Latha Rajinikanth (born Latha Rangachari; 2 March 1958) is an Indian film producer and playback singer. She is the wife of actor
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 ...
.
Early life
Latha was born in
Chennai
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 ...
, India in a
Tamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as wel ...
Iyengar
Iyengar (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced ) refers to the name of an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mos ...
family. She graduated with degree in English literature from
Ethiraj College for Women
Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore.
History
Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous col ...
, Chennai.
Career
During the 1980s, Latha worked as a
playback singer
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...
in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
. She sung a few songs in films such as ''
Tik Tik Tik'' (1981) ''
Anbulla Rajinikanth
''Anbulla Rajinikanth'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language children's drama film directed by K. Natraj in his debut. The film stars Rajinikanth as himself, Meena, and Ambika. It was released on 2 August 1984, and received positive reviews, with ...
'' (1984). She also contributed to ''Rajini 25'' (1999), a musical album that commemorated
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 ...
's 25 years of his career.
In 1991, Latha founded The Ashram, a school in
Velachery
Velachery (''pronounced as'' veh·luh·cheh·ree) is a commercial and residential area in south Chennai, and is the largest commercial centre in south Chennai. It is surrounded by Guindy in the north, IIT Madras in the north-east, Taramani in ...
,
Chennai
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 ...
, which she currently heads.
Personal life
Latha is the sister-in-law of Tamil playwright and film actor
Y Gee Mahendran
Y G Mahendran (born 9 January 1950) is an Indian Actor, dramatist, actor, singer, playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, one of the pioneers of mo ...
. She is also related to former film actress
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...
.
[First Experience of RajiniKanth. Rajini's First Language Movies, Producer's First Movies, Director's First Movies, Highest Remake Movies](_blank)
www.rajinikanth.com. Retrieved on 24 July 2012. Latha's brother
Ravi Raghavendra
Ravi Raghavendra is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films and television serials.
Career and personal life
Raghavendra has appeared on television and in films since the 1980s, often playing supporting roles. He has also worked in theatre. ...
is also an actor who is the father of music director
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
. She married
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 ...
, whom she met during an exclusive interview, on 26 February 1981 at
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
. The couple has two daughters,
Aishwarya
Aishwarya (Devanagari : ''ऐश्वर्य'') is a Hindu Indian or Nepalese male or feminine given name, which means "prosperity" and "wealth".
Notable people named Aishwarya
* Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran (born 1971), Indian actress
* Aishwar ...
and
Soundarya
K. S. Sowmya (18 July 1972 – 17 April 2004), better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress who worked predominantly in Telugu_cinema, Telugu films and has also worked in Kannada, Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam f ...
. Her elder daughter, Aishwarya married actor
Dhanush
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
in 2004 and they have two sons, Yathra and Linga. Her younger daughter Soundarya married Chennai based civil engineer Ashwin with whom she has a son named Ved Krishna; the couple divorced in 2017 and she remarried businessman Vishagan in 2019.
Controversy
Document forgery case
An FIR had been filed 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 ...
against Latha for allegedly forging documents to obtain a court order, restraining media from publishing news about her dispute with a commissioned producer over selling of rights of ''
Kochadaiiyan'' on 15 June 2015.
Rent issues
Latha operates a shop on CP Ramaswamy Road. Operating from a building owned by Chennai Corporation, Latha has for the past 25 years run a travel agency called "Travel Exchange India". The city Corporation recently increased the rent from ₹ 3702 to ₹ 21,160 per month. Latha filed a petition in the Madras High Court challenging the decision of the Greater Chennai Corporation. The Madras HC dismissed the petition filed on Latha Rajinikanth's behalf and ordered the corporation to take ownership of the property in a month if the due rental was not received.
A school run by Latha Rajinikanth in Chennai was locked up by the landlord of the building in August 2017, who claimed he had not received two rent of ₹ 2 crore. The owner said in 2002 he leased out the school ground to be used. He said that over a year ago he had filed a case against the management of the school because they had not paid the rent amounting to ₹ 10 crore. In December 2020, the
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
has ordered Latha to vacate the school by 30 April.
Filmography
As producer
As singer
* "Netru Indha Neram" - ''
Tik Tik Tik''
* "Kadavul Ullame" - ''
Anbulla Rajinikanth
''Anbulla Rajinikanth'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language children's drama film directed by K. Natraj in his debut. The film stars Rajinikanth as himself, Meena, and Ambika. It was released on 2 August 1984, and received positive reviews, with ...
''
* "Ding Dong" - ''
Valli
Vaḷḷi ( ta, வள்ளி) ("Creeper, Sweet potato plant") is a Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chiefta ...
''
* "Kukkukoo Koovum" - ''
Valli
Vaḷḷi ( ta, வள்ளி) ("Creeper, Sweet potato plant") is a Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chiefta ...
''
* "Manappenin Sathiyam" - ''
Kochadaiiyaan
''Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language 3D animated action film written by K. S. Ravikumar and directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth. It is India's first photorealistic motion capture film, featuring characters whose de ...
''
Rajinikanth: Rajinikanth's wife, Latha, sings for Kochadaiiyaan , Tamil Movie News - Times of India
/ref>
As costume designer
* ''Valli'' (1993)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajinikanth, Lathaa
Indian women film producers
Film producers from Chennai
Living people
Singers from Chennai
Tamil film producers
Tamil playback singers
Indian women playback singers
20th-century Indian singers
Founders of Indian schools and colleges
Indian women philanthropists
Indian philanthropists
20th-century Indian women singers
21st-century Indian women singers
21st-century Indian singers
Women musicians from Tamil Nadu
Businesswomen from Tamil Nadu
20th-century Indian businesswomen
20th-century Indian businesspeople
1958 births