Veteran Kannada actress Abhinaya Sharade Jayanthi passes away at 76
Veteran Kannada actress Abhinaya Sharade Jayanthi passed away on Monday at her residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The 76-year-old was reportedly undergoing treatment for some time due to age-related ailments. She is survived by her son Krishna Kumar. Jayanthi had done over 500 movies, not just in the Kannada film industry, but also in other languages such as Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu and Hindi.
Newly-resigned Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa paid tribute on Twitter
Karnataka ex-CM BS Yediyurappa, who resigned this morning, wrote a heartfelt note on Twitter in Kannada. It translates to this — "Her contribution to the film industry is immense, and her demise has caused an irreparable loss to the Kannada film industry. I pray to God to bless her soul give his family members and her admirers the power to bear the loss."
Jayanthi made her debut in 1963 Kannada film, 'Jenu Goodu'
Born Kamala Kumari in 1945, she was a trained classical dancer and made her solo debut in 1963 Kannada film, Jenu Goodu, which turned out to be a commercial success. It was this film that gave her the name Jayanthi, and her fans celebrated her by calling "Abhinaya Sharadhe," which means "the goddess of acting." For over six decades, she had entertained her audience.
She had acted in over 40 films opposite superstar Rajkumar
Just a year after her debut, the late actress appeared in another Kannada film, Chandavalliya Thota. It had her opposite Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar and since then, the duo has done over 40 movies together. Later, Jayanthi appeared in several movies like Jagadeka Veeruni Katha, Justice Chowdary, Kula Gauravam and Kondaveeti Simham alongside then Telugu star and former Andhra Pradesh CM NT Rama Rao.
Jayanthi had won seven Karnataka State Film Awards
She also had acted with legendary Tamil actors such as Gemini Ganesan, Muthuraman, MG Ramachandran and Jaishankar. And in the Hindi film industry, the veteran actress appeared in movies like Lal Bangla (1966), Teen Bahuraniyan (1968), Gunda (1970) and Tumse Achha Kaun Hai (1969). Among her accolades, Jayanthi had won several awards, including seven Karnataka State Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards (South).
