Jayabharathi (born 28 June 1954 as Lekshmi Bharathi) is an Indian actress and two-time recipient of the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969 to an actress for the best performance within the Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards w ...

and National Film Award by Special Jury Award - Special Mention. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director

P. Bhaskaran Pulloottupadathu Bhaskaran alias as P. Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 25 February 2007), was an Indian Malayalam language poet, lyricist of Malayalam film songs, and filmmaker. He penned more than 3000 songs for about 250 films. He also directed ...

for his movie

Kattukurangu ''Kattukurangu'' () is a 1969 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by K. Surendran. The film stars Sathyan, Sharada, Jayabharathi and Kaviyoor Ponnamma. It was released on 6 February 1969. Cast * Sathya ...

in 1969. Later, she became one of the most successful Malayalam film actresses and performed with notable leading men such as

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu, ''*médʰu'', whenc ...

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

Jayan Krishnan Madhavan Nair (25 July 1939 – 16 November 1980), better known by his stage name Jayan, born as the son of Madhavan Pillai (Kerala title), Pillai and Bharathiyamma in Kollam district, Kollam, was an Indian actor, Officer (armed forc ...

M. G. Soman M. G. Soman (28 October 1941 – 12 December 1997) was an Indian actor and former Indian Air Force officer who appeared in Malayalam films. He was one among the leading star actors doing hero roles in Malayalam Cinema during the late 1970s and ...

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

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, ...

. Jayabharathi-MG Soman was a popular on-screen pair of the 1970s and early 1980s. She won the

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 ...

s for her performances in various films in 1972 and ''Madhavikutty'' in 1973. One of her famous films was '' Rathinirvedam'', directed by

Bharathan Bharathan Parameshwara Menon Palissery (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) Known mononymously Bharathan was an Indian people, Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film ma ...

, which became one of the biggest box office hits in Kerala's history. It inspires similar productions all over South India, even decades after its release. After undergoing training since the age of five under Kalamandalam Natarajan, Rajaram (a student of Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai), and Vazhuvoor Samraj Pillai, Jayabharathi entered films as a teenager. Her life revolved around film studios, dance rehearsals, and stage performances. The actress is currently busy with her dance school, Aswathi Arts Academy, which she runs from home. She is also starting another one in

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

. In 2003, Jayabharathi performed in nine temples in and around

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Personal life

She was born to

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...

parents as Lakshmi Bharathi, to Shivasankaran Pillai and Sharada. Her roots are from

Kollam, Kerala Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and is 71 kilometers (44 mi) north ...

and Malayalam actor

was her first cousin ( Jayabharathi's mother, Sharada Pillai, is the sister of Jayan's father, Madhavan Pillai ). She married actor

Sathaar Sathaar (25 May 1952 – 17 September 2019) was an Indian actor who primarily worked in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut with M. Krishnan Nair's ''Bharyaye Avashyamundu'' (1975). He became a hero in 1976, with '' Anaavaranam'', direc ...

in 1979 and they have a son Krish J. Sathaar (Unnikrishnan), born in 1984.

Awards and honours

Filmography

Malayalam

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Tamil

Telugu

Hindi

Television career

*''Peythozhiyathe'' (

Surya TV Surya TV is an Indian Malayalam language Indian general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. which is headquartered at Kochi. Surya TV HD became the third Malayalam language high-definition channel. Current broadcas ...

) *''Kottaipurathu Veedu ''(DD Podhigai) *''Nimmathi Ungal Choice''

References

External links

* {{authority control Actresses from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian actresses Kerala State Film Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian film actresses People from Erode district Actresses in Malayalam cinema 21st-century Indian actresses Living people Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Special Jury Award (feature film) National Film Award winners Kerala Film Critics Awards winners Actresses in Tamil television Actresses in Malayalam television Year of birth missing (living people)