Saraswathi Sundaresan Iyer, professionally known as Kumari Sachu (born 7 January 1948) is an Indian actress who has acted in more than 500 films in five different languages and a few television serials. She is a character actress/comedienne who has nonchalantly blended into the roles she has portrayed over five decades. She made her film début in 1953 in the film ''

Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...

'' at the age of 4, and has since then been a prominent face on the silver screen. Since 1995, she has started acting in television serials. In 2012, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in Chennai, honored Kumari Sachu with the Nadaga Soodamani award.

Early life

Sachu was born into a large family in Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Hailing from an orthodox family of musicians, lawyers and teachers, it was not smooth sailing for the young actress, but her talent acted as the decisive factor. Permission was granted by her lawyer-father. As she teamed up with her sister for Bharatanatyam recitals, her film career forged ahead. Sachu has a sister named ''Maadi'' Lakshmi. She was an actress.

Film career

In 1953, Sachu, then less than four years old, was noticed by director A. S. A. Sami (of ''

Velaikkari ''Velaikari'' () is a 1949 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by A. S. A. Sami and produced by M. Somasundaram under Jupiter Pictures. It was based on the play of the same name written by C. N. Annadurai, while incorporating plot deta ...

'' fame), who was in the process of casting her sister for a dance number. Sami cast her in the Bhanumathi-starrer ''Rani'', and for a scene, she had to cry. But Sachu just did not know how to cry! A quiet pinch did the trick. Then followed the Arignar Anna-scripted ''Sorga Vaasal''. As the younger Paro in '' Devadasu'', her performance was endearing. The chubby-faced Sachu went on to fill the vacuum left by Baby Saroja. Sachu performed with élan with the legends, be it Bhanumathi, Padmini,

Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in ''Lava Kusa'' as well as for the titular roles in movies like Chenchu ...

, or Savithri. The evergreen ''Maya Bazaar'' was her first 100-day film, and in the film, she played the cherubic Kutti Vatsala (Junior Savithri). Playing the junior version of S. Varalakshmi in "Shyamala" thrilled her no end since it starred the legendary Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. She then took a small break during which she spent the interim perfecting her dance, giving recitals and playing sister roles. Her first film as heroine in ''Veera Thirumagan'' with Anandan, screened in 1961. She was offered to play the role of a comedian and act as Nagesh's pair in the film '' Kadhalikka Neramillai'', This film starred Muthuraman, Nagesh, Kanchana,

Rajasree Rajasree (Rajasree Thota Panchajanyam, Kusuma Kumari, born 31 August 1945), also known as Rajasri or Rajashri, is an Indian actress active from 1956 to 1979. She is particularly famous for her portrayal as a princess in several folklore Telug ...

and

T. S. Balaiah Thirunelveli Subramaniyan Balaiah (23 August 1914 – 22 July 1972) was an Indian actor. He is best known for playing supporting roles in Tamil films. Born in Sundankottai, near Udankudi in Thoothukudi, Balaiah was introduced to the cine fiel ...

. After the success of this film, she was put in comedian's role opposite actors like Suruli Rajan, "Thengai" Srinivasan,

Cho Ramaswamy Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, better known as Cho Ramaswamy (5 October 1934 – 7 December 2016), was an Indian actor, comedian, character actor, editor, political satirist, playwright, film director and lawyer from Tamil Nadu. He was a p ...

, Thangavelu, M. R. Vasu and

M. R. Radha Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan (14 April 1907 – 17 September 1979) was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films. He was given the title "Nadigavel" (spearhead of acting) by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. He mostly play ...

in many films from 1964 to 1989. She, Manorama and Jayalalithaa came together to act in 2 classic comedy films - ''Galata Kalyanam'' and ''Bommalattam''. Her other notable films include ''Delhi Mapillai, Thenmazhai, Sorgam, Ooty Varai Oravu, Thunaivan'' and ''Meenava Nanban''. The 1970s saw her taking to the stage, and her first play was PVR's ''Neerottam'', where she played the famous Charu. She played a dual role in ARS' ''Deviyar Iruvar''. Since then, Sachu has been lending her talents out and has successfully starred in over 500 films playing varied roles, and has starred alongside veteran actors such as Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, Muthuraman,

S. A. Ashokan S. A. Ashokan, born as Antony and often spelled Asokan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema and theatre. He was popular mainly for playing negative roles but was also a successful character actor. Early life Ashokan was b ...

