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
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]
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 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]
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
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]
^"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.
