Prathima Devi (Kannada actress)

Prathima Devi (9 April 1933 – 6 April 2021) was an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada films. Devi made her debut through the 1947 film Krishnaleela. She starred in the lead role in Jaganmohini (1951), the first Kannada film to complete 100 days at the box-office. She went on to appear in over 60 films.[1]

Prathima Devi
Born
Mohini

(1933-04-09)9 April 1933
Kalladka, Madras Presidency, British India (today in Karnataka, India)
Died6 April 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 87)
Mysore, Karnataka, India
OccupationActress
Years active1947–2005
SpouseD. Shankar Singh
Children4, including Rajendra Singh Babu, Vijayalakshmi Singh

Biography

Devi was born as Mohini on 9 April 1933 in Kalladka, a town in the erstwhile South Canara region of Madras Presidency (in present-day Karnataka), to Upendra Shenoy and Saraswatibai, as the last of their four children. Devi lost her father when she was four or five years old; the family moved to Mangalore, then to Ahmedabad, where her brother-in-law ran a textile business, before settling in Udupi. It was here that Devi got hooked to watching films, with the role of M. S. Subbulakshmi as Naradar in the 1941 Tamil film Savithiri influencing her deeply in pursuing a career in acting.[2]

Devi joined professional theatre at the age of 11 before entering films with Krishnaleela (1947).[3] In the film, she shared screen with Kemparaj Urs while also meeting future husband D. Shankar Singh on its sets. She went on to appear in Jaganmohini (1951), which became the first Kannada film to complete a 100-day run at the theatres. Her Dallali (1952) alongside Makeup Subbanna was another major success. Most films she appeared in where produced by her husband under the banner Mahatma Films.[4]

Devi had four children: son Rajendra Singh Babu is a film director, Sangram Singh and Jairaj Singh and daughter Vijayalakshmi Singh, an actress and producer.[5][6] Devi died on 6 April 2021 at her residence in Saraswatipura, Mysore, aged 88.[7]

Filmography

Awards

References
  1. "An evening with Jaganmohini". The Hindu. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  2. 'ನಾನು ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ 75 ವರ್ಷ'-Ep1-Actress Pratima Devi LIFE-Kalamadhyam [75 Years Since I Entered Cinema] (in Kannada). Kalamadhyama ಕಲಾಮಾಧ್ಯಮ. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. "Prathima Devi, veteran actor, passes away". The Hindu. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. "Remembering Prathima Devi". The Hindu. 8 April 2021.
  5. George, Nina C. (21 August 2016). "When mom's the world". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. B. V. Shiva Shankar (16 March 2007). "Sepia stories at 60". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  7. "Veteran actress Pratima Devi passes away". Times of India. 6 April 2021.
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