K. L. V. Vasantha

K. L. V. Vasantha
Born 1923
Kundrathur, Ramanathapuram district, Tamilnadu
Died 2008
Chennai, Tamilnadu
Occupation actress, dancer

K. L. V. Vasantha (1923-2008) was an Indian actress, singer and dancer who worked mainly in Tamil language films.[1]

Biography

Vasantha was born in 1923 in Kundrathur, then based in Ramanathapuram district. As a young girl, she was actively involved in singing and dancing. According to actress S. D. Subbulakshmi, Vasantha played in a minor, uncredited role in Pavalakkodi (1934). After becoming a teenager, she appeared in B. N. Rao's Rambaiyin Kaathal (1939), a box-office success that catapulted Vasantha into stardom. Rao later cast her in Bhooloka Ramba (1940), also a hit.[1]

When Gemini Studios opened in 1941, Vasantha portrayed the lead female character in its debut production Madanakamarajan, financed by Gemini founder S. S. Vasan. The success of this film further enhanced Vasantha's reputation. When Vasan planned Chandralekha in 1943, he announced that Vasantha would star as the lead female, but she was eventually replaced by T. R. Rajakumari. Vasantha shifted to Salem where she joined T. R. Sundaram's Modern Theatres, and played the female lead in many of Sundaram's films such as Rajarajeswari (1944), Burma Rani (1945) and Sulochana (1947).[1] Vasantha eventually married Sundaram.[2]

Vasantha was already an accomplished dancer and singer, so she did both in most of her films. Her dance-drama sequence in ‘Madanakamarajan’ became notable. In 1946, she played the lead roles in two Modern Theatres films: the Wahab Kashmiri-directed Chitra which was not successful, and Subhadhra. After acting in a few more films, she returned to Chennai (then known as Madras) and lived there till her death in 2008.[1]

Partial filmography

Year Film
1939 Rambaiyin Kaathal
1941 Madanakamarajan
1944 Rajarajeswari
1945 Burma Rani
1947 Sulochana

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Guy, Randor (29 February 2008). "Remembering Vasantha". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "... And thus he made Chandralekha sixty years ago". Madras Musings. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
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