Umashree (born 10 May 1957) is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her portrayal of film roles spoken in the

Kannada language 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 ...

(over 400), particularly comic roles. She received

National Film Award for Best Actress The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...

for her role as Gulabi in the 2008 Kannada movie

Gulabi Talkies ''Gulabi Talkies'' is a 2008 Indian Kannada language film by acclaimed Indian director Girish Kasaravalli. It is based on a short story by the same name by Kannada writer Vaidehi. The film premiered at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and A ...

. In 2013, Umashree became a Member of the Legislative Assembly in

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 ...

in the government of

Siddaramaiah Siddaramaiah (born 3 August 1947), also referred to by his nickname Siddu, Siddaramaiah served as Chief Minister of Karnataka from 13 May 2013 to 17 May 2018 and currently serving as the leader of the opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assemb ...

where she was the minister for women and child development, empowerment of the differently abled and senior citizens,

and culture.

Personal life

Umashree was born into the

Devanga Devanga (also known as Lingayat Devanga, Devanga Shetty, Devanga Chettiar) is a Hindu caste from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of textile merchandise, weaving and farming mostly found in the Indian states of Karnataka ...

family. She has two children, a daughter named Gayathri, who is a dentist, and a son named Vijayakumar, an advocate, she raised them as a single mother.

Public office

Umashree participates in positive social activities such as supporting rural and disadvantaged women. She performs on stage in rural villages to highlight their needs. Her election in 2013 as the member for Terdal constituency (Congress Party) allowed Umashree to continue her work. Umashree is Minister for Women and Child Development, Kannada and Culture.

Stage work

Umashree has experience in village, amateur, mythological and professional drama. Her directors have included

Fritz Bennewitz Fritz Bennewitz (20 January 1926 – 13 September 1995) was a German theatre director. Life Bennewitz was born in Chemnitz. His father was a train driver: his mother worked as a seamstress. Between 1950 and 1953 he was a student of German st ...

B.V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

, C. G. Krishnaswamy, R. Nagesh, and T.S. Nagabharana. She is a member of Rangasampada amateur theatre group of

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

Film work

Umashree began her movie career in 1984 with an award-winning performance in a supporting role in '' Anubhava'' with Kashinath. But before that she was seen in a 1980 Kannada film BANGARADA JINKE directed by T S Nagabharana. However, it

typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

her in comedy roles with a degree of

innuendo An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...

. She worked with the actor N. S. Rao and later with Dinesh, Dwarakish, Mysore lokesh, Sihikahi chandru, Ramesh bhat, Mukhyamantri Chandru, Doddanna and Karibasavaiah. Her directors included S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu, Bhargava, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Perala, K V Raju, Vijay, Dorai Bhagavan, Dwairakish, D Rajendra babu, Dinesh Babu, V Ravichandran, Puri Jagannath and Yograj Bhat.

Television work

* ''Nondavara Haadu'', a documentary about

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

directed by T. S. Ranga for Doordarshan. * ''Hattye'', a telefilm H. Girijamma for Doordarshan. * ''Musanje'', a serial directed by T. S. Nagabarana for Udaya TV. * ''Musanje Katha Prasanga'', a serial directed by Prakash Belawadi for ETv. * ''Kicchu'', a serial directed by Chaitanya for ETv. * ''Amma Ninagagi'' for ETv. * ''Arathigobba Kirthigobba'' for Star Suvarna. * ''Chinnara Chilipili'' for Udaya TV. * ''

Puttakkana Makkalu ''Puttakkana Makkalu'' is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language, Kannada television soap opera that telecasts on ZEE5 even before TV telecast. This series is directed by Arooru Jagadish who is the director of the TV series Jothe Jotheyali. It was prem ...

'' for Zee Kannada

Awards

* 2004 - Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Film, '' Mani'' * 2008 - National film Award for best actress for the Film, ''Gulabi Talkies'' ( 55th National Film Awards). * 2020-21 - Best Supporting Actress for '' Rathnan Prapancha''

Partial filmography

* '' Anubhava'' (1984) * ''

Amrutha Ghalige ''Amrutha Ghalige'' () is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on the novel ''Avadhana'', by Dodderi Venkatagiri Rao. The film stars Ramakrishna, Padma Vasanthi and Sridhar. Plot This movie d ...

