Sowmya Sathyanarayana (18 July 1972 – 17 April 2004), better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in

Telugu cinema 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. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She also acted in a few

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

films. She has received three

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named af ...

, two

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

and six

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassin ...

. In 2002, she received the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of se ...

as a producer for the

Kannada film Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

Dweepa ''Dweepa'' () is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language film by Girish Kasaravalli, based on the novel of the same name by Na D'Souza. It stars Soundarya, Avinash and M. V. Vasudeva Rao in the lead roles. The film deals with the raging issue of buildi ...

''. Soundarya established herself as the most popular Telugu actress of the 1990s and is best known for her performances in films such as ''

Ammoru Ammoru () is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological fantasy film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film is produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy, under M. S. Arts Unit. It stars Ramya Krishna as Goddess Ammoru and Soundarya as her devotee, ...

'' (1995), ''

Pavitra Bandham ''Pavitra Bandham'' ( ''The Holy Bond'') is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Muthyala Subbaiah. It stars Venkatesh and Soundarya, with music composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was produced by C. V ...

'' (1996), ''

Anthahpuram ''Anthahpuram'' () is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, written and directed by Krishna Vamsi, and produced by P. Kiran under the Anandi Art Creations banner. The film stars Jagapathi Babu, Soundarya, Prakash Raj, Sai Kumar and S ...

'' (1998), ''

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in history of South Asia, South Asia and History of ...

'' (1999), ''

Doni Saagali ''Doni Saagali'' () is a 1998 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu. The storyline is based on the novel ''Vimukthe'' by Dr. C. N. Muktha. The film stars Soundarya and Shashikumar. The film was released in 1998 an ...

'' (1998), ''

'' (2002) and ''

Apthamitra ''Apthamitra'' () is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language horror film directed by P. Vasu, and stars Vishnuvardhan, Soundarya and Ramesh Arvind in the lead roles with Prema, Dwarakish and Avinash in supporting roles. This was Soundarya's last fi ...

'' (2004). She won three

for ''Pavitra Bandham'' and Special Jury Prize for ''Ammoru'' and ''Anthahpuram''.

Personal life

Soundarya was born in

Mulabagilu Mulabagilu is a town and taluk headquarters of Mulabagilu taluk in the Kolar district in the state of Karnataka, India. It lies just off the National Highway 75 as the easternmost town of the state and a hill landmark. Etymology "Mulabagilu" (� ...

Kolar district Kolar district ) is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar ( ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the Bangalore Rural ...

and brought up in

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. Her parents are K. S. Sathyanarayana and Manjula. Her father was a Kannada film writer and producer. She discontinued her Intermediate after her first year in Bangalore..Her birthdate is 18 July 1972, On 27 April 2003, she married G. S. Raghu, a

software engineer Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...

by profession. Sources says that besides

, she was fluent in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

languages.

Career

Soundarya's first film was the Kannada film ''Baa Nanna Preethisu'', directed by S. Siddalingaiah, released in April 1992, immediately followed by ''Gandharva'' in July 1992 which was a hit. She did lead roles in Kannada and went on to become a popular actress. Her first film in Telugu was ''Manavarali Pelli'' (1993). In Tamil, she got major acclaim for her debut film ''

Ponnumani '' Ponnumani'' is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by R. V. Udayakumar, starring Karthik, Soundarya (in her Tamil film debut) and Sivakumar. It was released on 16 April 1993. Plot Ponnumani and Chinthamani are sweethearts ...

'' (1993), opposite Karthik and

Sivakumar Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his actin ...

for playing the role of a mentally disabled person. Real commercial recognition came to her with '' Hello Brother'' (1994), directed by

E. V. V. Satyanarayana Eedara Veera Venkata Satyanarayana (10 June 1956 21 January 2011) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed a total of 51 films in Telugu and Hindi and introduced many actors to Telugu cinema. He was well known for ma ...

, in which she starred alongside

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

and

Ramya Krishna Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ram ...

