Thadiparthi Saraswati Devi (born 12 June 1945), better known by her stage name Sarada, is an Indian actress and politician. Though known for her work predominantly in

Telugu films Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telug ...

and

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

, she has also appeared 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 ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

as well as

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

language films. Sarada is a three-time recipient of the

National Film Award for Best Actress The National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry. ...

s for her roles in '' Thulabharam'' (1968), '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), and '' Nimajjanam'' (1977). She is also known as Urvasi Sarada – the National Film Award for Best Actress was officially designated the ''Urvasi Award''. Sarada also won the NTR National Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for her contributions to

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

Early life

Sarada was born on 12 June 1945 as Saraswati Devi in

Tenali Tenali is a city in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality, and the headquarters of Tenali mandal and Tenali revenue division. The city is renowned for art, culture, drama, and hence, it is called "Andhra ...

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her parents Venkateswar Rao and Satyavathi Devi are farmers.She has a brother, Mohan Rao. Sarada was sent to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

in her childhood to live with her grandmother Kanakamma. Sarada describes her grandmother as a "strict disciplinarian" who in the later days "wouldn't even let the heroes touch her" and allowed "rehearsals only on Sundays". Sarada started to learn dance when she was six. She used to perform during Dasara and other temple festivals. Because of her mother's desire, she learnt dancing. Her mother wanted her to be a "big star in cine field". Though Sarada's father was not too interested in the idea, he did not stop her. Sarada married Telugu actor Chalam, the couple later divorced. Currently Sarada is living with her brother's family in Chennai.

Early career

When she grew up, she started acting in Telugu theatre. Her debut in cinema was with a minor role in the

Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telug ...

'' Kanyasulkam''. However, she returned to theatre after that and did a major role in the Telugu version of '' Ratha Kanneer'', a

drama. The play went to get staged over 100 times in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Film career

In 1959, she began her career as Sarada. The change in name was attributed to the presence of a few other actors in the industry with the devotional name, Saraswati. She came under contract to L.V. Prasad, a Telugu producer. Though she didn't get to act in any of his films, she got her formal training in acting under him, including the Navarasa lessons. She largely attributes her performances and growth in the field to this training. Her first break came with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao starrer '' Iddaru Mitrulu'', which was a major hit. Noted for the role in the film, she got chances from

and

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s as well. The year 1965 changed her career as Sarada carved her niche for herself in the Malayalam film industry with her performances in ''

Shakuntala Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play '' Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD ...

'', '' Murappennu'', ''

Udhyogastha ''Udhyogastha'' is a 1967 Indian Malayalam film, directed by P. Venu and produced by P. K. Devadas and P. S. Das. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sathyan, Madhu and Sharada in the lead roles. The film was scored by M. S. Baburaj. Plot Vimala is ...

'' by P. Venu, '' Kattu Thulasi'' and '' Inapravukal''. After that, she focused in Malayalam films, acting only a few roles in other languages. Recognition came in 1967 in the form of a national honorary award for her performances in various films of 1966 including '' Iruttinte Athmavu''. The award was the predecessor to the

, which was instituted in 1968. In 1969, she won her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in '' Thulabharam''. She went on to win the award 2 more times, for '' Swayamvaram'' (1972, Malayalam) and '' Nimajjanam'' (1978, Telugu). She also 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 Best Actress one time. After 1993, she became choosy and accepted only a few films. Her major films of late were '' Mazhathullikkilukkam'' (2002, Malayalam), '' Rappakal'' (2005, Malayalam), '' Nayika'' (2011, Malayalam) and ''

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

'' (2006, Telugu). She owns a chocolate factory named Lotus Chocolates. She was elected as a Member of Parliament on

Telugu Desam Party The Telugu Desam Party (TDP; ) is an Indian regional political party primarily active in the Federated state, states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by Telugu cinema, Telugu matinée idol N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982 a ...

ticket from her native town of Tenali. She is one of lead WCC members for Hema Commtiete.

Awards

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

*1968 -

: '' Thulabharam'' (Malayalam) *1972 -

: '' Swayamvaram'' (Malayalam) *1977 -

: '' Nimajjanam'' (Telugu)

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...

*2013 -

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 ...

for contributions to Tamil Cinema

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

*1970 -

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 ...

– Thriveni & Thara

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

* 1987 - Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam : Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam * 1997 – Lifetime Achievement Award

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

* 1984 - Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress - '' Bobbili Brahmanna''(in Telugu) * 2010 - NTR National Award for Lifetime Achievement

Other Awards

* 1970 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) Award for Best Actress in Hindi – Samaj Ko Badal Dalo * 2017 -

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 ...

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

* 1999 - Doctorate from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad * 2020 - Vanitha Film Awards - Lifetime Achievement Award

Notable filmography

Telugu

Malayalam

Tamil

Hindi

Kannada

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharada Living people Telugu actresses Indian film actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema India MPs 1996–1997 Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Actresses in Telugu cinema Indian actor-politicians Actresses in Malayalam cinema Best Actress National Film Award winners Kerala State Film Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh Women in Andhra Pradesh politics 20th-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians People from Tenali Women members of the Lok Sabha Telugu Desam Party politicians Indian stage actresses Actresses in Telugu theatre 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses 1945 births Nandi Award winners