Bharathi Vishnuvardhan (born 15 August 1950), also known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Bharathi, is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...

and television serials. She began her career in 1966, as a lead actress, with the

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

movie ''

Love in Bangalore ''Love In Bangalore'' is a 1966 Indian Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbou ...

.'' In a career spanning over 50 years, Bharathi has appeared in 150 films. Apart from 100 films in Kannada, she has also acted in a handful of

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. In the course of her career, she became known for portrayal of the roles mythological and historical characters, and also that of a student, a romantic and a rural belle. Her role in ''

Sri Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

'' (1970) as Chennambike won her the

Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress The Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language film actresses. Since its inception, the award was wo ...

. In 2017, she was honoured with the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

Personal life

Bharathi was born in Bhadravathi on 15 August 1950 in the erstwhile Indian state of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

(now

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

). Her father V. M. Ramachandra Rao was a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and mother Bhadravathi Bai was a homemaker. Bharathi studied at

Malleswaram Ladies Association Malleswaram Ladies Association High School, is an all-girls school for day scholars in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Location Malleswaram Ladies Association (MLA) High School is located on 14th cross, Malleswaram, between Margosa and Sampige r ...

(M.L.A) High School and then joined Maharani's Women's Science College in

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. While she was active in both sports and dance, her ambition at the time was to become a basketball player or an athlete. She even represented Karnataka State Level Throw-ball team during her college days. Destiny willed otherwise. In 1964, photos of her dance performance caught the eye of Kannada actor

Kalyan Kumar Kalyan Kumar (7 June 1928 – 1 August 1999) was an Indian actor, and an occasional film director and producer who worked primarily in Kannada cinema, Kannada and Tamil cinema. Making his acting debut in the mythological drama ''Natashekara'' (19 ...

, who cast her in ''

''. Bharathi married actor Dr. Vishnuvardhan on 27 February 1975 in

. They have adopted two daughters: Keerthi and Chandana. Dr. Vishnuvardhan died on 30 December 2009, aged 59 from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

Career

Her first Kannada release was ''

Dudde Doddappa ''Dudde Doddappa'' () is a 1966 Indian Kannada-language film, directed and produced by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars B. R. Panthulu, M. V. Rajamma, Ramesh and Narasimharaju in the lead roles. The film has musical score by T. G. Lingappa. The ...

''followed by Love in Bangalore''. ''Her sensitive portrayal of a singer in ''

Sandhya Raga Sandhya may refer to: Hinduism * Another name of Saranyu, goddess of clouds List of people with the given name Sandhya * B. Sandhya (born 1963), Inspector General of Kerala Police in India * Sandhya Agarwal (born 1963), former captain of the Ind ...

'' won her critical acclaim and she went on to form a successful romantic pair with Rajkumar. The iconic pair went on to give hit after hit until 1972, very significant among them are

'', ''

Bangaaradha Manushya ''Bangaarada Manushya'' ( kn, ಬಂಗಾರದ ಮನುಷ್ಯ, ''Golden Man'') is a 1972 Indian Kannada language film based on T. K. Rama Rao's novel of same name. Ramarao was known for his crime and detective novels, but this film was a ...

'' and ''

Mayor Muthanna In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

''. ''She formed a popular pair with Vishnuvardhan (who then became her husband) and they starred in blockbusters like ''

Bhagya Jyothi ''Bhagya Jyothi'' (Kannada: ಭಾಗ್ಯ ಜ್ಯೋತಿ) is a 1975 Indian Kannada film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy and produced by Gopal-Lakshman. The movie, based on a novel by Mangala Satyan is a mirror to society's take on the caste ...

'', ''

Makkala Bhagya ''Makkala Bhagya'' () is a 1976 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Ravi) and produced by K. Vittal Kumar and K. V. Honnappa. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, K. S. Ashwath and Dwarakish in the lead r ...

'', ''

Devara Gudi ''Devara Gudi'' is a 1975 Indian Kannada-language drama film starring Vishnuvardhan and Bharathi along with Leelavathi, Manjula and Rajesh. The film was directed and edited by R. Ramamurthy and written by A. S. Prakasham The film was a rema ...

'', ''Nagara Hole'' and ''

Bangarada Jinke ''Bangarada Jinke'' ( en, Golden Deer) is a 1980 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by T. S. Nagabharana and produced by B. S. Somasundar and T. S. Narasimhan under the banner of Kavitha Komal Productions. It stars Vishnuvardhan, Bharath ...

''. Bharathi was introduced to Hindi cinema by director

A. Bhimsingh A. Bhimsingh or Bhim Singh (1924–1978) was an Indian filmmaker who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Apart from Tamil, he made films in other languages that include 18 films in Hindi, 8 films in Telugu, 5 films in Malayalam and 1 film in ...

with ''Mehrban'' (1967) and ''Saadhu Aur Shaitaan'' (1968). She acted in several

Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

like '' Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani'' opposite

Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter, and actor who works in Hindi films. He is the son of Indian music director Roshan and Indian Bengali singer Ira Roshan. He had appeared in 84 films throu ...

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

's ''

Purab Aur Paschim ''Purab Aur Pachhim'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language drama film. The movie was produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, and it stars Manoj Kumar, Saira Banu, Ashok Kumar, Pran and Prem Chopra in the lead roles. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji. ...

