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Soundarya

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This article is about an Indian actress. For other uses, see Soundarya (disambiguation).

Soundarya
Soundarya in 2002
Born
Sowmya Sathyanarayana

18 July 1976
Mulabagilu, Kolar district, Karnataka, India
Died17 April 2004(2004-04-17) (aged 27)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Cause of deathAirplane crash
Years active1992–2004
WorksFull list

Sowmya Sathyanarayana (18 July 1976 – 17 April 2004), better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Telugu cinema.[1][2] She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema.[3] She also acted in a few Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam films. She has received three Nandi Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards South. In 2002, she received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film as a producer for the Kannada film Dweepa.

Soundarya established herself as the most popular Telugu actress of the 1990s and is best known for her performances in films such as Ammoru (1995), Pavitra Bandham (1996), Anthahpuram (1998), Raja (1999), Doni Saagali (1998), Dweepa (2002) and Apthamitra (2004).[2] She won three Nandi Awards for Pavitra Bandham and Special Jury Prize for Ammoru and Anthahpuram.

Personal life

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Soundarya was born in Mulabagilu, Kolar district and brought up in Bengaluru, Karnataka.[4] Her parents are K. S. Sathyanarayana and Manjula.[5][6] Her father was a Kannada film writer and producer. She discontinued her Intermediate after her first year in Bangalore.[7] Soundarya's birthdate has been reported inconsistently by the media. While some sources indicate the birthdate as 18 July 1972,[8][6][9] others stated it to be 18 July 1976.[10][11] On 27 April 2003, she married G. S. Raghu, a software engineer by profession.[12][13][14]

Career

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Main article: Soundarya Filmography

Soundarya's first film was the Kannada film Baa Nanna Preethisu, directed by S. Siddalingaiah, released in April 1992, immediately followed by Gandharva in July 1992 which was a hit. She did lead roles in Kannada and went on to become a popular actress.[15] Her first film in Telugu was Manavarali Pelli (1993).[16]

In Tamil, she got major acclaim for her debut film Ponnumani (1993), opposite Karthik and Sivakumar for playing the role of a mentally disabled person.

Real commercial recognition came to her with Hello Brother (1994), directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana, in which she starred alongside Nagarjuna and Ramya Krishna.[17] She has also collaborated with actor Karthik for Muthu Kaalai (1995). She played an award-winning role in Ammoru (1995), directed by Kodi Ramakrishna, starring alongside Ramya Krishna and Suresh and played the role of Bhavani, a devotee of Goddess Ammoru. She had eleven releases in 1995.[15]

She continued her successful run with Amma Donga (1995), Sipayi (1996), Pavitra Bandham (1996), Maa Aayana Bangaram (1997), Dongaata (1997), Aaro Pranam (1997) and Osi Na Maradala (1997). She also starred alongside Superstar Rajinikanth in Arunachalam (1997), which became the highest-grossing film of 1997 in Tamil cinema. The industry regarded her to be the golden hand, as a former director's daughter, she always regarded the success not as a one-man show, but teamwork across 36 departments.[15]

In 1998, Doni Saagali in Kannada were commercially successful. In Tamil, she also starred alongside Kamal Haasan and Prabhudeva in Kaathala Kaathala directed by Singeetam Srinivas Rao. Choodalani Vundi opposite Chiranjeevi took her to the pinnacle. Anthahpuram, directed by Krishna Vamsi, stood as one of the finest performances of Soundarya in her career, winning her a State Nandi Award for Best Actress and also her second consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

The romantic drama Raja (1999), opposite Venkatesh, was another blockbuster and won her a third Filmfare Award. Her other releases, Padayappa (1999) opposite Rajinikanth. She starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi movie Sooryavansham.[15] Premaku Velayera (1999), Premaku Swagatam (2002) with J. D. Chakravarthy further solidified her position.

She starred in Annayya (2000), opposite Chiranjeevi, Ninne Premistha (2000) and Azad (2000), opposite Nagarjuna, Jayam Manadera (2000) and Devi Putrudu (2001) opposite Venkatesh, and several others that displayed her acting abilities and Sri Manjunatha (2001) opposite Arjun Sarja.[15] She shared screen space with actor Vijayakanth for Thavasi (2001) and Chokka Thangam (2003).[15]

In 2002, she received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film (producer) for Dweepa. She has acted in the Malayalam comedy film Yathrakarude Sradhakku (2002) with Jayaram and Kilichundan Mampazham (2003), with Mohanlal and Sreenivasan.

In 2004, Balakrishna announced the remake of Nartanasala, and a launch event was held in Hyderabad. Soundarya was signed to play Draupadi[18] but the film was shelved following her death. However the first 17 minutes are available to stream online.[19]

Her last film was Apthamitra, a runaway hit starring Vishnuvardhan and Ramesh Arvind. The film won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada posthumously in 2004.

