T. Krishna Kumari (6 March 1933 – 24 January 2018) was an Indian actress. She worked predominantly in

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 ...

films, in addition to

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 ...

and

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 ...

films in the 1950s and 1960s. She was the sister of noted actress

Sowkar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telug ...

. She starred in over 150 films in her career, most notably ''

Pichi Pullayya ''Pichi Pullayya'' () is a 1953 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by T. Prakash Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Sowcar Janaki and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by T. V. Raju. The film was produced by N. Trivikrama Rao on Nationa ...

'' (1953), ''

Bangaru Papa ''Bangaru Papa'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language film produced and directed by B. N. Reddy on Vauhini Productions banner. The film stars S. V. Ranga Rao, Jaggayya, Krishna Kumari, Jamuna. It is based on the 1861 English novel '' Silas Mar ...

'' (1955), ''

Vinayaka Chaviti ''Vinayaka Chaviti'' is a 1957 Telugu-language Hindu mythological film written and directed by Samudrala Sr. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Jamuna with music composed by Ghantasala. It was produced by K. Gopala Rao under the Aswaraja Pictures ...

'' (1957)'', Pelli Kanuka'' (1960), '' Devanthakudu'' (1960), ''

Bharya Bhartalu ''Bharya Bhartalu'' () is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by A. V. Subba Rao under the Prasad Art Pictures banner and directed by K. Pratyagatma. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by ...

'' (1961), ''

Vagdanam ''Vagdanam'' () is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language drama film, written and directed by Acharya Aatreya. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by Pendyala. It is based on the novel ''Datta'', written by Sar ...

'' (1961), ''

Kula Gotralu ''Kula Gotralu'' () is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by K. Pratyagatma. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. Acharya Aatreya wrote the dialogues for the fi ...

'' (1962), '' Chaduvukunna Ammayilu'' (1963), '' Bandipotu'' (1963), '' Punarjanma'' (1963 film), ''

Aggi Pidugu ''Aggi Pidugu'' () is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film, produced and directed by B. Vittalacharya under the Sri Vital Combines banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna Kumari and Rajasree, with music composed by Rajan–Nage ...

'' (1964), ''

Doctor Chakravarty ''Doctor Chakravarthy'' is 1964 Telugu-language drama film, produced by D. Madhusudhana Rao under the Annapurna Pictures banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri and Jaggayya, with music composed by ...

'' (1964), ''

Gudi Gantalu ''Gudi Gantalu'' () is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by Ghantasala. The film was produced by Sunderlal Nehata and Doondy. It is a rem ...

'' (1964), ''

Antastulu ''Antastulu'' () is a 1965 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced by V. B. Rajendra Prasad and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Krishna Kumari with music composed by K. V. Mahade ...

'' (1965), '' Chikkadu Dorakadu'' (1967),''

Tikka Sankarayya ''Tikka Sankarayya'' () is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language comedy film directed by D. Yoganand and produced by D. V. S. Raju. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna Kumari and Jayalalithaa, with music composed by T. V. Raju. Plot Raghavayya, a mid ...

'' (1968), ''

Neramu Siksha ''Neramu Siksha'' () is a 1973 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by K. Viswanath who co-wrote the film with M. Balayya. The film is an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's ''Crime and Punishment'' (1866). The film received positive revie ...

'' (1973).

Early life

Krishna Kumari was born on 6 March 1933 a

and

-speaking

Madhwa Brahmin Madhva Brahmins (also often referred as Madhvas or Sadh-Vaishnavas), are Hindu Brahmin communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism and Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Karnataka, Ma ...

family at Naihati,

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

to T. Venkoji Rao and Sachi Devi. Her family hails from

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. Owing her father's work, Kumari was schooled at Rajahmundry,

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

and

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. She completed her matriculation is Assam. Her sister,

is also an actress.

Career

T. Krishna Kumari started her career at the age of 17 with a small role in the Telugu film ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrap ...

