P. A. Periyanayaki (14 April 1927 – 1990) was Tamil playback singer and actress who worked mainly in

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 ...

-language films. She also performed stage concerts as a Carnatic singer.

Early life

She hails from Thiruvadhigai near

Panruti Panruti is a town, municipality and taluk headquarters of Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Panruti is located between Cuddalore and Neyveli. Panruti is famous for jackfruits and cashew nuts. The jackfruit grown here is exported worldwide ...

. Her mother Adhilakshmi was a singer and was fondly called "Panruti Ammal" Periyanayaki is the youngest of Adhilakshmi's 3 children. Others are Balasubramanian and Rajamani. Adhilakshmi went to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

with her 3 children and was performing music concerts there. When her health deteriorated, she returned to India with her children and settled in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. Periyanayaki studied up to 7th Standard in the C. S. M. School at

Thiruvallikeni Thiruvallikeni known as Triplicane, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres above sea level. A ...

Film career

In 1940, Periyanayaki's sister P. A. Rajamani got a chance to act in a Tamil film Urvashiyin Kadhal. P. A. Periyanayaki also got the chance to act and sing in that film as a heavenly maiden. So she had to leave the school and had to go to Salem with her mother. Periyanayaki trained in Carnatic music from her mother and from Pathamadai Sundara Iyer. She performed stage concerts. She had a captivating voice and singing talent. Therefore, she was able to enter the Tamil Cinema. In 1941 AVM produced a full-length comedy film

Sabapathy ''Sabapathy'' is a 1941 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by A. V. Meiyappan and A. T. Krishnaswamy, and produced by Meiyappan. An adaptation of Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar's farce play of the same name, the film stars T. R. Ramachand ...

. Periyanayaki performs a stage Carnatic music concert as a scene in the film. Apart from that, she sang 2 songs in this film. She featured in Dharma Veeran (1941),

En Manaivi ''En Manaivi'' () is a 1942 Tamil-language comedy film produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni. It is based on the Marathi stage play "Samshai Kolli" which in turn was based on the French playwright Molière's ''Self- ...

(1942), Manonmani (1942),

Panchamirtham ''Panchamirtham'' is 2008 Tamil-language fantasy comedy, fantasy comedy film scripted and directed by Raju Eswaran, it stars Jayaram, Prakash Raj and the director himself alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Nassar (actor), Nassar, Ara ...

(1942), Prabhavathi (1942), Sivalinga Satchi (1942), Mahamaya (1944),

Vichitra Vanitha ''Vichitra Vanitha'' () is a 1947 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam. The film stars B. S. Saroja and S. Krishnaswamy. Plot The story tells the fun and misunderstanding between people due to mistaken i ...

(1947),

Vedhala Ulagam ''Vedhala Ulagam'' () is a 1948 Indian Tamil-language fantasy film directed and produced by A. V. Meiyappan, and written by P. Neelakantan. Adapted from the play of the same name by Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar, the film stars T. R. Mahalingam ...

(1948), Geetha Gandhi (1949), Krishna Bakthi (1949) and Koondukili (1954). She lent voice to heroine Rukmini in Sri Valli in 1945 for the first time as a playback singer. She sang all the songs overnight and the technicians had to work round the clock to get them ready for the film. She featured as

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

in Rukmangadhan and as

Satyabhama Satyabhama (IAST'': Satyabhāmā)'' , also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as an incarnation of Bhumi, an aspect of Lakshmi. She is the goddess and the per ...

in Krishna Bakthi. She featured as the heroine in Ekambavanan (1947).

Some of her songs

* Thiruvadi Malarale – Raga: Desh, Film: Prabhavathi * ''Thirumaadhu Valar Ponnaadu, Vellimalaikedhiraai Vilangum Ezhumalaiyaan'' – Film: Prabhavathi * ''Yen Manam Kavarndha'' – Film: Lavanya (1951) Music: S. V. Venkatraman * ''Jeeviya Bhagyame'', ''Vettunda Kaigal, Kanniye Maamari Thaaye, Arul Thaarum Deva Mathaave'' – Film: Gnana Soundari (1948), Music: S. V. Venkatraman * ''Chinthai Arindhu Vaadi'' – Film: Sri Valli, Lyricist:

Papanasam Sivan Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema a ...

, Music: R. Sudarsanam * ''Neeli Magan Nee Allavo'' – Raga: Karaharapriya, Film: Malaikkallan * ''Jeeva Oliyaaga'' – Film: Paithiyakaran, (playback for T. A. Mathuram)

Filmography

As Singer/Actress

As Playback singer

References

External links

Songs by P. A. Periyanayaki
* ;Songs in her very first film Urvashiyin Kadhal * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Periyanayaki, P. A. 1927 births 1990 deaths Carnatic singers Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian women playback singers Tamil playback singers Indian women classical singers 20th-century Indian actresses 20th-century Indian singers People from Cuddalore district Tamil actresses Singers from Tamil Nadu Actresses from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema