Prema (actress)

Prema is an Indian film actress. She has worked as a lead actress in numerous Kannada and Telugu films besides working in a few Tamil and Malayalam films. She has appeared in many commercially successful and critically acclaimed feature films. She received the Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Best Actress awards for her performances in Kannada films. She has featured in Om and Yajamana, which are the two major blockbuster and highest grossing films of their time in Kannada Cinema.

She has shared screen space with Vishnuvardhan Venkatesh , Jagapathi babu,Mohan babu, krishna, Shivrajkumar, Ravichandran, Upendra, Saikumar and Ramesh Aravind and Mohanlal. She has also starred opposite many actors in her career spanning over two decades.

Early life

Prema was born in Bangalore. She studied in Mahila Seva Samaja High School in Bangalore. She completed her PUC in SSMRV college, Bangalore. Her hometown is Coorg. She was a national level player in high jump and volleyball before joining films.

Film career

Prema began her career in the Rajkumar camp in 1995 starring with both Rajkumar sons' Shivarajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar in Savyasachi and Aata Hudugaata respectively. Though both films did not perform well at the box-office, she was given the lead role in yet another Shivarajkumar starrer Om. This was directed by Upendra. This film also brought her the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress.

The year 1996 saw her perform in the Sunil Kumar Desai directed Nammoora Mandara Hoove co-starring Shivarajkumar and Ramesh Aravind. In the same year, she branched out to Malayalam and Telugu film industries. Her Malayalam debut in The Prince opposite Mohanlal. Dharma Chakram was her Telugu debut film.

Her comeback was noted in the 1999 released Chandramuki Pranasakhi co-starring Ramesh Aravind and Bhavana. She also starred in Upendra in the same year which had 3 other actresses. The same year saw her pairing with the lead actor V. Ravichandran for the film Naanu Nanna Hendthiru. Her Telugu language film, Devi made a collection of Rs. 18 crores and its dubbed version was released in Hindi language.

The year 2000 saw 6 releases of Prema films of which Yejamana. It had prema playing the leading lady for Vishnuvardhan. The other notable film of her in this year was the Malayalam Daivathinte Makan.

2001 year proved again lucky to Prema since she began with Kanasugara, a remake of Tamil film Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, which fetched her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She also won other awards for her portrayal of a simple housewife character.

He main release in 2002 was Sunil Kumar Desai's musical Parva co-starring Vishnuvardhan and Roja Selvamani. In 2003, She was praised by critics for her complex role in the film Singaaravva. In 2004, Apthamitra, a remake of Malayalam Manichitrathazhu by P. Vasu where she had to play the leading lady to Vishnuvardhan. She starred in the film as a supporting actress.

She has acted with Vishnuvardhan a few times. She has shared her screen space with him in films like Yejamana, Apthamitra, Jamindaru, Kshana Kshanam, Ekadantha, Parva, Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda.

Post her marriage in 2006, Prema acted in very few films as a supporting character and completely stopped acting after her last release Shishira in 2009. She has, thus far, acted in more than 70 movies in Kannada and more than 28 movies in Telugu.

Awards

• 1996 - Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress - Om
• 1996 - Filmfare Best Actress - Om
• 1997 - Winner, Nandi Award for Best Actress "Devi"
• 2001 - Filmfare Best Actress - Kanasugara
• Udaya Award for Best Actress
• Screen Videocon Award for Best Actress
• Cinema Express Award for Best Actress
• Chitrapremigala Sangha Award
• Devikarani Memorial Award

Filmography

References