Suryakantham (28 October 1924 – 18 December 1994) was an Indian actress in

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

. She was popular for her portrayal of cruel and cunning women with a comedic touch.

Early life

Suryakantham was born and brought up in a Telugu family residing at Venkata Krishnaraya Puram near

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru ...

in Andhra Pradesh. She was the 14th child to her parents, ten of whose children had died. She learnt dance and singing at the age of six. She married Peddibhotla Chalapati Rao, a High Court Judge, in 1950.

Career

Suryakantham started as a dancer in '' Chandralekha'', produced by the

Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Su ...

, for which she had been paid Rs 75 in remuneration. She got her first role as character artiste in ''

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

'', but eventually quit her job at Gemini Studios. Later, she got a character artist role in the movie ''Gruhapravesam''. She was offered the heroine's role in '' Soudamini'', but did not accept it. She later was in a car accident, in which she received injuries to her face. She later played the role of a cruel mother-in-law in '' Samsaram''. Another "heroine" role was offered to her from a Bollywood film producer. Knowing that the producer had dropped a heroine from his movie on personal grounds, and that the same was given to her, Suryakantham rejected the offer, saying "I can't live on the unhappiness of other artists." She subsequently appeared in the Telugu film '' Kodarikam'', which brought her a new level of success. The directors

B. Nagi Reddy Bommireddy Nagi Reddi (2 December 1912 – 25 February 2004) was an Indian film producer primarily associated with Telugu cinema, along with notable contributions to Tamil cinema, Tamil and Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He co-founded Vijaya Vauhi ...

and Chakrapani would not do a movie without Suryakantham. They produced the movie '' Gundamma Katha'', starring

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...

and S.V. Ranga Rao, with Suryakantham playing the lead role of Gundamma. The film was commercially successful.

Awards and titles

Awards

* Mahanati Savitri Memorial Award * Honorary Doctorate Padmavati Mahila University

Titles

* Gayyali Athayya * Sahaja Nata Kala Siromani * Haasya Nata Siromani * Bahumukha Natanaa Praveena * Rangasthala Siromani * Arungalai Maamani (Tamil)

Filmography

Tamil films

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suryakantam 1924 births 1994 deaths Actresses in Telugu cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Telugu actresses People from Kakinada Actors from East Godavari district Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Indian film actresses Telugu comedians Indian women comedians Actresses in Tamil cinema 20th-century Indian comedians