Krishna Kumari (actress)

Krishna Kumari (born 1933) is a noted Telugu actress of the 1960s and 1980s.^[1] She was a leading actress and a contemporary of Savitri. Her costars include legends N.T.R, A.N.R, Krishnam Raju, Dr. Rajkumar, Sivaji Ganesan, Kanta Rao, and Jaggayya. Krishna Kumari ruled the Telugu industry but also acted in Tamil and Kannada movies briefly.

Early life

Kumari was born in Naihati, West Bengal to Venkoji Rao and Sachi Devi. Her family hails from Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Her sister, Sowkar Janaki was also a leading actress in Tamil Cinema.

Career

Krishna Kumari started her career with movie Navvithe Navaratnalu in 1951. She featured as leading actress in several Tamil movies, notably Thirumbi Paar (1953), Manithan (1953), Azhagi (1953), Pudhuyugam (1954), Viduthalai (1954) and Thuli Visham (1954). Krishna Kumari then began to focus on Telugu cinema, which propelled her to superstardom. Her movies Bharya Bhartalu (1961), Vagdanam (1961), Kulagothralu (1962), Gudi Gantalu (1964) remain some of Telugu cinema's classics. In the early 60s, Krishna Kumari entered the Kannada film industry briefly, choosing to return to her preferred Telugu cinema within years. But in the short span of 5–6 years, she gave memorable performances, most of them co-starring Dr Rajkumar. In fact, her first ever award was for the Rajkumar starrer, Bhaktha Kanakadasa (1960). In Hindi, she acted in Kabhi Andhera Kabhi Ujala (1958). She was rechristened Rati but again, Hindi cinema held no attraction for Krishna Kumari. Although there were several offers in Hindi cinema, she returned to Madras. Her most successful movies have been with Akkineni Nageswara Rao, NT Rama Rao and also several mythological roles with Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao.^[2]

Personal life

She was married to Ajay Mohan Khaitan (ex-Editor, Indian Express, founder of Sreen magazine and Businessman) and they have a daughter, Dipika. After marriage Krishna Kumari chose to step away from the arclights. Her interest in cooking and gardening took over and she is probably more famous among her family and friends for her cooking rather than her movies. She lives in Bangalore with her daughter, son-in-law, Vikram and grandson, Pavan.

Filmography

References

External links

• Krishna Kumari on IMBD