'' (1984) * ''

Bidugadeya Bedi ''Bidugadeya Bedi'' () is a 1985 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Dorai–Bhagavan, based on the novel of the same name by Ta Ra Su. The film stars Anant Nag and Lakshmi. The film's score and songs were composed by Rajan–Nagendra. ...

'' (1985) * '' Naanu Nanna Hendthi'' (1985) * '' Swabhimana'' (1985) * ''

Maneye Manthralaya ''Maneye Manthralaya'' (Kannada: ಮನೆಯೇ ಮಂತ್ರಾಲಯ) is a 1986 Indian Kannada film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by Anuradha Singh, Dushyanth Singh and Amritha Singh. The film stars Anant Nag, Bharathi, Jai Jag ...

'' (1986) * '' Bete'' (1986) * '' 27 Mavalli Circle'' (1986) * '' Asambhava'' (1986) * '' Ee Bandha Anubandha'' (1987) * '' Jayasimha'' (1987) * '' Olavina Udugore'' (1987) * ''

Sowbhagya Lakshmi ''Sowbhagya Lakshmi'' is a 1987 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by S. P. Rajashekar. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Lakshmi, Radha and Aruna. The film has musical score by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. The film ...

'' (1987) * '' Digvijaya'' (1987) * '' Shanthi Nivasa'' (1987) * ''Onde Goodina Hakkigalu'' (1988) * ''

Ramanna Shamanna ''Ramanna Shamanna'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language action drama film, written by Shanmugha Priyan and directed by B. Subba Rao. The film had an ensemble cast including Ambareesh, Ravichandran (Kannada actor), V. Ravichandran, Madhavi (actres ...

'' (1988) * '' Krishna Rukmini'' (1988) * ''

Balondu Bhavageethe ''Balondu Bhavageethe'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Geethapriya and produced by Geetha Srinath and M. S. Karanth. The film stars Srinath, Anant Nag, Saritha and C. R. Simha. The film has musical score by Hamsalekha. Cast ...

'' (1988) * ''

Anjada Gandu ''Anjada Gandu'' () is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film produced by B N Gangadhar under the banner of ANS Productions and written and directed by Renuka Sharma. The film stars Ravichandran and Khushbu in the lead roles along ...

'' (1988) * ''Jana Nayaka'' (1988) * '' Ranadheera'' (1988) * ''

Hrudaya Geethe ''Hrudaya Geethe'' () is a 1989 Indian Kannada-language romance film directed and produced by H. R. Bhargava. The story by Phani Ramachandra was loosely based on the 1970 movie ''Pagla Kahin Ka''. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bhavya and Khu ...

'' (1989) * ''

Hongkongnalli Agent Amar ''Hongkongnalli Agent Amar'' () is a 1989 Indian Kannada film, directed by Joe Simon and produced by Santhosh Shindhe, G. Madangopal, S. Chakrapani and Peter J. Kamilose. The film stars Ambareesh and Ambika. The film has musical score by Pete ...

'' (1989) * '' Ondagi Balu'' (1989) * ''

Onti Salaga ''Onti Salaga'' () is a 1989 Indian Kannada film, directed by V. Somashekar and produced by Halaguru Venkatesh. The film stars Ambarish, Tiger Prabhakar, Khushbu and Vajramuni in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Hamsalekha. Plo ...

'' (1989) * '' Poli Huduga'' (1989) * '' Doctor Krishna'' (1989) * '' Golmaal Radhakrishna'' (1990) * '' Mruthyunjaya'' (1990) * '' Nigooda Rahasya'' (1990) * ''

Rani Maharani ''Rani Maharani'' is a 1990 Indian Kannada language film directed by B. Ramamurthy, starring Malashri, Ambarish and Shashikumar in lead roles. The supporting cast features Jaggesh, Umashree, Doddanna, Mysore Lokesh, Umesh, Tennis Krishna. T ...