'' and Hum Tum Aur Woh with

Vinod Khanna Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awa ...

, Mastana and

Mehmood Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 1 ...

's '' Kunwaara Baap'' (1974). Bharathi played supporting roles in two of

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

's 1966 movies ''

Nadodi ''Nadodi'' (; ) is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language film, produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran (credited as M. G. R), B. Saroja Devi and Bharathi in her acting debut. It was released on 14 April 1966, and bec ...

'' and ''

Chandhrodhayam ''Chandrodayam'' () is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Shankar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa, with M. N. Nambiar and Nagesh in supporting roles. It was inspired by the 1934 American film ...

'' which elevated her profile in Tamil arena. Later, she graduated to lead heroine roles with ''Deiva Cheyal'', ''

Avalukendru Or Manam ''Avalukendru Or Manam'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language film romantic drama film produced, written and directed by Sridhar. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Muthuraman, Bharathi and Kanchana. It revolves around two women falling in love ...

'' and ''Thanga Surangam'' opposite stars like Muthuraman,

Gemini Ganeshan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the ''Kaadhal Mannan'' (King of Romance) for his romantic roles ...

, and

Shivaji Ganeshan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Gan ...

. After a brief hiatus from the movies she returned to the Kannada screen in 1984 with

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

's much acclaimed ''Runamukthalu'' and started her second innings as a lead heroine in slightly more mature roles, going on to star in several movies each with lead actors of the time - Anant Nag (''

Maneye Manthralaya ''Maneye Manthralaya'' (Kannada: ಮನೆಯೇ ಮಂತ್ರಾಲಯ) is a 1986 Indian Kannada film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by Anuradha Singh, Dushyanth Singh and Amritha Singh. The film stars Anant Nag, Bharathi, Jai Jag ...

'', '' Shanthi Nivasa)'' Prabhakar ''(Bandha Mukta)'', ''(Thaliya Aane)'', Ambareesh ''(Matsara)'' and Rajesh ''(Tavaru Mane)''. She also starred in several Hindi films in her second innings - Prabhat Khanna's ''

Uttar Dakshin Uttar Dakshin () is a 1987 Hindi-language action drama film produced by Ashok Khanna and Subhash Ghai, directed by Prabhat Khanna and featuring Rajinikanth, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit and Bharathi in the lead roles. Laxmikant Pyarelal have ...

'' (1987), ''

Izzatdaar ''Izzatdaar'' is a 1990 Indian Hindi-language film starring Dilip Kumar, Govinda, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Shafi Inamdar and South Indian actor Raghuvaran in his Bollywood film debut. Synopsis Dilip Kumar plays the role of a man set up and ...

'' (1990 with

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

), '' Khel'' and '' Aao Pyaar Karen''. She acted in the Kannada Doordarshan serial ''Janani'' in the late 90s. In 2012, she appeared as a strict, no-nonsense sessions court judge in

T.N. Seetharam Thalagavara Narayanarao Seetharam (born 6 December 1948) is a prominent Kannada film and TV serial director, actor and screenwriter. He has become a cultural icon in Karnataka, India, through his work in several art mediums. Seetharam has wri ...

's Kannada daily serial ''Mukta-Mukta''. Bharathi has acted in Telugu movies like ''Jai Jawan'' (1970), ''Govula Gopanna'' (1968) and ''Sipayi Chinnayya'' with

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...

and various

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

films with many leading actors, mainly in character roles. Apart from acting, Bharathi has also been a singer and associate director in the film industry, singing a duet with T.M. Soundarrajan, a Tamil song "Thanga Nilave Nee Illamal" picturised on her and Gemini Ganesan. She sang a Kannada song "Ee Notake Mai Matake" with her husband Vishnuvardhan for the movie ''Nagara Hole''. She worked as associate director with K. S. L. Swamy for the movies '' Karune Illada Kanoonu'', ''

Huli Hejje ''Huli Hejje'' () is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Ravee) and produced by Shashirekha. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Tiger Prabhakar, Vijayalakshmi Singh and Srigeetha. The film ran successfully for more than ...

'' and the classic ''

Malaya Marutha ''Malaya Marutha'' ( Winds from the hills) is a 1986 Kannada-language musical film starring Vishnuvardhan, Saritha and Madhavi. The film was directed and written by K. S. L. Swamy (Lalitha Ravi) and produced by C. V. L Shastry under "Shastry ...

''.

Filmography

Below is a partial list of her films.

Television

*Bhagyavantaru as Annapoorneshwari Devi - serial aired in

Star Suvarna Star Suvarna is an Indian Kannada language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Kannada language programmes such as dra ...

* Sevanthi as Pramoda Devi - serial aired in

Udaya TV Udaya may refer to * Udaya Pictures, a movie company in Kerala. * Udaya TV, a Kannada-language television channel * Udaya Manikya, a 16th-century king of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest sta ...

*Janani -serial aired in

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

*Samarppan - Doordarshan Hindi

Awards

* 2017 -

Padmashri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred ...

- the 4th highest civilian award of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. * 2010 - ''Honorary Doctorate'' from

Karnataka State Open University Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) is a distance learning university founded in 1996, located in Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. ...

. * 1969-70 -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bharathi Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses from Bangalore Marathi people Living people 1950 births Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tulu cinema Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Kannada television