Kusalakumari
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Thanjavur Damayanthi Kusalakumari (6 December 1937 - 7 March 2019) was an Indian actress and dancer. She featured in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films.


Early life

Born in Thanjavur, Kusalakumari is a niece of T. R. Rajakumari. Her birth name is Kusalambal. Being born in an artistes family, she began learning Bharata Natyam at the age of 3. When she was 5 years old, the family moved to Chennai. She used to go to film shooting with her aunt T. R. Rajakumari.


Film career

Kusalakumari began her film career as a child artiste. Though she has danced in films before, she got a character role in Avvaiyar as the child Avvaiyar. Her major role as the poor woman falling in love with
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, was in '' Koondukili'', the only film Sivaji Ganesan and
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featured together. Later she acted as the younger sister of Sivaji Ganesan in '' Kalvanin Kadhali'', and then as the younger sister of K. R. Ramasamy in '' Needhipathi''. The competition dance with Kumari Kamala in Konjum Salangai brought fame to her as a dancer. She began her film career in Telugu with Raju Peda as a dancer. The film featured N. T. Rama Rao in the main role and was a success. After that, she starred in many Telugu films both as dancer and in character roles. She was paired with
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in
Malayalam-language 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 ...
film Seeta in the title role. The film ran for more than 200 days. Another Malayalam film Mariakutty won the President's award.


Awards

*
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 ...
* Kalai Chelvam


Later life

Kusalakumari did not marry. She lived with her brother T. D. Sekar in Chennai. The then Chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa learned of Kusalakumari's financial difficulties and sanctioned a monthly allowance of Rs.5000.


Death

Kusalakumari died of old age (83) on 7 March 2019 in Chennai.


Filmography


References

{{reflist 1937 births 2019 deaths Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Telugu cinema Indian film actresses