. She has also collaborated with actor Karthik for ''

Muthu Kaalai ''Muthu Kaalai'' is a 1995 Tamil-language drama film directed by Gokula Krishnan. The film stars Karthik and Soundarya. The film, produced by Raadhika Reddy, had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 24 February 1995 to above avera ...

'' (1995). She played an award-winning role in ''

'' (1995), directed by

Kodi Ramakrishna Kodi Ramakrishna (23 July 1949 – 22 February 2019) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. One of the most prolific film directors of Telugu film industry, Kodi Ramakrishna has d ...

, starring alongside Ramya Krishna and

Suresh Suresh is an Indian masculine given name originating in the Sanskrit word ' (compound of ' and '). Its meaning is "Ruler of Gods" and it has been used an epithet for the Hindu gods Indra, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. People named Suresh include: * ...

and played the role of Bhavani, a devotee of Goddess Ammoru. She had eleven releases in 1995. She continued her successful run with ''

Amma Donga ''Amma Donga'' is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Sagar starring Krishna, Soundarya, Indraja, Aamani and Kota Srinivasa Rao. Koti scored and composed the film's soundtrack. The film follows a daring young man who ...

'' (1995), ''

Sipayi ''Sipayi'' is a 1996 Kannada-language action film, directed and produced by V. Ravichandran. The film stars Ravichandran and Soundarya in lead roles with Telugu actor Chiranjeevi appearing in an important role. Music and lyrics were composed ...

'' (1996), ''

'' (1996), ''Maa Aayana Bangaram'' (1997), '' Dongaata'' (1997), ''

Aaro Pranam ''Aaro Pranam'' () is a 1997 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Veeru K and stars Vineeth and Soundarya. Plot The film is about a relationship between a man, Chanti, and a woman, Akankshaa, who is one year older than the man. How they c ...

'' (1997) and ''Osi Na Maradala'' (1997). She also starred alongside Superstar

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

in ''

Arunachalam Arunachala(m) may refer to: * Arunachalam (name), an Indian name (including a list of persons with the name) * ''Arunachalam'' (film), a 1997 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Sundar C * Arunachala, a holy hill in Tamil Nadu, India * ...

'' (1997), which became the highest-grossing film of 1997 in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

. The industry regarded her to be the golden hand, as a former director's daughter, she always regarded the success not as a one-man show, but teamwork across 36 departments. In 1998, ''

'' in Kannada were commercially successful. In Tamil, she also starred alongside

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

and

Prabhudeva Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...

in ''

Kaathala Kaathala ''Kaathala Kaathala'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and produced by P. L. Thenappan. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Prabhu Deva, Soundarya and Rambha. It revolves around two men falli ...

'' directed by

Singeetam Srinivas Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...

. ''

Choodalani Vundi ''Choodalani Vundi'' () is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Gunasekhar, and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. This film stars Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Anjala Zaveri and Prakash Raj. The fil ...

'' opposite

Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...

took her to the pinnacle. ''

'', directed by

Krishna Vamsi Pasupuleti Venkata Bangarraju, know professionally as Krishna Vamsi, is an Indian film director, producer and choreographer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Vamsi started his career as an assistant director to Ram Gopal Varma. He made his ...

, stood as one of the finest performances of Soundarya in her career, winning her a State

Nandi Award for Best Actress The Nandi Award for Best Actress was commissioned in 1977. The winner is awarded a "Silver Nandi" and a cash award of 30,000. Most Awards were received by Vijayashanti and Jayasudha (4 awards each). List of winners of Nandi Awards for Best ...

and also her second consecutive

Filmfare Award for Best Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 ...

. The romantic drama ''

'' (1999), opposite

Venkatesh Venkatesh is a given name and family name from the Indian subcontinent derived from Venkateswara, a Hindu deity. Notable persons with the name include: * A. Venkatesh Naik (born 1936), member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India * A. Venkatesh (director) ...

, was another blockbuster and won her a third

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

. Her other releases, ''

Padayappa ''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya with Abbas, Lakshmi, Radha Ravi and Nassar playing supporting roles. The soun ...