'' (1990) * '' Nammoora Hammera'' (1990) * '' Bangaradantha Maga'' (1991) * '' Ranachandi'' (1991) * ''Gruhapravesha'' (1991) * ''

Kollur Kala ''Kollur Kala'' is a 1991 Indian Kannada-language action film, directed by Om Sai Prakash. The story was penned by Thirunavukkarasu. The film stars Shashikumar and Malashri, with Vidyashri playing a key supporting role. The film's music was c ...

'' (1991) * '' Neenu Nakkare Haalu Sakkare'' (1991) * '' Sriramachandra'' (1992) * '' Shivanaga'' (1992) * '' Mannina Doni'' (1992) * ''

Malashree Mamashree Enreddy Prakash Reddy a.k.a. Om Sai Prakash is a Telugu and Kannada film director and producer. Born in Phirangipuram in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, he started as an assistant to Kodi Ramakrishna and then charted his own course in direct ...

'' (1992) * '' Sangya Balya'' (1992) * '' Server Somanna'' (1993) * '' Kollura Sri Mookambika'' (1993) * '' Kotreshi Kanasu'' (1994) * ''

Jaana Jaana is a feminine given name which is the short from of Marianne and a pet form of Johanna. It is common in Estonia and Finland; the feminine version of Jaan. People * Jaana Padrik (born 1958), Estonian journalist and politician * Jaana Pelko ...

'' (1994) * '' Chinna'' (1994) * '' Karulina Koogu'' (1994) * '' Odahuttidavaru'' (1994) * ''

Putnanja ''Putnanja'' is a 1995 Kannada language film directed by Ravichandran and produced by A. Narsimhan. This film stars Ravichandran, Meena, Umashri, Lokesh in lead roles. Music was composed by Hamsalekha. The film's plot was inspired by the 1972 ...

'' (1995) * '' Himapatha'' (1995) * '' Thumbida Mane'' (1995) * '' Jeevanadhi'' (1996) * '' Sipayi'' (1996) * '' Ibbara Naduve Muddina Aata'' (1996) * ''

Aadithya ''Aadithya'' is a 1996 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by K. N. Lokachandran. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Neelam, Rubainaa and Madhu Bangarappa. The film's score and the soundtrack were scored by Rajesh Raman ...

'' (1996) * '' Dhani(movie)'' (1996) * '' Muddina Kanmani'' (1997) * ''

Thayavva ''Thayavva'' is a 1997 Kannada-language film directed by V. Umakanth, starring Sudeep, Umashree, Charan Raj and Sindhu. The background score and soundtrack were composed by V. Manohar, with lyrics by V. Manohar and Geethapriya. This was Sudeep' ...

'' (1997) * '' Mommaga'' (1997) * ''

Cheluva ''Cheluva'' is a 1997 Kannada comedy-drama film directed and enacted by V. Ravichandran in dual roles. The rest of the cast includes Gautami,Meena, Suman and Tiger Prabhakar among others. The film is a remake of Telugu film '' Hello Brother' ...

'' (1997) * ''

Kalavida ''Kalavida'' () is a 1997 Kannada-language film produced, written, directed and enacted by V. Ravichandran. The rest of the cast includes Heera Rajagopal, Roja, Umashree, Raghuvaran amongst others. The music was composed by Hamsalekha and wa ...

'' (1997) * '' Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda'' (1997) * '' Preethsod Thappa'' (1998) * '' Viralukketha Veekkam'' (1999) * '' O Premave'' (1999) * '' Chora Chittha Chora'' (1999) * ''

Shabdavedhi ''Shabdavedhi'' is a 2000 Kannada-language action drama film directed by S. Narayan and produced by Sri Bhargavi Arts Combines. The film stars Rajkumar, Jayapradha, K. S. Ashwath, Sowcar Janaki, Umashree. The music was composed by Hamsalekha. ...