, Nagesh, Suruli Rajan,

Thengai Srinivasan Thengai Srinivasan (21 October 1937 – 9 November 1987) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language, Tamil-language films and plays from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was given the prefix ''Thengai'' (coconut) after his role as a coco ...

, Thangavelu and

. The late 1970s and 1980s saw her playing supporting roles in films alongside

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

, Chiranjeevi, and many others, while she has also played mother and grandmother roles to younger actors such as Vijay,

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

, Karthik,

Sakthi Vasu Shakthi Vasudevan (born as Prashanth Vasudevan) is an Indian actor who has predominantly worked on Tamil-language films. The son of director P. Vasu, Shakthi began his career as a child artist in his father's films before making his comeback i ...

and many others.

Television career

She moved on to the small screen since 1995 and has starred in many serials such as ''Manbumigu Maamiyar'', ''Costly Mappilay'', ''Ananda Bhavan'', ''Dinesh Ganesh'' and ''Veetukku Veedu Looty'', where she quotes that she had been able to act in roles which she could not in cinema. She also acted as Vijayakumar's elder sister in the serial '' Nandini'', which aired on Sun TV.

Awards and nominations

A proud moment in Sachu's life was when she received the Kalaimamani award from Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 1991 and the Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha award, which was presented by

M. S. Subbulakshmi Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is ...

. Also in 2012, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in Chennai, honoured Kumari Sachu with the Nadaga Soodamani award.

Partial filmography

— Debut film (1952) * Shyamala (1952) * Devadasu (1953) *

Avvaiyar Avvaiyar (Tamil: ஔவையார்) was the title of more than one female poet who were active during different periods of Tamil literature. They were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Abidhana Chinta ...

(1953) *

Sorgavasal ''Sorgavasal'' () is a 1954 Indian Tamil film, directed by A. Kasilingam and produced by M. Somasundaram and M. K. Kaliapa. The film starred K. R. Ramasamy, Padmini, S. S. Rajendran and Anjali Devi in lead roles. The film had a musical scor ...

(1954) *

Bahut Din Huye ''Bahut Din Huwe'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language film directed by S. S. Vasan, produced by Gemini Studios and starring Madhubala. It is a remake of the Telugu film '' Bala Nagamma'' (1942). ''Bahut Din Huwe'' received lukewarm reviews fro ...

(1954) * Kaveri (1955) - Sandhosham Kollame song dance-as child *

Maya Bazaar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, with ...

(1957) * Raja Desingu (1960) *

Veera Thirumagan ''Veera Thirumagan'' is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language historical action film, produced by AVM Productions and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. This was the directorial debut for Tirulokchandar. It stars C. L. Anandan, Sachu, E. V. Saroja and S ...

(1962) *

Kalai Arasi ''Kalai Arasi'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film directed by A. Kasilingam. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and Bhanumathi, with M. N. Nambiar, P. S. Veerappa, Rajasree and Sachu, credited as Kumari Saraswat ...

(1963) *

Kaadhalikka Neramillai ''Kadhalikka Neramillai'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by C. V. Sridhar, who also conceived and co-wrote its script with Chitralaya Gopu. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Balai ...

(1964) * Inapravugal (1965) - Malayalam film * Subhaidha (1965) - Malayalam film * Kalyanayathrayil (1966) - Malayalam film *

Thenmazhai ''Thenmazhai'' () is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film, directed by Muktha Srinivasan and produced by V. Ramasamy. The film stars Gemini Ganesan and K. R. Vijaya, with Major Sundarrajan, Nagesh, Cho, Sachu and Manorama in su ...