'' (1999) opposite Rajinikanth. She starred opposite

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

in the Hindi movie ''

Sooryavansham ''Sooryavansham'' (, ) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical drama film directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. It stars Amitabh Bachchan in dual roles, with Soundarya, Jayasudha, Rachna Banerjee, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan. The film ...

''. ''

Premaku Velayera ''Premaku Velayara'' ( It's time for love) is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film co-written and directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy. The film stars J. D. Chakravarthy, Soundarya and Prakash Raj while Srihari and Ravi Teja play suppor ...

'' (1999), ''

Premaku Swagatam ''Premaku Swagatam'' ( ''Welcome to love'') is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romance film, directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy and starring J. D. Chakravarthy and Soundarya. Plot Lahari (Soundarya), daughter of a millionaire, Mahendra (Prakash Raj ...

'' (2002) with

J. D. Chakravarthy Nagulapati Srinivasa Chakravarthy, known professionally as J. D. Chakravarthy, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, producer, composer, and singer known for his work primarily with Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, ...

further solidified her position. She starred in '' Annayya'' (2000), opposite

, ''

Ninne Premistha ''Ninne Premistha'' () is a 2000 Indian Telugu-language romance film, produced by R. B. Choudary on the Super Good Films banner, directed by R. R. Shinde. It stars Nagarjuna, Srikanth, Soundarya, and Rajendra Prasad. The music was composed by ...

'' (2000) and ''

Azad Azad may refer to: People Mononym * Azad (fl. 345), a eunuch and a companion in martyrdom of Simeon Barsabae * Azad (Maoist) (1952–2010), alias Cherukuri Rajkumar, Spokesperson and Central Politburo member of the Communist Party of India * Azad ...

'' (2000), opposite

'',

Jayam Manadera ''Jayam Manadera'' () is a 2000 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by N. Shankar and produced by D. Suresh Babu under the Suresh Productions banner. It stars Venkatesh, Soundarya and Bhanupriya, with music composed by Vandem ...

'' (2000) and ''

Devi Putrudu ''Devi Putrudu'' () is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language fantasy- drama film written and produced by M. S. Raju under the Sumanth Art Productions banner, directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. It stars Venkatesh, Soundarya and Anjala Zaveri, with music ...

'' (2001) opposite

, and several others that displayed her acting abilities and ''

Sri Manjunatha Manjunath is another name for the Hindu deity Shiva. It may also refer to: People * B. C. Manjunath, Indian classical musician/percussionist * Shanmugam Manjunath (1978–2005), Indian marketing manager murdered for his stand against corruption * ...

'' (2001) opposite

Arjun Sarja Srinivasa "Arjun" Sarja is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry, in addition to Kannada and Telugu languages as well. Referred to by the media and his fans as "Action King" for his roles in ...

. She shared screen space with actor

Vijayakanth Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami (born 25 August 1952), better known by his stage name Vijayakanth, is an Indian politician and former actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Leg ...

for ''

Thavasi ''Thavasi'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. R. Udhayashankar starring Vijayakanth in dual lead roles, with Soundarya, Vadivelu, Jayasudha, Prathyusha, Nassar, Ponnambalam playing other pivotal roles. The film ...

'' (2001) and ''

Chokka Thangam ''Chokka Thangam'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. Bhagyaraj and produced by G. Venkateswaran under the banner GV Films. It stars Vijayakanth, Soundarya, and Uma with Goundamani, Senthil, Prakash Raj, ...

'' (2003). In 2002, she received the

(producer) for ''

''. She has acted in the Malayalam comedy film ''

Yathrakarude Sradhakku ''Yathrakarude Sradhakku'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, starring Jayaram, Soundarya (in her Malayalam debut) and Innocent (actor), Innocent in pivotal roles. The ...

'' (2002) with

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam,Tamil cinema, Tamil films, along with a few Telugu cinema, Telugu films. He is also a chend ...

and ''

Kilichundan Mampazham ''Kilichundan Mampazham'' (Malayalam: ''Bird-beaked Mango'') is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Sreenivasan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aash ...

