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Miss Kumari (1932–1969) was an Indian actress working in the
Malayalam film industry 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 ...
between 1949 and 1969. In the 50's and early 60's she was the most prominent female lead in the Malayalam film industry. She briefly worked as a teacher before she made her film debut in the 1949 film ''Vellinakshatram''. She took on the stage name Miss Kumari on the sets of her second film, ''
Nalla Thanka ''Nalla Thanka'' is a 1950 Indian Malayalam-language mythological film directed by P. V. Krishna Iyer and produced by K. V. Koshy and Kunchacko under the banner of Udaya Studios and K & K Combines. It was the second film produced at the Udaya St ...
.'' Miss Kumari is noted for her performance in films such as '' Sasidharan'' (1950), '' Chechi'' (1950), ''
Yachakan ''Yachakan'' is a 1951 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by R. Velappan Nair and produced by K. S. Akhileswarayyar. The film stars Prof. M. P. Manmathan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair and Miss Kumari. The musical score is by S. N. Chaami ...
'' (1951), ''
Navalokam ''Navalokam'' is a 1951 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by V. Krishnan and produced by Pappachan. The film stars Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Miss Kumari in lead roles. The film had musical score by V Dakshinamoorthy. Cast * Thikkuri ...
'' (1951), ''
Aathmasakhi ''Aathmasakhi'' () is a 1952 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by G. R. Rao. The film marks the acting debut of Sathyan, who played the lead role along with B. S. Saroja. The film has musical score by Br Lakshmanan. The film was d ...
'' (1952), '' Alphonsa'' (1952), ''
Sheriyo Thetto ''Sheriyo Thetto'' is a Malayalam-language film released in 1951 under the production of Mangala Pictures. The film was directed, written and dialogues by Thikkurissy. The movie was directorial debut of Thikkurissy. Though the movie was not a ...
'' (1953), '' Avakaasi'' (1954), ''
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
'' (1954), '' C.I.D.'' (1955), '' Padatha Paingili'' (1957), ''
Randidangazhi ''Randidangazhi'' ( en, Two Measures, ml, രണ്ടിടങ്ങഴി) is a Malayalam novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in 1948. The novel tells the story of the cruelty meted out by feudal landlords to impoverished farm labour ...
'' (1958), ''
Mudiyanaya Puthran ''Mudiyanaya Puthran'' () is a 1961 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Ramu Kariat. It stars Sathyan, Ambika Sukumaran, Kottayam Chellappan, P. J. Antony, J. A. R. Anand, Miss Kumari, Adoor Bhavani, Kedamangalam Ali, P. A. Thomas, ...
'' (1961), ''
Aana Valarthiya Vanampadi ''Aana Valarthiya Vanampadi'' is a 1959 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by P. Subramaniam. The film stars Thikkurissi, S.P.Pillai, Bahadoor, M.N.Nambiar, Miss Kumari etc. The film had musical score by Br. Lakshmanan. The f ...
'' (1961) and '' Pattaabhishekam'' (1962). Miss Kumari has, in her career spanning 18 years done, 34 films. Miss Kumari has won two Madras State Award for Best Actress for her performances in '' Aniyathi'' (1955) and ''
Aana Valarthiya Vanampadi ''Aana Valarthiya Vanampadi'' is a 1959 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by P. Subramaniam. The film stars Thikkurissi, S.P.Pillai, Bahadoor, M.N.Nambiar, Miss Kumari etc. The film had musical score by Br. Lakshmanan. The f ...
'' (1961). Her film ''
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
'' (1954) was the first Malayalam film to win the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film and is now regarded as a landmark film in the history of Malayalam cinema, It was Miss Kumari's breakthrough and the most memorable film in her career. Another film, '' Padatha Paingili'' (1957) won the President’s Silver Medal, being the second Malayalam film to do so.


Early life

Miss Kumari, whose real name was Thresiamma, was born on 1 June 1932 to Thomas and Eliyamma, at
Bharananganam Bharananganam, an important pilgrimage centre in South India, is located on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala. Bharananganam and surrounding places are hilly a ...
in
Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...
,
Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, which is now part of the state of
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. She did her primary education at Bharanganam Sacred Hearts High School, an all girls high school run by The Franciscan Clarist Congregation Of Sisters. After her studies, she worked briefly as a teacher in the same school.


Career


1949 - 54

Thresiamma debuted in Malayalam with the 1949 film ''Vellinakshatram'', the first production of
Udaya Studios Udaya Studios was one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The stud ...
and the 7th Malayalam feature film. Unfortunately, the film was a commercial failure. But, impressed with her screen presence in the film Udaya Studios launches her as the main lead in their next film, ''
Nalla Thanka ''Nalla Thanka'' is a 1950 Indian Malayalam-language mythological film directed by P. V. Krishna Iyer and produced by K. V. Koshy and Kunchacko under the banner of Udaya Studios and K & K Combines. It was the second film produced at the Udaya St ...
''. It was in this film she took on the stage name Miss Kumari. ''Nalla Thanka'' was a huge success at the box office, establishing herself as a leading actress in the industry. After the success of ''Nalla Thanka'', she starred in a series of films like '' Sasidharan'' (1950), '' Chechi'' (1950), ''
Yachakan ''Yachakan'' is a 1951 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by R. Velappan Nair and produced by K. S. Akhileswarayyar. The film stars Prof. M. P. Manmathan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair and Miss Kumari. The musical score is by S. N. Chaami ...
'' (1951), ''
Navalokam ''Navalokam'' is a 1951 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by V. Krishnan and produced by Pappachan. The film stars Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Miss Kumari in lead roles. The film had musical score by V Dakshinamoorthy. Cast * Thikkuri ...
'' (1951), ''
Aathmasakhi ''Aathmasakhi'' () is a 1952 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by G. R. Rao. The film marks the acting debut of Sathyan, who played the lead role along with B. S. Saroja. The film has musical score by Br Lakshmanan. The film was d ...
'' (1952), '' Alphonsa'' (1952), '' Aatmashaanthi'' (1952), ''
Sheriyo Thetto ''Sheriyo Thetto'' is a Malayalam-language film released in 1951 under the production of Mangala Pictures. The film was directed, written and dialogues by Thikkurissy. The movie was directorial debut of Thikkurissy. Though the movie was not a ...
'' (1953) and '' Avakaasi'' (1954). However, her fame reached a fever pitch in 1954 with the release of ''
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
,'' where she starred alongside Sathyan. ''Neelakuyil'' was a huge success at the box office and wins the President’s Silver Medal and marks the first time this honor had been bestowed on a South Indian film. It is now regarded a landmark film in Malayalam film history.


Personal life

In 1963, Miss Kumari married Hormis Thaliath, an engineer at F.A.C.T Kochi. She immediately retired from the industry to focus on family life. The couple has three children: Johnny, Thomas, and Babu. Johnny is in the finance business, Thomas is a Computer Engineer in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and Babu is a Professor in the Centre of German Studies at
Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
(JNU), New Delhi. She committed suicide on 9 June 1969 at the age of 37. The burial took place in
Bharananganam Bharananganam, an important pilgrimage centre in South India, is located on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala. Bharananganam and surrounding places are hilly a ...
, her native place. Miss Kumari Memorial Stadium was built in
Bharananganam Bharananganam, an important pilgrimage centre in South India, is located on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala. Bharananganam and surrounding places are hilly a ...
, which was inaugurated by veteran actor Prem Nazir.


Filmography


References


External links

* * https://misskumari.com/ 1932 births 1969 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses from Kottayam Actresses in Malayalam cinema 20th-century Indian actresses {{India-actor-stub