'' (1951). She later played the role of a heroine for the first time in ''Navvithe Navaratnalu'' (1951). She featured as leading actress in several Tamil movies, notably ''Thirumbi Paar'' (1953), ''Manithan'' (1953), ''Azhagi'' (1953), '' Pudhu Yugam'' (1954), ''Viduthalai'' (1954) and ''Thuli Visham (''1954). Krishna Kumari then began to focus on

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

, which propelled her to stardom. Her movies ''Pelli Meeda Pelli'' (1959), ''

'' (1961), ''

'' (1961), '' Kulagothralu'' (1962), ''

'' (1964) remain some of Telugu cinema's classics. In the early 1960s, 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 ''Kabhi Andhera Kabhi Ujala'' is a 1958 Hindi film starring Kishore Kumar and Nutan Nutan Samarth Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning nea ...

'' (1958). She was rechristened Rati but again,

Hindi cinema 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 ...

held no attraction for Krishna Kumari. Although she had several offers in Hindi cinema, she returned to Madras. Her most successful movies have been 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 ...

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

and also several mythological roles with

Kantha Rao Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao (16 November 1923 – 22 March 2009) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Regarded as one of the finest method actors, Rao starred in more than four hundred feature ...

. Krishna Kumari acted in 150 Telugu films, and about 30 Tamil and Kannada films. Her repertoire won her fans across Telugu states and the President's Award. Her co-stars include N.T. Rama Rao,

Krishnam Raju Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju (20 January 1940 – 11 September 2022) was an Indian actor and politician. He was known for his works in Telugu cinema and was widely known as "''Rebel Star''" for his rebellious acting style. He was also the ...

Dr. Rajkumar Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian ci ...

Sivaji Ganesan 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 Ga ...

Kanta Rao Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao (16 November 1923 – 22 March 2009) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Regarded as one of the finest method actors, Rao starred in more than four hundred feature ...

, and

Jaggayya Kongara Jaggayya (31 December 1928 – 5 March 2004) was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as ''Kanchu Kantham J ...

Personal life

In 1969, Krishna Kumari married Ajay Mohan Khaitan, a businessman and journalist who had previously served as Editor of the ''

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' and was the founder of two magazines, ''Screen'' and ''Businessman.'' Ajay Mohan Khaitan had previously been married to another lady also named Krishna, who was the daughter of

Ramnath Goenka Ramnath Goenka (22 April 1904 – 5 October 1991) was an Indian newspaper publisher. He launched ''The Indian Express'' in 1932 and created the Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications.''A doyen of Indian Jou ...

, founder and owner of

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

. By his previous marriage, Ajay Mohan Khaitan was the father of two sons, including Vivek, who was adopted by Ramnath Goenka and given the name

Viveck Goenka Viveck Goenka is the Chairman, Managing Director and Editorial Director of the Indian Express Group. The newspapers included in the Indian Express Group include the flagship newspaper, The Indian Express, business and economy daily Financial Ex ...

; he is presently running

. After marriage, Krishna Kumari chose to step away from the arclights and moved to her husband's farmhouse near Bangalore, where she devoted herself to her family and developed her interests in cooking and gardening. Krishna Kumari and Khaitan had a daughter, Dipika; according to some reports, Dipika was adopted by the couple. Dipika married Vikram Maiya, the son of the Maiya family which owns the famous MTR restaurant in Bangalore and the MTR brand of ready-to-eat foods. Ajay Mohan Khaitan died in 2012 aged 85. Krishna Kumari continued to live at her farmhouse in Bengaluru with her daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

Death

Krishna Kumari died on 24 January 2018, in

Bangalore 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 ...

from bone marrow cancer.

Filmography

In popular culture

* Krishna Kumari was portrayed by actress

Pranitha Subhash Pranitha Subhash is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films. She debuted as an actress in the 2010 Kannada film, '' Porki''. In 2012, she starred in the critically acclaimed film ''Bheema Theerada ...

in the 2019

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

'' NTR: Kathanayakudu'', based on the real life and acting career of

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumari, Krishna 1933 births 2018 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema People from North 24 Parganas district Actresses from West Bengal Deaths from cancer in India Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from multiple myeloma Actresses in Tamil cinema Telugu actresses Madhva Brahmins