'' (2003), with

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appe ...

and

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...

. In 2004,

Balakrishna Bala Krishna ( sa, बाल कृष्ण, lit=child Krishna/divine child Krishna, translit=Bālakṛṣṇa). Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship alread ...

announced the remake of '' Nartanasala'', and a launch event was held in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. Soundarya was signed to play

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brother ...

but the film was shelved following her death. However the first 17 minutes are available to stream online. Her last film was ''

'', a runaway hit starring Vishnuvardhan and

Ramesh Arvind Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films including several Tamil and T ...

. The film won her the

Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films ''(Sandalwood)''. The awards were extended to "Best Actress" in 1972.Film world, p 43 The year indicates the ye ...

posthumously in 2004. She worked with almost all the top directors, like

Dasari Narayana Rao Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 ...

K. Raghavendra Rao Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and five ...

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...

A. Kodandarami Reddy A. Kodandarami Reddy (born 1 July 1950) is an Indian film director best known for his works in Telugu cinema. His association with Chiranjeevi created blockbusters in multiple genres such as ''Nyayam Kavali'' (1981), '' Khaidi'' (1983), '' Abhil ...

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in H ...

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, includin ...

S. V. Krishna Reddy Satti Venkata Krishna Reddy is an Indian film director, screenwriter, composer, and actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has garnered three state Nandi Awards and the Filmfare Best Telugu Director Award. His notable f ...

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films. Career 1990–1997 Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' directe ...

Muthyala Subbaiah Muthyala Subbaiah is an Indian film director. He has directed 50 Telugu films. Known for his films with heavy dose of human emotions, he is sometimes referred as ''Sentiment Subbaiah''. Personal life Muthyala Subbaiah was born in Parlapalli, ...

Gunasekhar Gunasekar (born 2 June 1964) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has directed films in action, romance, mythological, and historical drama genres. He has won a National Film Award, multiple N ...

P. Vasu Vasudevan Peethambharan, known professionally as P Vasu, is an Indian director, writer and actor who works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam language films. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 64 films.

Muppalaneni Shiva Muppalaneni Shiva is an Indian film director and writer who works in Telugu cinema. He has directed movies for production houses like Suresh Productions, Super Good Films, Sravanthi Movies, Ramakrishna Cine Studios & Etharam films etc. His succe ...

Bharathi Kannan S.Bharathi Kannan is an Indian film director, who has directed Tamil films. He was primarily active in the 1990s and early 2000 and is most noted for his work on devotional films. Career He started his career in 1981, joining as an assistant d ...

Sundar C Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. His notable films include '' U ...

Death

On 17 April 2004, Soundarya died in an

aircraft crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

along with her brother Amarnath in

. The aircraft, a

Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal airc ...

, took off at 11:05 a.m. and turned west before crashing on the campus of the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the University of Agricultural Sciences. It had reached a height of and, before achieving required rate of climb speed, took a steep left turn leading to a stall. It crashed into the ground nose down and burst into flames. B. N. Ganapathi, one of the two persons working on the experimental fields of the university, who rushed to the aircraft to save the occupants, said the plane wobbled before the crash.

Legacy

Soundarya is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She was known as a versatile actress, who played distinctive roles. Critics noted that she had a fine sense of characterisation. Due to this ability, Soundarya struck a chord with the Telugu audience despite being from Karnataka. ''Ammoru'', ''Pavithra Bandham'', ''Doni Saagali'', ''Raja'', ''Sooryavansham'', and ''Dweepa'' are her best known films that saw her playing strong female characters.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''The New York Times'' article
{{Authority control 1972 births 2004 deaths Actresses from Bengaluru People from Kolar district Actresses in Malayalam cinema Kannada actresses Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in India Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2004 Filmfare Awards South winners Nandi Award winners Indian women film producers Kannada film producers Film producers from Bengaluru 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Businesswomen from Karnataka Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award