Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

and Kalaiselvam awards, Lakshmi acted in more than 1,500 films and 6,000 dramas.

Early life

Lakshmi was born to Narayana Thevar as the thirteenth child and left home aged 11 because her six older brothers did not give her the attention she wanted. Her family had to move from their village town of Sennalkudi to Virudhunagar after their father had died and her mother worked at a small hotel and also at the temple to keep the family afloat. Her neighbour, a dancer, helped Lakshmi join a drama troupe and she quickly picked up the steps she was taught and travelled with them from place to place. When the actors reached Raja Mannargudi they left her with a family which put her on a train to

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 ...

and bade farewell. When she was wondering alone, help came in the form of a lorry driver's wife who noticed her and showed her the way to

Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Subr ...

, which opened its doors to the destitute. It took eight years for her family to find her. She soon joined the studio staff at a salary of Rs. 150 and then rented a house with four other young girls and hired a cook. Before her film career began, Lakshmi had years of theatre experience, with more than 2,000 plays to her credit. From Ganandesikar's and

N. S. Krishnan Nagercoil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan, popularly known as Kalaivanar () and also as NSK, was an Indian actor-comedian, theatre artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry – in the 1940s and 1950s. He is conside ...

's theatre troupes to S. V. Sahasranamam's Seva Stage and

K. Balachander Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of un ...

's Ragini Recreations, Lakshmi trained under stalwarts. Lakshmi acted as a man in many all-woman plays, doing stunts and acrobatics and even fought a leopard as an extra in the MGR film, '' Baghdad Thirudan''. In 1959, she bought her first home in Royapettah on Pachaiappan Nayakkan Road. Three years later, she bought her first car, a Morris Eight.

Career

She started as a group dancer in '' Chandralekha''. Plays and one-scene appearances in films continued until

gave her a pivotal role in ''Nalla Thangai'' and then her real breakthrough came through Muktha Srinivasan's maiden venture ''Thamarai Kulam'' followed by ''Engal Kula Devi'' and ''Naalu Veli Nilam''.

Nagesh Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 film ...

then recommended her to

to star in ''

Server Sundaram ''Server Sundaram'' is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju and produced by A. V. Meiyappan. The film stars Nagesh as the title character. Muthuraman and K. R. Vijaya play the other lead roles while Ma ...

'', after he had been impressed with her performance in the theatre show of the same name, and the film's success prompted more offers for the actress. Kamal Haasan called her to feature in ''

Thevar Magan ''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Radhakr ...

'' while she was taking a break in

Puttaparthi Puttaparthi (IAST: ''Puṭṭaparthy'') is a municipality and district headquarters of Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Puttaparthi mandal of Puttaparthi revenue division. The original name of Put ...

and from then until ''

Virumaandi ''Virumaandi'' is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written, co-edited, produced, and directed by Kamal Haasan, who also performed in the title role. The film revolves around the interview of two prison inmates, firstly, Kothala The ...

'', Lakshmi has been a part of nearly all of Kamal Haasan productions and such was his confidence in her ability that he would ask the assistants to give her the dialogue and move away, confident that she would handle it on her own. Before her death she was doing a role as Meenakshi's grandmother in the serial "Saravanan Meenakshi" in ''

Vijay TV Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay change ...

and also as Thulasi's grand mother in the serial "Thendral" in SunTV ''.

Personal life

Lakshmi has mentioned that "marriage didn't appeal to her", and that her brothers' grandchildren and their kids are now regulars at her house. Until the early 2000s, Lakshmi would move around town by driving but was forced to give it up after she broke her leg. On Sunday mornings she would visit Sai Kripa, a free medical centre 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 ...

and help the staff.

Death

S. N. Lakshmi died in Chennai on 20 February 2012, aged 85. She had a cardiac arrest in the early hours of 20 February, following which she was rushed to a hospital. However, doctors declared her dead. Her body was kept at her Saligramam residence where film personalities made tributes. Her cremation took place in her native town of Virudhunagar.

Filmography

TV serials

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lakshmi, S. N. Tamil actresses Indian film actresses Indian television actresses People from Virudhunagar district 1927 births Actresses in Tamil cinema 2012 deaths Actresses from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Tamil television actresses Actresses in Tamil television