''Kaithappo'' (1978) *''Avalude Raavukal'' (1978) *''Ashtamudikkayal'' (1978) *''Avalkku Maranamilla'' (1978) *''Aaru Manikkoor'' (1978) *''Mudra Mothiram'' (1978) as Amina *''Sarapanjaram'' (1979) as Young Baby *''Choola'' (1979) *''Radha Enna Pennkutti'' (1979) *''Raathrikal Ninakku Vendi'' (1979) *''Lajjavathi'' (1979) as Sandhya *''Lovely'' (1979) *''Pathivritha'' (1979) *''Indhradhanussu'' (1979) *''Maani Koya Kurup'' (1979) *''Kanthavalayam'' (1980) *''Vazhiyile Yathrakkar'' (1981) *''Enne Njan Thedunnu'' (1983) as Janaki *''Aval Kathirunnu Avanum'' (1986)

Tamil

*'' Iru Kodugal'' (1969) *''

Vaa Raja Vaa ''Vaa Raja Vaa'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language children's film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan for CNV Productions. The film features an ensemble cast including Master Prabhakar, Baby Sumathi, Sirkazhi Govindarajan, V. S ...

'' (1969) *''

Thirudan ''Thirudan'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, K. Balaji and Vijayalalitha. It is a remake of the Telugu film '' Adrushtavanthulu'' (1969), and was ...

'' (1969) as Guest Role *'' Avare En Deivam'' (1969) *''

Enga Mama ''Enga Mama'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar and produced by P.K.V.Sankaran and Aarumugam. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Jayalalithaa and Vennira Aadai Nirmala. It is a remake of the 1968 Hindi ...

'' (1970) as Anni Pesant * ''

Thirumalai Thenkumari ''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by A. P. Nagarajan. Inspired by the 1969 film ''If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'', it features an ensemble cast consisting of Sivakumar, Kumari Padmin ...

'' (1970) * ''

Penn Deivam ''Penn Deivam'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by M. A. Thirumugam and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar. The film stars Jaishankar, Padmini, Lakshmi, R. Muthuraman and Major Sundarrajan Srinivasan ...

'' (1970) * ''

Engirundho Vandhaal ''Engirundho Vandhaal'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar and produced by K. Balaji. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa, with K. Balaji, M. Bhanumathi, Nagesh, Sundarrajan and Raja in suppor ...

'' (1970) * '' Engal Mama'' (1970) as Annie Pesant * ''

Thangaikkaaga ''Thangaikkaaga'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language film directed by D. Yoganand. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Vennira Aadai Nirmala, and Lakshmi. It was released on 6 February 1971. Plot Ramu and his sister Radha lead a normal life unt ...

'' (1971) as Young Radha * '' Annai Velankanni'' (1971) * '' Justice Viswanathan'' (1971) *''Velli Vizha'' (1972) * ''Appa Tatta!'' (1972) *''Naan Yen Pirandhen'' (1972) *'' Dhikku Theriyadha Kaattil'' (1972) as Meena *''Komatha En Kulamatha'' (1973) as Punithavathi *''Karaikkal Ammaiyar'' (1973) as Valli *''Swamy Ayyappan'' (1975) as Young Girl *''Avandhan Manidhan'' (1975) as Selvi *''

Vattathukkul Chaduram ''Vattathukkul Chaduram'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language female buddy film, directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Panchu Arunachalam. Based on the novel of the same name by Maharishi, the film stars Latha, Sumithra, Srikanth and Sa ...

'' (1978) *''

Ennai Pol Oruvan ''Ennai Pol Oruvan'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by T. R. Ramanna and written by Sathi Krishnasamy. A remake of Bengali film ''Taasher Ghar'' (1957), the film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Saratha, Ushanandini and Aalam. It w ...

'' (1978) as Shanthi *''

Suvarilladha Chiththirangal ''Suvarilladha Chiththirangal'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. Bhagyaraj in his directorial debut. The film stars Sudhakar, Bhagyaraj and Sumathi. It was released on 30 November 1979, and became a bo ...

'' (1979) as Saroja *'' Sigappukkal Mookkuthi'' (1979) as Janaki *''Saranam Ayyappa'' (1980) *''Pennin Vazhkai'' (1981) *''Ponnazhagi'' (1981) *'' Azhagu'' (1984) *'' Naan Sigappu Manithan'' (1985) *''Amman Kaatiya Vazhi'' (1991)

Telugu

*'' Balaraju Katha'' (1970) *'' Manchivadu'' (1973) as Rani *''Pasi Hrudayalu'' (1973) *''Bangaru Kalalu'' (1974) *''Urvashi'' (1974) as Suguna & Aruna *''Rakta Sambandhalu'' (1975) *''Swarganiki Nichchenalu'' (1977) *''Sangeeta'' (1981)

Kannada

* '' Mannina Magalu'' (1974)

Hindi

*'' Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani'' (1970, film, as Baby Sumathi) *''

Swarg Narak ''Swarg Narak'' () is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. Produced by B. Nagi Reddi under the Vijaya Productions banner, the film features Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, Vinod Mehra, Moushumi Chatterj ...

'' (1978, film, as Baby Sumathi)

References

External links

*
Baby Sumathi at MSI

Kaathal Vaibhogame

Balaraju Kadha - Mahabalipuram Mahabalipuram

Balaraju Katha Movie
{{authority control Tamil actresses Year of birth missing (living people) Actresses in Malayalam cinema Living people Actresses from Madurai Actresses in Tamil cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema