Arunachalam Sakunthala (1 November 1939 – 17 September 2024), also known as C. I. D. Sakunthala, was an Indian actress. She filled roles as a heroine,

item number In Indian cinema, an item number or special song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu c ...

dancer, and villainess in over 600 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The first film in which she performed as an actress was CID Shankar, following which she was referred to as "C. I. D. Sakunthala". After that, Sakunthala became more popular. It was a Tamil thriller which was released on 1 May 1970, directed by R Sundaram. In the movie ' Thavaputhalvan', she played a ruthless villainous role revengeful on

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 ...

that film praised by the fans.

Early life

Sakunthala's native is Arisipalayam, Salem. Her parents named her after an old Tamil movie

Sakuntalai ''Sakuntalai'' is a 1940 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language film directed by Ellis R. Dungan and starring M. S. Subbulakshmi and G. N. Balasubramaniam. Plot ''Sakuntalai'' is the story of the mythological queen Shakuntala, whose tale is to ...

. Her father Arunachalam was employed at

Thiruverumbur Thiruverumbur (also spelt as Tiruverambur) is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirapalli (Trichy or Tiruchi) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was merged with the Tiruchirappalli Corporation in 2011. Demographics India census, Thiruve ...

. She learned to dance and danced at a show hosted by Lalitha - Padmini -

Ragini Ragini may refer to: *Rāgini, the feminine counterpart of a raga, a melodic mode in Indian classical music *Ragini, an Indian feminine given name from the above People *Ragini (actress) (1937–1976), Indian film actress, one of the Travancore si ...

in Chennai. Thereafter, she gradually entered the cinema industry. She acted in a play “Suriyan Merkkeyium Uthikkum”. She had danced in item numbers in films, acted as a vamp, played the villain's side-kick and donned the role of the heroine's friend in a few films. After playing small roles, she made a name for herself in the industry. She acted as the heroine in a few films too.

Film career

Her role in Sivaji Ganesan's ''Padikkadha Methai'', ''

Kai Koduttha Dheivam ''Kai Kodutha Deivam'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by K. S. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Savitri, S. S. Rajendran and K. R. Vijaya. It was released on 18 July 1964 and became a success, w ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Thavapudhalavan'', '' Vasantha Maligai'', ''Neethi'', ''

Bharatha Vilas ''Bharatha Vilas'' ( ) is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language film co-written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan and K. R. Vijaya. The film features an ensemble cast, with prominent actors from other languages playing guest ...

'', ''

Rajaraja Cholan ''Rajaraja Cholan'' is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language historical biographical film directed by A. P. Nagarajan and written by Aru Ramanathan. Based on Ramanathan's play of the same name about the life of the Chola king Rajaraja I, the fil ...

'', ''Ponnunjal'', '' Engal Thanga Raja'', '' Thaai'', '' Anbai Thedi'', '' Vaira Nenjam'', ''Gruhapravesam'', '' Rojavin Raja'', '' Avan Oru Sarithiram'', '' Andaman Kadhali'', '' Justice Gopinath'', '' Naan Vazhavaippen'' and ''

Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum ''Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Muktha Srinivasan and produced by S. Ravi. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Saritha, Jaishankar, Sarath Babu and Menaka. It is based on the play of the same name by Kur ...

'' was widely talked about her character. Her notable films such as Dharisanam, En Annan, Kalyana Oorvalam,

Idhaya Veenai ''Idhaya Veenai'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Krishnan–Panju. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Lakshmi and Manjula, with Sivakumar, M. N. Nambiar and M. G. Chakrapani in supporting roles. It was released on 20 Oct ...

, Kattila Thottila, Thedi Vantha Lakshmi,

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 ...

, Karunthel Kannayiram, Athirshtakaran, Roshakkari including films were successful. She has acted in films of great actors like and

MGR 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 ...

. After stopping acting in films, Sakuntala was working in the television series.

Personal life and death

Sakunthala had a large family, including four brothers and two sisters. Sakunthala died 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 ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

on 17 September 2024, at the age of 84.Veteran Tamil actress A Sakunthala passes away
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Filmography

''This is a partial filmography. You can expand it.''

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakunthala, C. I. D. 20th-century births Year of birth uncertain 2024 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Tamil television Tamil television actresses Indian television actresses Tamil actresses Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema People from Salem, Tamil Nadu