Pavitra Lokesh

Pavitra Lokesh is an Indian film and television actress.[1] She appears primarily in Kannada and Telugu films playing supporting roles. The daughter of stage and film actor Mysore Lokesh, she made her film debut at the age of 16 and has since appeared in over 150 Kannada films. At 5 feet 10 inches she was the tallest actress at that time, but managing to do several noteworthy roles even acting against shorter heroes.[2] For her performance in the Kannada film Naayi Neralu (2006), she was awarded the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress.[3] Her husband Naresh is also an actor.[4]

In this Indian name, the name Lokesh is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Pavitra.

Pavitra Lokesh
Born
Mysore, Karnataka, India
OccupationActress
Years active1994–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2023)​
PartnerSuchendra Prasad (2007–2018)
Parent

Personal life

Pavitra was born in Mysore. Her father, Mysore Lokesh, was an actor and her mother, a teacher. She has a younger brother, Adi Lokesh. Her father died when Pavitra was in Class nine. Upon securing 80 per cent in her matriculation examination, she aspired to become a civil servant. However, following her father's death, she decided to help her mother who she said was "overburdened with family responsibilities".[5] Initially reluctant to follow her father's footsteps towards a career in acting, she completed her bachelor's degree in commerce from SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore, and appeared for the Civil Services Examination. After failing to clear the examination in her first attempt, she took to acting before moving to Bangalore.[6]

Pavitra got divorced from her first husband who was a software engineer. She was later in a live-in-relationship with actor Suchendra Prasad[7] before separating with him in 2018. It was reported that she started dating Telugu actor Naresh, later did a film named Malli Pelli in 2023 to showcase their perspectives happened in their personal marital life till both got engaged through the film.[8] The two married the following year.[9]

Career

Films

Pavitra took to acting in 1994 on the advice of actor Ambareesh. She made her debut in Mister Abhishek (1995) that saw the latter play the lead role. In the same year, she appeared in Bangarada Kalasha. Having not gained recognition from these films, Pavitra completed her graduation and began working for a human resource consulting company. During the time, T. S. Nagabharana offered her a role in his film Janumada Jodi that released in 1996. Speaking about this phase in a 2006 interview with The Hindu, she said, "I never felt comfortable. I felt lonely. But when Nagabharana insisted, I had to take a decision. I resolved to make films my career - no preparation. The only reason to take a plunge was my circumstances. It has been tough to keep it going without a godfather or a guide. So I just accepted every film that came my way." Not being offered lead roles due to her height, she continued playing supporting roles. In the comedy Ulta Palta (1997), she played a vamp.[5]

Pavitra received critical acclaim for her performance in Girish Kasaravalli's period drama Naayi Neralu (2006), a film based on S. L. Bhyrappa's novel of the same name. Impressed by her performance in the television soap Guptagamini, Kasaravalli cast her as a widowed Venkatalakshmi, daughter-in-law and mother of two other characters; the film revolving around these three characters living under one roof, and projecting their own perspectives exposing generation gap in a conflict-ridden society.[10] Her portrayal of a woman caught between tradition and desire won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress.

Television

In Nagabharana's television soap Jeevanmukhi, she was cast as a middle-aged widow, a role that was received well. She received recognition for her role in the soap Guptagamini that was aired in the early 2000s. "She played a wife, a mother and a sister caught in the web of human emotions".[11] During the time, she also appeared in other soaps such as Gelathi, Neethi Chakra, Dharitri, Punarjanma and Eshwari.[6][12]

Partial filmography

Kannada

Telugu

Tamil
Year Film Role
2013 Gouravam Pasupathy's wife
2019 Ayogya Sandhya and Bhavani's mother
2022 Koogle Kuttappa Pavithra
Veetla Vishesham Sowmya's mother

Television
  • Jeevanmukhi
  • Guptagamini
  • Eshwari (2004)
  • Swabhimaana
  • Pasupu Kumkuma
  • Olave Namma Baduku (2007)
  • Devi
  • Punnaga (2017)[13]
  • Aramane Gili (2019)
  • 11th Hour (2021) as Gayatri Reddy; Aha web series

Awards and nominations
Film Year Award Category Result Ref.
Naayi Neralu 2005–06 Karnataka State Film Awards Best Actress Won
Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju 2015 Filmfare Awards South Best Supporting Actress – Telugu Nominated [14]
2015 South Indian International Movie Awards Best Supporting Actress - Telugu Nominated [14]

References
  1. Rao, Geetha (25 February 2007). "If I go back to zero, I can start all over again". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (17 June 2012). "An eventful career". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. "'Naayi Neralu' best film; Shivrajkumar best actor". The Hindu. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  4. "Telugu actor Naresh gets married to Pavithra Lokesh". The Indian Express. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  5. Ganesh, K. R. (29 September 2006). "Into the light". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. Srinivasa, Srikanth (25 July 2004). "Donning a new garb". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  7. "True To Their Roles". Bangalore Mirror. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  8. "Mahesh Babu's brother Naresh gets assaulted by his estranged wife Ramya at his apartment". TimesNow. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  9. ""We Can, But…": Naresh Opens Up About Having A Kid With Wife Pavitra Lokesh". News18. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  10. Warrier, Shobha (27 March 2006). "The fascination with Bollywood is momentary". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  11. Srinivasa, Srikanth (14 January 2007). "Pavithra says..." Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  12. Srinnivasa, Srikanth (4 July 2004). "Eshwari scales popularity charts". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  13. "'Punnaga's lead characters Anirudh and Punnaga all set to tie the knot in tonight's episode". The Times of India. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  14. "Nominations for the 63rd Britannia Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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