Sujatha (actress)


Sujatha was an Indian actress who performed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films, who was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. Sujatha was introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander and producer P.R. Govindarajan as a protagonist in Aval Oru Thodar Kathai. She paired with Kamal Haasan in many of her films. She also acted with leading actors N.T.R, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Ananthnag, Srinath, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Krishnam Raju, Sobhan Babu and Krishna. She died of cardiac arrest in Chennai.

Early life

Sujatha was born in a Malayali family on 10 December 1952 in Galle, Sri Lanka where she spent her childhood. She participated in school plays, and later moved to Kerala 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, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan.
Sujatha acted in over 300 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, with almost 200 in Tamil. She shot to fame instantly with her portrayal of a haughty, free-thinking urban working woman shouldering the family’s responsibilities. She become one of the top actress in 70s with a string of heroine centric scripts likeAval Oru Thodarkadhai, Annakili,Avargal, Vidhi, Mayangugiraal Oru Maadhu, Sentamizh Paattu and Aval Varuvaala, Guppedu Manasu. She seldom resorted to glamorous roles and graduated to playing older women in the late 1980s.

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 in which she played Ajith Kumar's Grandmother. Varalaru 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
;Nandi Awards
;Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
;Government of Tamil Nadu

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Voice artist