Prathima Devi (9 April 1933 – 6 April 2021) was an Indian actress known for her work in

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. Devi made her debut through the 1947 film ''

Krishnaleela ''Krishnaleela'' is a 1947 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by C. V. Raju. The film stars Kemparaj Urs, Mari Rai, Bellary Lalitha and Bellary Rathnamala in the lead roles. The film has musical score by P. Kalinga Rao. Cast *Kemparaj Urs a ...

''. She starred in the lead role in '' Jaganmohini'' (1951), the first Kannada film to complete 100 days at the box-office. She went on to appear in over 60 films.

Biography

Devi was born as Mohini on 9 April 1933 in

Kalladka Kalladka is a village in Bantwal taluk, Karnataka, India. It is famous for KT (Kalladka Tea or Kadak Tea). Kalladka is located 32 km east of Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indi ...

, a town in the erstwhile

South Canara South Canara was a district of the Madras Presidency of British India, located at . It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the capital in Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the most heterogeneous areas o ...

region of

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

(in present-day

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 ...

), to Upendra Shenoy and Saraswatibai, as the last of their four children. Devi lost her father when she was four or five years old; the family moved to

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

, then to

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

, where her brother-in-law ran a textile business, before settling in

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

. It was here that Devi got hooked to watching films, with the role of

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 ...

as Naradar in the 1941 Tamil film '' Savithiri'' influencing her deeply in pursuing a career in acting. Devi joined professional theatre at the age of 11 before entering films with ''

'' (1947). In the film, she shared screen with

Kemparaj Urs D. Kemaparaj Urs (5 February 1917 – 18 May 1982) was an Indian freedom fighter, actor, director and producer who worked mainly in the Kannada film industry. His movies in 1940s and 1950s created an impact on the audience. Even before Dr. Rajk ...

while also meeting future husband D. Shankar Singh on its sets. She went on to appear in '' Jaganmohini'' (1951), which became the first Kannada film to complete a 100-day run at the theatres. Her ''Dallali'' (1952) alongside Makeup Subbanna was another major success. Most films she appeared in where produced by her husband under the banner Mahatma Films. Devi had four children: son

Rajendra Singh Babu S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu (born 22 October 1952) is an Indian filmmaker and occasional actor who works primarily in Kannada cinema. He was born and brought up in Mysore. His father Shankar Singh produced many films under the banner Mahatma Pict ...

is a film director, Sangram Singh and Jairaj Singh and daughter

Vijayalakshmi Singh Vijayalakshmi Singh is an Indian actress, director, costume designer and producer in Kannada. She has acted in more than 50 Kannada films and is actively involved in television projects. Early life Vijayalakshmi was born in Mysore to film pe ...

, an actress and producer. Devi died on 6 April 2021 at her residence in Saraswatipura,

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 ...

, aged 88.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1947)...Gopi * ''

Shiva Parvathi ''Shiva Parvathi'' (Kannada: ಶಿವ ಪಾರ್ವತಿ) is a 1950 Indian Kannada film, directed by T. Janakiram and produced by Hunsur Krishnamurthy. The film stars Kemparaj Urs, Prathima Devi, Sumathi Kashinath and Shantha in the lead r ...

'' (1950) * '' Jaganmohini'' (1951) * ''

Sri Srinivasa Kalyana ''Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' (), is 1974 Kannada-language Hindu mythological film directed by Vijay. The film which is based on lord Venkateswara, stars Rajkumar, B. Saroja Devi and Manjula. It also featured the first screen appearances of futur ...

'' (1952) * ''Dallali'' (1952) * ''Chanchala Kumari'' (1953) * ''Muttidella Chinna'' (1954) * ''Madiddunnu Maharaya'' (1954) * ''

Shivasharane Nambekka ''Shivasharane Nambekka'' () is a 1955 Indian Kannada-language film directed by P. Neelakantan. Plot The film depicts the life story of Saint Nambiyakka, a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Cast *B. R. Panthulu *M. V. Rajamma *Dikki Madhava Rao *Re ...

'' (1955) * ''Prabhulinga Leele'' (1957) * ''Mangala Sutra'' (1959) * '' Shivalinga Sakshi'' (1960) * ''

Raja Satyavrata ''Raja Satyavrata'' (Kannada: ರಾಜ ಸತ್ಯವ್ರತ) is a 1961 Indian Kannada film, directed by D. Shankar Singh and produced by N. Bhakta Vatsalan. The film stars Udaykumar, T. N. Balakrishna, Dikki Madhava Rao and Prathima Devi i ...

'' (1961) * ''

Bhakta Chetha ''Bhakta Cheta'' is a 1961 Indian Kannada language film directed by M. B. Ganesh. The film stars Rajkumar, Pratima Devi and Indira. Cast * Rajkumar * Prathima Devi * Indira * Balakrishna * H. R. Shastry * Dikki Madhava Rao Dikki Madhava ...

'' (1961)...Gowri * '' Sri Dharmasthala Mahathme'' (1962) * ''

Paalige Bandadde Panchamrutha ''Paalige Bandadde Panchamrutha'' is a 1963 Indian Kannada film, directed by M. B. Ganesh Singh and produced by K. Krishnaswamy. The film stars Dikki Madhava Rao, Prathima Devi and Saraswathi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by A. R ...

'' (1963) * ''

Pathala Mohini In Indian religions, Patala (Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as un ...

'' (1965) * ''

Nagarahavu ''Naagarahaavu'' () is a 1972 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on T. R. Subba Rao's three novels ''Nagarahavu'', ''Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu'' and ''Sarpa Mathsara'', and starring Vishnuvardhan, Aarathi , K. S. A ...

'' (1972) * ''

Nagakanye ''Naga Kanye'' is a 1975 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu and produced by S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bhavani, Rajasree and Halam. The film has musical score by Chellapilla Saty ...

'' (1975) * ''

Narada Vijaya ''Narada Vijaya'' is a 1980 Indian Kannada-language comedy film directed and co-produced by Siddalingaiah. The story is written by M. D. Sundar. The film starred Ananth Nag, Padmapriya, Hema Choudhary and M. P. Shankar. Plot Ananth Nag plays a ...

'' (1980) * ''

Bhaari Bharjari Bete ''Bharjari Bete'' is a 1981 Indian Kannada-language Western action film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu, starring Ambarish, Jayamala and Shankar Nag. The supporting cast features Dinesh, Tiger Prabhakar and Vajramuni. Cast * Ambarish * Shankar ...

'' (1981) * ''

Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage ''Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage'' () is a 1983 Indian Kannada-language drama film written and directed by Puttanna Kanagal, starring Srinath, Jai Jagadish, Vijayalakshmi Singh, Chandrashekar, Padma Vasanthi, Rekha Rao and T. N. Seetharam. Pl ...

'' (1983) * ''

Rama Shama Bhama ''Rama Shama Bhama'' is a 2005 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by Ramesh Aravind making his directorial debut and the film stars himself in lead role with Kamal Haasan, Urvashi (actress), Urvashi, Daisy Bopanna and Shruti (actres ...

'' (2005)

Awards

* 2001–02:

Dr. Rajkumar Award This is a list of winners of the Karnataka State's Dr. Rajkumar Award. Rajkumar was one of Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictu ...

by the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Prathima 1933 births 2021 deaths People from Udupi district Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Kannada actresses 20th-century Indian actresses