'Doctor Krishna' to 'Santha Thukaram': Kannada actor Leelavathi's memorable films
Veteran Kannada film actor Leelavathi passed away on Friday in a private hospital in Bengaluru's Nelamangala, reportedly due to age-related ailments. She was 85. Her unparalleled career stretched over five decades, and she is credited with starring in over 600 films, including several Telugu and Tamil projects. In her remembrance, here are a few projects that shine a spotlight on Leelavathi's incredible talent.
'Santha Thukaram' (1963)
Santha Thukaram, based on the life of Marathi saint and poet Tukaram, was the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 11th National Film Awards. Also starring legendary Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar, KS Ashwath, and Pandari Bai, it was helmed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and written by Chitnahalli Udayashankar. You can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
'Maduve Madi Nodu' (1965)
Maduve Madi Nodu is fronted by an ensemble comprising Dr. Rajkumar, Leelavathi, Narasimharaju, HR Shastry, Satyam, and HR Shastry, among others. Notably, it received the Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 13th National Film Awards. It is a remake of the 1952 Telugu film Pelli Chesi Choodu and was directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy (Shiva Kotta Sowbhagya).
'Katha Sangama' (1976)
Leelavathi collaborated with Rajinikanth for SR Puttanna Kanagal's Katha Sangama, an anthology film based on three stories: Hangu by Giraddi Govindaraj, Athithi by Veena, and Munithaayi by Eshwara Chandra. In 2019, Rishab Shetty co-produced and acted in another namesake film that followed the same format as a tribute to Kanagal. The 1976 multistarer can be watched on Amazon Prime Video.
'Doctor Krishna' (1989)
Doctor Krishna won Leelavathi the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Vishnuvardhan, Suman Ranganathan, Tara, Ramesh Bhat, and MV Vasudeva Rao starred in this Phani Ramachandra directorial. IMDb describes the plot as follows, "Doctor Krishna and Swathi, who are in love with each other, get married. However, their marital life is in trouble when Krishna's parents force him to marry another girl."
