Thanjavur Radhakrishnan Rajayee (5 May 1922 – 20 September 1999), known by her screen name T. R. Rajakumari, was an Indian actress, Carnatic singer and dancer. She has been called the first "dream girl" of Tamil cinema.

Film career

Rajayee made her film debut in "''Kumara Kulothungan"'' which was produced in 1938–39 but was released in 1941 after ''Kacha Devayani''. In the initial ads her name appeared as T. R. Rajayee but later in the film she was credited as T. R. Rajalakshmi. Her second film was Mandharavathi directed by D.S. Marconi was also released in 1941. ''Kacha Devayani'' (1941) was a hit and helped launch her career in movies. There is some confusion about in which film she actually made her debut as ''Kacha Devayani's'' director K. Subramaniam later insisted that he was the one who introduced her to films. In 1944, Rajakumari starred in the record-breaking film '' Haridas'' alongside

M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Mayavaram Krishnasamy Thiyagaraja Bhagavathar (1 March 1910 – 1 November 1959), also known by his initials as M. K. T., was an Indian actor, producer and Carnatic singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful actors in Tamil cine ...

and gained recognition for her glamorous portrayal. In her Tamil film career, Rajakumari acted as the female lead to many major film stars including Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, T. R. Mahalingam, K. R. Ramasamy,

P. U. Chinnappa Pudukkottai Ulaganathan Pillai Chinnappa (5 May 1916 – 23 September 1951) was an Indian singer and film actor during the 30s era from Pudukottai, India. He is also credited as one of the first major influential actors of South Cinema. His no ...

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

and

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...

. She also started a film production company (with her brother T. R. Ramanna) called "R. R. Pictures" and produced films like ''Vaazhapirandhavan'' (1953), '' Koondukkili'' (1954), '' Gul-E-Bagaavali'' (1955), ''

Paasam ''Paasam'' () is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language film directed by T. R. Ramanna. It stars M. G. Ramachandran, M. R. Radha and B. Saroja Devi. The film was released on 31 August 1962 and failed commercially. Plot Depicts the extraordinary love ...

'' (1962), ''

Periya Idathu Penn ''Periya Idathu Penn'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film, directed by T. R. Ramanna. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, B. Saroja Devi, M. R. Radha and T. R. Rajakumari. It was released on 10 May 1963. The film was blockb ...

'' (1963), ''

Panam Padaithavan ''Panam Padaithavan'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by T. R. Ramanna, and written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Sowcar Janaki and K. R. Vijaya. It was released on 27 March 196 ...

'' (1965) and '' Parakkum Paavai'' (1966). Her last film as an actress was ''

Vanambadi ''Vanambadi'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language thriller film, directed by G. R. Nathan, produced by K. Murukesan and Kannadasan, and written by Valampuri Somanathan. A remake of the Bengali film ''Sesh Porichoy'', it stars S. S. Rajendran an ...

'' (1963).

Later life and death

Rajakumari died on 20 September 1999 after a prolonged illness.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajakumari, T. R. 1922 births 1999 deaths Tamil actresses People from Thanjavur district Actresses in Tamil cinema Singers from Tamil Nadu Dancers from Tamil Nadu Women Carnatic singers Indian female dancers 20th-century Indian actresses 20th-century Indian dancers Carnatic singers Indian women classical singers 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu