Sheela

Srividya : Biography

Srividya was a leading South Indian Film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, in addition to being a good singer. In the latter part of her career, she concentrated on malayalam films. Her brilliant portrayals as a mother in many films were highly acclaimed. Srividya's personal life was full of tragedies. She fought against all odds with dedication in her work till she died of breast cancer.

Srividya was born on 24 July 1953 at Madras, Tamil Nadu, India to Tamil film comedian Krishnamurthy and Carnatic classical singer M. L. Vasanthakumari. She had a brother, Sankararaman. Her father had to stop acting in the year she was born because of a disease which affected his facial muscles..Her family fell into financial crisis. Her mother worked long hours to meet the family's financial needs. Srividya once reportedly said that her mother didn't even have time to breastfeed her. Srividya debuted in acting very early in age. When her parent's marriage faced problems due to financial difficulties , Srividya's youth was blighted. She got a marriage proposal from a scientist based in the USA, but the marriage did not materialize due to financial problems faced by her family.

Srividya: Career

Srividya launched her career in Malayalam films with a dance scene in Kumarasambhavam , directed by P. Subramanyan. She played a heroine in the film Chattambikkavala opposite Sathyan. She gained public attention in Chenda, directed by Vincent.
In mid-1970s she became busy in the Tamil film industry. She acted in films such as Sollathan Ninakkiren and Apoorva Raagangal, both directed by K. Balachander. The film Apoorva Raagangal(1975), in which she acted opposite the then-rising stars and now superstars of Tamil films, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, virtually changed her life. In the film she acted as the wife of Rajinikanth and as the lover of Kamal Haasan. She fell in love with Kamal Haasan during the making of the film. They had the support of their families, but they broke up. Later she fell in love with George Thomas, an assistant director in her Malayalam film Teekkanal. She married him on 1978 January 9, despite opposition from her family. As George wished, she was baptised before the marriage. She wanted to stay as a housewife, but had to return to acting, when George forced her to, citing financial issues. She soon realised that she made a wrong decision in marrying him. Her family life became miserable and the marriage ended in divorce. It was followed by a prolonged legal battle to settle financial issues between the two. The case went up to the Supreme Court of India, where she won the final decision. After the divorce, she left Chennai and settled in Trivandrum.
Srividya was a good singer as well. She first sang for films in the Malayalam film Ayalathe Sundari. She later sang in several films, such as Oru Painkilikkadha and Nakshathra tharattu. She was an expert classical vocalist as well. She used to sing in functions such as the Soorya Festival.