(1966) * Bama Vijayam (1967) * Ninaivil Nindraval *

Ooty Varai Uravu ''Ooty Varai Uravu'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, R. Muthuraman and L. Vijayalakshmi. It was Vijaylakshmi's last film before her m ...

(1967) *

Delhi Mapillai ''Delhi Mapillai'' () is a Tamil language comedy film released on 13 September 1968. It stars Ravichandran and Cho Ramaswamy in the main lead roles, opposite Rajasree and Sachu respectively. The supporting cast includes T. P. Muthulakshmi, V. ...

(1968) as Meghala *

Galatta Kalyanam ''Galatta Kalyanam'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by C. V. Rajendran and written by Gopu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. It is based on Gopu and Sridhar's play of the same name. The film, ...

(1968) as Kaanthã * Bommalattam (1968) as geetha * Dial 2244 (1968) - Malayalam film * Vilakkapetta Bandhangal (1969) - Malayalam film *

Sorgam ''Sorgam'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film starring Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Rajasree, R. Muthuraman and K. Balaji. The film was directed by T. R. Ramanna. It was released on 29 October 1970 and became a major success, running ...

(1970) *

Maanavan ''Maanavan'' () is a 1970 Tamil-language film directed by M. A. Thirumugam and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar under Dhandayudhapani Films. The script were written by Balamurugan. The film starring Jaishankar and Muthuraman with ...

(1970) as Ramu's wife *

Uttharavindri Ulle Vaa ''Uttharavindri Ulle Vaa'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film, directed by N. S. Chakravarthi in his debut, produced by Sridhar and written by Gopu. The film features an ensemble cast including Ravichandran, Nagesh, Then ...

(1971) as Nurse Sarasa, Mani's lover & Dr. Swamynathan's daughter * Annai Velankanni (1972) as Candle Seller Woman *

Pillaiyo Pillai ''Pillaiyo Pillai'' () is 1972 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju, produced by Murasoli Maran and written by M. Karunanidhi. The film stars M. K. Muthu (in dual role) in his debut film appearance alongside ...

(1972) * Dhikku Theriyatha Kaattil (1972) *

Paruva Kaalam ''Paruva Kaalam'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Jos A.N. Fernando, written by A. S. Prakasam, starring Srikanth, Roja Ramani, Kamal Haasan, Nagesh and Prameela. Roja Ramani paired up with Kamal Haasan for the first time. ...

(1974) * Anbu Thangai (1974) *

Avanthan Manithan ''Avandhan Manidhan'' () is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language drama film, co-written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar from a story by G. Balasubramaniam. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Muthuraman, Jayalalithaa and Manjula. It revolves around a ...

(1975) *

Cinema Paithiyam ''Cinema Paithiyam'' () is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by Muktha Srinivasan. The film stars Jaishankar and Jayachitra. It is a remake of the Hindi film ''Guddi'' (1971). The film was released on 31 January 1975. Jayachitr ...

(1975) *

Dheepam ''Dheepam'' () is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by K. Vijayan and produced by K. Balaji. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Vijayakumar and Sangeetha. The film had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja. It is a remake of the Mal ...

(1977) * Balapareekshanam (1978) - Malayalam film * Pathinalam Ravu (1978) - Malayalam film *

Dharma Yuddham ''Dharma Yuddam'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by R. C. Sakthi. It stars Rajinikanth and Sridevi. The film was released on 29 June 1979. Trivia: This film was a major hit and is credited for establishing Rajinikant ...

(1979) * Ellam Un Kairasi (1980) * Sujatha (1980) * Dwanthayudham (1981) - Malayalam film * Oorukku Oru Pillai (1982) *

Solla Thudikuthu Manasu ''Solla Thudikuthu Manasu'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil language romance film, directed by B. Lenin, starring Karthik and newcomer Priyasri . The film, produced by J. Ravi, had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 19 February 1988. ...

