Veteran Kannada actress Jayanthi passes away at 76

In a shocking turn of events, Kamala Kumari known by her mononymous stage name Jayanthi passed away due to ill health at her residence in Banashankari, Bangalore on Monday. She was 76. She was noted for her contributions to different genres of films from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.

The unfortunate news was confirmed by the actress’s son Krishna Kumar to Bangalore Times. He said that his mother was recovering from illnesses, however, she breathed her last during her sleep. Last year, Jayanthi was stuck in Hampi, Karnataka during the coronavirus lockdown.

She had appeared in over 500 films, including films in the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi languages. She had received seven Karnataka State Film Awards, four times as Best Actress and twice as Best Supporting Actress the President’s Medal for Best Actress, and two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.

She has been cited as Kannada cinema’s “most bold and beautiful” actress by various media outlets, a title for which she has received substantial publicity. The Kannada film industry has honored her with the title “Abhinaya Sharadhe.”

Jayanthi’s first Kannada film ‘Jenu Goodu’ was a commercial success. Her next Kannada film as heroine was T. V. Singh Thakur’s Chandavalliya Thota, the first film that paired her with Rajkumar. Based on T. R. Subba Rao’s novel the film was a huge success and even won the President’s Medal for Best Film in Kannada.

We the team of The Live Mirror offer our heartfelt condolences to Jayanthi’s near and dear ones.

ALSO READ: Malayalam Actor KTS Padannayil Passes Away At 88