Sujatha (10 December 1952 – 6 April 2011) was an Indian actress who performed and starred in a variety of unique characters in Tamil,

Malayalam 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 ...

and Telugu films- in addition to few in

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 ...

and

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 ...

languages as well. The actress was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. After starring in numerous

films in her mother-tongue, Sujatha later got introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander and producer P.R. Govindarajan as a protagonist in her first Tamil film, '' Aval Oru Thodar Kathai'' (1974). It was a critically acclaimed film and launched the actress's first commecrical breakthrough in her acting career. She died of a cardiac arrest on 6 April 2011 in Chennai (aged 58).

Early life

Sujatha was born in a

-speaking family on 10 December 1952 in Galle, Sri Lanka. She spent most of her early days of childhood over there. She participated in school plays, and later moved to Tamil Nadu when she was about 15. She acted in ''Ernakulam Junction'', a Malayalam movie.

Career

Sujatha made her debut in the Malayalam film ''Thapasvini''. Her first Tamil film was '' Aval Oru Thodar Kathai'' directed by K. Balachander. She again collaborated with K. Balachander in '' Avargal'' (1977). Sujatha acted in over 240 films in five languages namely Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She appeared in films like ''Aval Our Thodar Kadhai'', ''Annakkili'', ''Avargal'' as a tortured wife, ''Vidhi'', ''Mayangugiraal Oru Maadhu'', ''Sentamizh Paattu'' and ''Aval Varuvaala'', and in Telugu such as her debut in ''Guppedu Manasu''.

Character roles

During the 1980s, she started playing character roles, often portraying mothers. Her performances as a senior actor in films like '' Kodi Parakuthu'', '' Uzhaippali'', '' Baba'' in all which she played the mother of Rajinikanth; and ''

Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

'' in which she played Ajith Kumar's wellwisher. '' Varalaru'' (2006) was her last film.

Death

While undergoing treatment for a heart ailment, Sujatha died of cardiac arrest in Chennai on 6 April 2011.

Awards and honours

; Filmfare Awards South * 1975 – Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for ''Uravu Solla Oruvan'' * 1976 – Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for '' Annakili'' * 1977 – Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for '' Avargal'' * 1979 – Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for '' Guppedu Manasu'' ; Nandi Awards * 1997– Nandi Award for Best Character Actress for '' Pelli''(in Telugu) ; Tamil Nadu State Film Awards * 1981 – Special Best Actress for ''Thunaivi'' * 1982 – Special Best Actress for ''Paritchaikku Neramaachu'' ; Government of Tamil Nadu * Kalaimamani

Notable filmography

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Voice artist

* For Jaya Prada - '' Ninaithale Inikkum'', '' 47 Natkal''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sujatha 1952 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Filmfare Awards South winners Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners People from Galle Indian film actresses Nandi Award winners Actresses from Chennai Sri Lankan film actresses