Cinema fans were awakened this morning to the terrible news of Veteran actress Jayanthi’s passing away. The actress was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru on 7th July after complaining of breathing difficulties. Her son, Krishna Kumar confirmed the news of her death stating that she was recovering from a long illness, but eventually breathed her last in her sleep.
The legendary actress is known for her contribution to the southern film industry from the 1960s to early 1980s. Having acted in over 500 movies across 6 languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Marathi, she shared the screen with legendary actors such as Gemini Ganesan and MG Ramachandran (MGR). Jayanthi has acted in more than 45 films with Kannada industry stalwart Dr Raj Kumar.
Sending his condolences, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the news about the demise of renowned veteran artist, Jayanthi. 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.”
She was launched as a glamour diva in Kannada cinema and is credited to be the first Kannada actress to wear a swimsuit on screen. In 1965, Jayanthi headlined the film Miss Leelavathi, that was considered a ‘Bold’ movie in what was a more conservative cinematic period. The film dealt about the influence of parental differences and of a young girl who grows up to be a rebel, standing up against convention, opting to be career-oriented women, refusing to marry and more importantly, with a care-free attitude towards premarital sex.
Called ‘Abhinaya Sharadhe’ (Goddess Sharadhe in acting), she has won six State Film awards, the President’s Medal for Best Actress and two Filmfare awards amongst others. Her biggest Sandalwood hits include Yeradu Mukha (1969), Kasturi Nivasa (1971), Manassinanthe Mangalya (1976), Dharma Daari Tappitu (1981), Masanada Hoovu (1985) and Anand (1986).
She has given us many Tamil hits such as ‘Padagoti’, ‘Mugaraasi’, ‘Kanna Nalama’, ‘Punnagai’, ‘Velli Vizha’ and ‘Iru Kodugal’. Her Bollywood filmography includes ‘Lal Bangla’ (1966), ‘Teen Bahuraniyan’ (1968), ‘Tumse Achha Kaun Hai’ (1969) and Gunda (1970)