Padmini Ramchandran
Padmini Ramchandran ( popularly known as Padmini) was a super fine , highly talented and very famous actress of indian cinema from 1947 to 1994 who mainly did films in south indian laguages but also acted in about 35+ hindi films .
Padmini was born on 12.6.1932 in Trivandrum in the princely state of Travancore ( now known as Kerala) to Malayali hindu parents – Sree Thankappan Pillai and Saraswathi Amma.
Padmini had started learning classical dance at the age of four and entered the film industry in 1949 at the age of 16 by acting in Hindi film Kalpana . She thereafter continued to act in hindi, teleguu and Malayalam films for nearly 55 years in two phases .
Padmini starred with several of the most then well-known actors in Indian film, including Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, N. T. Rama Rao, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Rajkumar, Gemini Ganesan amongst others .
She acted in three famous films opposite Raj Kapoor namely Mera Naam Joker (1970) which was Rishi Kapoor’s debut film,Aashiq (1962) and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960) . Her performance in film Jis desh mein ganga beheti hai जिस देश में गंगा बहती है , as Kammo कम्मो ( daughter of the sardar of the dacoits ) was most memorable and shook the hearts of millions and millions of viewers.
The famous songs of the film ‘ Ho Maine Pyar Kiya हो मैंने प्यार किया , Hum Bhi Hain, Tum Bhi Ho हम भी हैं तुम भी हो , O Basanti, Pawan Pagal ओ बसन्ती पवन पागल were picturised on Padmini and for her performance she was nominated for award as the best actress of 1960 . The film also got the Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in hindi .
Her other hindi films include Amardeep (1958), Payal (1957), Afsana (1966), Vaasna (1968), Chanda Aur Bijli (1969) and Mahabharat (1965).
Padmini was showered with accolades for her performance in the Hindi film Chanda Aur Bijli with the late actor Sanjeev Kumar.
Padmini in her illustrated filmy career worked in 226 films of which 142 were in Tamil, 37 in Hindi, 28 in Malayalam, 15 in Telugu, 2 in Sinhala and one each in Russian & French languages respectively.
She was Nicknamed Natiyaperoli (meaning a great light of dance) as she was a brilliant dancer and at the same time would completely involve herself in the characters she enacted in the films .
Padmini in 1961 married shri Ramachandran, a US – based physician. A few years later she retired from films in her first stint and joined her husband in the United States, and focused on family life.
In 1977 Padmini opened a classical dance school in New Jersey,USA under the name of Padmini School of Fine Arts , which is the largest Indian classical dance institution in America.
But later in life she made a comeback with Malayalam films Kannumatti , Nokkethahtadoortahtu and Vashthuhara, which made her immensely popular among new generation film audiences.
She was disciple of eminent choreographer Guru Gopinanth and hailed from an illustrious family of artists. Besides her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, her cousins Sukumari and Ambika were also popular in South Indian film world .
During the Indo-China War in 1962, Padmini went to army camps and entertained soldiers with her dance-drama performance.
She won several awards for her superb artistry and as under :
1.Film Fans Association Award for Best Actress for the four years 1954 , 1959 , 1961 and 1966
2.The “Best Classical Dancer Award” from Moscow Youth Festival-1957
3.1Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kaajal- year 1966
4.Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress -year 1970
5. Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South ( year 1990)
Padmini died of a heart attack at the Chennai Apollo Hospital on 24 September 2006, aged 74 . She was survived by a son, Prem Ramachandran, who worked with Warner Brothers, United States.
She will be remembered for long long time for her great film performances and brilliant dances .
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Five stars