'' (2000) * '' Krishna Leele'' (2000) * '' Yaarige Saluthe Sambala'' (2000) * ''Nan Hendthi Chennagidale'' (2000) * '' Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu'' (2001) as Rukmini * '' Kothigalu Saar Kothigalu'' (2001) as Muniyamma * '' Diggajaru'' (2001) * '' Simhadriya Simha'' (2002) * '' Thuntata'' (2002) as "Lingo leela" * '' Chandu'' (2002) * '' Nanjundi'' (2003) * '' Abhi'' (2003) * ''

Laali Haadu ''Laali Haadu'' ''(')'' is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language romantic musical film directed by H. Vasu and written by Ajay Kumar. The film stars Darshan and Abhirami. The film was produced by Sa Ra Govindu under his home production Thanu Pictures. ...

'' (2003) * '' Namma Preethiya Ramu'' (2003) * '' Katthegalu Saar Katthegalu'' (2003) as Jayamma * '' Mani'' (2003) * ''Ajju'' (2004) * '' Ranga SSLC'' (2004) as Paaru * ''

Malla Malla may refer to: Places ;Bolivia *Malla, Bolivia, a locality * Malla Jawira, a river * Malla Jaqhi, a mountain * Malla Municipality * Malla Qullu, a mountain ;India * Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu *Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...

'' (2004) * ''

Monalisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

'' (2004) * ''Veeru'' (2005) * '' Chellata'' (2006) * '' Neelakanta'' (2006) * '' Suntaragaali'' (2006) * '' Parodi'' (2007) * '' Ekadantha'' (2007) as Sheela devi * ''

'' (2008) * '' Mast Maja Maadi'' (2008) * '' Vasanthakala'' (2008) * '' Venkata in Sankata'' (2009) * '' Gilli'' (2009) * '' Kanasemba Kudureyaneri'' (2010) * ''

Krishnan Love Story ''Krishnan Love Story'' ( kn, ಕೃಷ್ಣನ್ ಲವ್ ಸ್ಟೋರಿ) is a 2010 Indian Kannada language action drama film written and directed by Shashank, and starring Ajay Rao, Radhika Pandit in leading roles and Umashri, Achyut ...

'' (2010) * ''

Swayam Krushi ''Swayamkrushi'' () is a 1987 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti in main leads, while Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, and Sumalatha in other pivotal roles. The film chr ...

'' (2011) * ''

Ujwadu ''Ujwaadu'' is a 2011 Konkani film directed by Kasargod Chinna and produced by KJ Dhananjaya and Anuradha Padiyar as the third film ever produced in the GSB Konkani language and attempts to showcase Konkani Saraswatha tradition and culture. ...

'' (2011) * '' Rajadhani'' (2011) * '' Alemari'' (2012) * ''

Bheema Theeradalli Bheema Theeradalli is a 2012 Kannada biopic action film directed by Om Prakash Rao and produced-shot by cinematographer Anaji Nagaraj. The film stars Duniya Vijay and Pranitha Subhash. Controversial Excise minister in the State Cabinet of Kar ...

'' (2012) * '' Sangolli Rayanna'' (2012) * '' Kalpana'' (2012) * ''

Rambo Rambo is a surname with Norwegian (Vestfold) and Swedish origins. It possibly originated with '' ramn'' + '' bo'', meaning "raven's nest". It has variants in French (''Rambeau'', ''Rambaut'', and ''Rimbaud'') and German (''Rambow''). It is now best ...

'' (2012) * '' Super Shastri'' (2012) * '' Kalavu'' (2013) * ''Paraari'' (2013) * '' Ambareesha'' (2014) * '' Love You Alia'' (2015) * '' Rathnan Prapancha'' (2021) as Saroja

References

External links

* {{authority control 1957 births 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians Actresses from Karnataka Actresses in Kannada cinema Best Actress National Film Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Indian actor-politicians Indian film actresses Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka Indian television actresses Indian voice actresses Indian women comedians Kannada people Living people People from Tumkur district State cabinet ministers of Karnataka Women state cabinet ministers of India Karnataka MLAs 2013–2018 Women members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly