Jayasudha

Jayasudha was born as Sujatha in a Telugu family in Madras on 17 December 1958.[4] Her aunt is the Telugu film actress and director Vijaya Nirmala. Jayasudha made her film debut when she was thirteen years old as Jamuna's daughter in the Telugu film Pandanti Kapuram (1972). Director K. Balachander gave her a small role in the Tamil film Arangetram, where she shared space with Kamal Haasan. She acted in a number of films in Telugu and Tamil, mostly under Balachander's direction; Sollathaan Ninaikkiren (1973), Naan Avanillai (1974) and Apoorva Raagangal and in Idi Katha Kaadu with Chiranjeevi. She also changed her name to Jayasudha, since there was already another actress named Sujatha. Her fame quickly spread, where Telugu film producers were offering her good film roles.

While her debut role as heroine in the Telugu film Lakshmana Rekha (1975) got her attention, it was really the title role in Jyothi (remake of the Hindi film Mili, starring Jaya Bhaduri) that made her a big star in Telugu films. She was now called a successor to the great Telugu actress Savitri and performed many strong roles and showed excellent range.[5] She is given the title "Sahaja Nati" which means "natural/realistic actress."

Her roles varied from the cute looking teeny-bopper who wore minis in Nomu (1974), to that of a tortured wife of a sadist husband in K. Balachander's film Idi Katha Kaadu (1979), to that of a comedian who discovers that her husband wants to murder her for her wealth in Money (1993). She performed showy roles in Telugu remakes of Hindi films, such as Yugandhar (1979) (the fighter role that Zeenat Aman originated in Don) and Illalu (1981 film) (Reena Roy's dark-shaded role from Apnapan (1977)).

In commercial cinema, she received a huge break when she starred in Adavi Ramudu (1977), which broke box office records.[6] She also showed innovation and lack of vanity in original Telugu films like Premabhishekam (1981), where she played a supporting role as a deglamourised prostitute, while Sridevi played the female lead.[7]

She has acted in 325 films, and in one year, she had 24 film releases. She accomplished all this, despite her illiteracy in Telugu, by having people read lines to her and she would remember and deliver her lines.[5] Noted filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao repeatedly cast her in his films. In the film Idekkadi Nyayam (1977), he used her name in the song "Andalanni Neelone Dagunnayi...Jayasudha," that was picturised on her. By 1982, she became such a famous actress that Dasari titled a film that she starred in, Jayasudha (1982), after her. Her fame also allowed producers to cast her sister Subhashini in supporting roles in some of the films that she starred in, such as Sivaranjani (1978 film) (1978), Doctor Cine-actor and Meghasandesam (1983).

Jayasudha is a granddaughter of eminent scholar and literary historian, Nidudavolu Venkatarao and Gidugu Krishna Murthy. She was initially married to famous cinema producer Vadde Ramesh's brother-in-law, Rajendra Prasad, in Vijayawada. However, the marriage ended in divorce.[8] Subsequently, she married producer Nitin Kapoor, cousin to actor Jeetendra, in 1985 and had two children, sons Nihar and Shreayan.

She has friends in the industry, such as Raadhika and Jayaprada, with whom she had acted in a number of films such as Adavi Ramudu and Meghasandesam.[9][10] She converted to Christianity in 2001 and was elected as MLA for Congress from the Secunderabad constituency in 2009 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections [11] but lost the election and was placed 3rd in the 2014 Telangana assembly elections.

Her husband Nitin Kapoor committed suicide by jumping from the top of a building on March 14, 2017.[12] It was stated that he was under depression since many years, but the actual reason for his suicide is not known.[13]

Filmfare Awards South

• Best Actress - Telugu – Jyothi (1976)
• Best Actress - Telugu – Aame Katha (1977)
• Best Actress - Telugu – Gruhapravesam (1982)
• Special Jury Award - Premabhishekam (1981)
• Best Supporting Actress - Telugu – Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi (2003)
• Best Supporting Actress - Telugu – Kotha Bangaru Lokam (2008)
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award - South - 2010[14][15]

Andra Pradesh State Nandi Awards[16]

• Best Actress – Idi Katha Kaadu (1979)
• Best Actress – Premabhishekam (1981)
• Best Actress – Meghasandesam (1982)
• Best Actress – Dharmaatmudu (1983)
• Best Supporting Actress – Swathi Chinukulu (1989)
• Best Character Actress – Jailor Gaari Abbayi (1994)
• Best Character Actress – Yuvakudu (2000)
• Best Supporting Actress – Sathamanam Bhavati (2016)

Other Awards

• Kalasagar Award for Best Actress – Meghasandesam (1982)
• Best Supporting Actress Award – Yevadu (2014) at 13th Santosham Film Awards
• Pride of Indian Cinema Award (2007)[17]
• Andhra Pradesh Cinegoer's Association – Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
• ANR National Award (2008)[18]

• Jayasudha at IMDb
• ^[Usurped!]