(1988) * Manasukkul Mathappu (1988) as Nurse Mary *

Naangal ''Naangal'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Hassan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Prabhu and Deepika Chikhalia. It was released on 20 March 1992. Plot Keerthi, an honest police officer, is charged to solve a double m ...

(1992) * Avatharam (1995) *

Tata Birla ''Tata Birla'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by C. Ranganathan. The film stars Parthiban, Rachana Banerjee and Goundamani. The film, produced by MSV Murali, had musical score by Vidyasagar and was released on 4 Octobe ...

(1996) * Priyanka (1994) * Oomai Vizhigal (1986) *

Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga ''Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Sundar C., starring Karthik and Rambha with Goundamani, Vivek, Vinu Chakravarthy, Anju among others in supporting roles. The film, sc ...

(1999) *

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(1999) * Priyasakhi (2005) *

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(2006) * Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum (2006) * Shankar Dada Zindabad (2007) (Telugu film) *

Sadhu Miranda ''Sadhu Mirandaa'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film directed by Siddique, starring Prasanna, Abbas, and Kavya Madhavan. Karunas and Manoj K. Jayan play supporting roles. The music was composed by Deepak Dev, and cinema ...

(2008) *

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(2009) * Aatanayagan (2010) *

Gowravargal ''Gowravargal'' is a 2010 Tamil-language action film written and directed by Sanjay Ram and produced by Ma. Paramasivam. The film stars Sathyaraj, Vignesh, and Monica, while Ranjith and Kuyili play supporting roles. The music was composed by ...

(2010) * Thillu Mullu (2013) * Naiyaandi (2013) * Irumbu Kuthirai (2014) *

Gethu ''Gethu'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Krish Thirukumaran. Produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin, the film features himself in the lead role along with Amy Jackson, Sathyaraj in a supporting role, and ...

(2016) * Avan Aval (2016) *

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(2016) * Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru (2016) * Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (2016) *

Utharavu Maharaja ''Utharavu Maharaja'' is a 2018 Tamil language film directed by Asif Kuraishi. The film stars Udhaya, who also produced the film, Priyanka Thimmesh, and Prabhu in the lead roles. Cast *Udhaya as Ravi *Priyanka Thimmesh as Saadhana *Prabhu as A ...

(2018) *

Perazhagi ISO ''Perazhagi ISO'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language science fiction film directed by C. Vijayan. It stars Shilpa Manjunath and Sachu in the lead roles, alongside a cast featuring predominantly newcomers. The film narrates the tale of a 60-year- ...

(2019) * Ayogya (2019) *

Jackpot Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to: * A prize, such as a progressive jackpot * Gardena jackpots, a poker variant * Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border Comics * Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters * ''Jack ...

(2019) *

Dharala Prabhu ''Dharala Prabhu'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Krishna Marimuthu in his directorial debut. A remake of the 2012 Hindi film ''Vicky Donor'', the film stars Harish Kalyan, Tanya Hope and Vivek ...

(2020) as Kundhavai, Prabhu's grandmother * Boom Boom Kaalai (2021) *

Veetla Vishesham ''Veetla Vishesham'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy-drama film directed by RJ Balaji and NJ Saravanan. It is a remake of the 2018 Hindi film ''Badhaai Ho''. The film is being produced by Boney Kapoor in association with Zee Studios, ...

(2022) * The Legend (2022) *

Naai Sekar Returns ''Naai Sekar Returns'' is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced by Subaskaran Allirajah and written and directed by Suraj. The film stars Vadivelu in his comeback film after five years, while Sivaangi Krishnakumar, Anandaraj, Rao ...

(2022)

References

External links

* {{authority control Living people Tamil comedians Tamil actresses Actresses from Chennai 1948 births Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Indian film actresses