G. Sakunthala (19 August 1932 - 8 November 2004) was an Indian actress who worked predominantly in Tamil films and plays. As she was a prominent member of MGR's drama troupe, Sakuntha appeared as a 'regular' cast member in many of MGR's movies, beginning from

Manthiri Kumari ''Manthiri Kumari'' () is a 1950 Indian Tamil-language historical fiction film directed by Ellis R. Dungan and starring M. G. Ramachandran, M. N. Nambiar. Plot The King of Mullai Nadu is dominated by his Raja guru (head priest) (M. N. Namb ...

, Thaaikkuppin Thaaram and

Mannadhi Mannan ''Mannathi Mannan'' (; ) is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language swashbuckler film directed and produced by M. Natesan. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Anjali Devi and Padmini. The film, written by Kannadasan, had musical score by Viswanathan–Ra ...

. Thus, she maintained her standing as one of the leading actresses in Tamil film industry in the 50's and early 60's. She has acted more 150 films in the Tamil cinema industry.

Early life

Sakunthala was born in 1932 into an

Isai Vellalar Isai Vellalar is a community found in India in Tamil Nadu. They are traditionally involved as performers of classical dance and music in Hindu temples and courts of the patrons. The term "Isai Vellalar" is a recent community identity, people of min ...

family in

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of s ...

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the ...

District. Sakunthala's native is Chidambaram. She has acted in dramas with M.G.R,

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

R. S. Manohar Rasipuram Subramaniyan Iyer Manohar was an Indian actor who performed roles ranging from hero to villain to comedic characters. He was born at Namakkal in 1925. He acted in over 200 films. He is known for his versatility and dominating personal ...

and S. S Rajendran.

Film career

Sakunthala entered the film industry with MGR as the heroine in

. Though she has acted in Kalpana, a Hindi film, Manthiri Kumari (1950) was her debut into Tamil cinema. After Manthiri Kumari, S. S. Rajendran paired opposite The two heroines in the movie ' Chinna Durai' starring T. R Mahalingam in dual roles.

M. Karunanidhi Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Ar ...

is the author of both films After these films, Sakuntala did not get a chance to play the heroine. Her chances of being a comedian, supporting character, dancing in a few films were all there. She has acted almost 150 films in the Tamil cinema industry. Her last movie was

Idhaya Veenai ''Idhaya Veenai'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by R. Krishnan and S. Panju. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Lakshmi and Manjula, with Sivakumar, M. N. Nambiar and M. G. Chakrapani in supporting roles. Plot Somewh ...

with MGR. After that she spent 20 years without acting in films.

Awards

She got

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

Award recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1963.

Death

She died on 8 November 2004 at the age of 72.

Filmography

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

1950s

1960s

1970s

References

{{Reflist Indian film actresses 1932 births Actresses in Tamil cinema 20th-century Indian actresses 2004 deaths