She worked with almost all the top directors, like Dasari Narayana Rao, K. Raghavendra Rao, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, A. Kodandarami Reddy, Priyadarshan, Girish Kasaravalli, S. V. Krishna Reddy, K. S. Ravikumar, Krishna Vamsi, Kodi Ramakrishna, E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Muthyala Subbaiah, Gunasekhar, P. Vasu, Muppalaneni Shiva, Bharathi Kannan, Sundar C.

Death

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On 17 April 2004, Soundarya died in an aircraft crash along with her brother Amarnath in Bengaluru.[20]

The aircraft, a Cessna 180, took off at 11:05 a.m. and turned west before crashing on the campus of the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the University of Agricultural Sciences. It had reached a height of 150 feet (46 m) and, before achieving required rate of climb speed, took a steep left turn leading to a stall. It crashed into the ground nose down and burst into flames. B. N. Ganapathi, one of the two persons working on the experimental fields of the university, who rushed to the aircraft to save the occupants, said the plane wobbled before the crash.[21]

Legacy

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Soundarya is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema.[3] She was known as a versatile actress, who played distinctive roles. Critics noted that she had a fine sense of characterisation. Due to this ability, Soundarya struck a chord with the Telugu audience despite being from Karnataka.[22] Ammoru, Pavithra Bandham, Doni Saagali, Raja, Sooryavansham, and Dweepa are her best known films that saw her playing strong female characters.[23]

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Film Result Ref.
1995 Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu Ammoru Won [24]
Nandi Awards Special Jury Award Won
1996 Best Actress Pavithra Bandham Won [25]
1998 Karnataka State Film Awards Best Actress Doni Saagali Won [26]
Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu Anthapuram Won [27]
Nandi Awards Special Jury Award Won [25]
1999 Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu Raja Won [28]
2001 Best Actress - Tamil Thavasi Nominated
2002 Best Supporting Actress - Tamil Ivan Nominated
2003 National Film Awards Best Feature Film Dweepa Won [29]
Karnataka State Film Awards Best Actress Won [30]
Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Kannada Won [31]
Best Film – Kannada Won
2004 Best Actress – Kannada Apthamitra (Posthumously awarded) Won [32]

References

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  1. ^ "Actress Soundarya had said that it would be her last film: Udaykumar's revelation".
  2. ^ a b Pandya, Haresh (10 May 2004). "Soundarya". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  3. ^ a b "South superstar Soundarya's birth anniversary: Here are her top movies". CNBC TV 18. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  4. ^ Soundarya Last Interview in the Telugu. V Channel. Event occurs at 42s. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ Manjula (13 October 2020). "Pelli Choopulu Producer To Bankroll Soundarya Biopic?". The Hans India. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b Pandya, Haresh (10 May 2003). "Obituary: Soundarya". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Soundarya's 44th Birth Anniversary: Remembering the evergreen actress of Telugu cinema". The Times of India. 18 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Soundarya's death leaves a void". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  9. ^ IANS (4 December 2013). "Many an actor has died in an accident". Business Standard India. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Soundarya's 44th Birth Anniversary: Remembering the evergreen actress of Telugu cinema". The Times of India. 18 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Public figures lost in their prime". Rediff. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ B. R., Srikanth (17 April 2004). "Star-crossed on campaign trail". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  13. ^ "8 years after star's death, family fight over will gets ugly". Bangalore Mirror. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Soundarya Profile Biography Biodata Family Photos.html". Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Kumar, Ch Sushil (28 March 1998). "Child, woman, star". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  16. ^ Rakesh (17 April 2022). "Remembering The Modern 'SAVITRI' of Telugu Cinema". Cine Chit Chat. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Soundarya's Hello Brother film". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  18. ^ "PressReader - Deccan Chronicle: 2012-10-24 - Balakrishna hasn't found Draupadi". Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018 – via PressReader.
  19. ^ Native, Digital (20 October 2020). "17 mins of Balakrishna and Soundarya's shelved 2004 film 'Narthanasala' to stream online". The News Minute. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  20. ^ Press Trust of India (17 April 2004). "Soundarya killed in plane crash. its a tragedy". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  21. ^ "Indian actress dies in air crash". BBC News. 28 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Sooryavansham Lead Superstar Soundarya's Unknown Facts". News18 India. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Soundarya's 44th Birth Anniversary: Remembering The Evergreen Actress Of Telugu Cinema". Times of India. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Filmfare Awards". Archived from the original on 10 October 1999.
  25. ^ a b "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964 - 2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964 - 2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh (in Telugu). 13 March 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  26. ^ "A star's bright career crashes". Deccan Herald. 18 April 2004. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  27. ^ Filmfare magazine. Filmfare. 1999. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Rahman bags 12th Filmfare award". Pvv.ntnu.no. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  29. ^ "49th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. pp. 18–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  30. ^ "Film-makers told to focus on issues affecting society" (PDF). Deccan Herald. 20 January 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012.
  31. ^ "Manikchand Filmfare Awards: Sizzling at 50". BSNL. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  32. ^ "'Aptha' sweeps Filmfare awards!". Viggy. 13 March 2011.
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