K. L. V. Vasantha
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K. L. V. Vasantha | |
|---|---|
 Vasantha, from a 1945 newspaper advertisement for Subadra | |
| Born | 1923 Kundrathur, Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu |
| Died | 2008 Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, dancer |
| Spouse(s) | K. K. Vasu T. R. Sundaram |
Kundrathur L. V. Vasantha (1923–2008) was an Indian actress, singer and dancer who worked mainly in Tamil language films.[1]
Biography
[edit]Vasantha was born in 1923 in Kundrathur, then based in Ramanathapuram district. As a young girl, she was actively involved in singing and dancing. According to actress S. D. Subbulakshmi, Vasantha played in a minor, uncredited role in Pavalakkodi (1934). After becoming a teenager, she appeared in B. N. Rao's Rambaiyin Kaathal (1939), a box-office success that catapulted Vasantha into stardom. Rao later cast her in Bhooloka Ramba (1940), also a hit.[1]
When Gemini Studios opened in 1941, Vasantha portrayed the lead female character in its debut production Madanakamarajan, financed by Gemini founder S. S. Vasan. The success of this film further enhanced Vasantha's reputation. When Vasan planned Chandralekha in 1943, he announced that Vasantha would star as the lead female, but she was eventually replaced by T. R. Rajakumari. Vasantha shifted to Salem where she joined T. R. Sundaram's Modern Theatres, and played the female lead in many of Sundaram's films such as Rajarajeswari (1944), Burma Rani (1945) and Sulochana (1947).[1]
Vasantha was already an accomplished dancer and singer, so she did both in most of her films. Her dance-drama sequence in Madanakamarajan became notable. In 1946, she played the lead roles in two Modern Theatres films: the Wahab Kashmiri-directed Chitra which was not successful, and Subhadhra. After acting in a few more films, she returned to Chennai (then known as Madras) and lived there till her death in 2008.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Vasantha was separately married to producer K. K. Vasu,[2] and Sundaram.[3]
Partial filmography
[edit]| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Rambaiyin Kaathal |
| 1940 | Satyavaani |
| 1941 | Madanakamarajan[4] |
| 1944 | Raja Rajeswari |
| 1945 | Burma Rani[5] |
| 1946 | Subathra |
| 1947 | Sulochana |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Guy, Randor (29 February 2008). "Remembering Vasantha". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Sri Kantha, Sachi (25 April 2017). "MGR Remembered – Part 38 | Testimony of producer K.N. Vasu". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ "... And thus he made Chandralekha sixty years ago". Madras Musings. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Guy, Randor (8 October 2009). "Madanakamarajan (1941)". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ Baskaran, S. Theodore (6 October 2006). "War relic". Frontline. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- 1923 births
- 2008 deaths
- Indian film actresses
- Indian female dancers
- Actresses in Tamil cinema
- Indian women playback singers
- Tamil playback singers
- People from Ramanathapuram district
- Singers from Tamil Nadu
- Dancers from Tamil Nadu
- 20th-century Indian singers
- 20th-century Indian dancers
- 20th-century Indian actresses
- 20th-century Indian women singers
- Women artists from Tamil Nadu