Hema Chowdari | |
|---|---|
| Born | Durga Prabha Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and classical dancer |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Mother | Brindavanam Chowdari |
Durga Prabha, known by her stage name, Hema Chowdari is an Indian actress who has predominantly acted in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Starting her career as a lead actress in the Telugu film Pelli Kani Pelli in 1976, she switched over to supporting roles in the 1980s.
She is best remembered for her negative roles in Kannada films like Vijaya Vani, Shubhashaya, Deepa, Gaali Maathu and Nee Bareda Kadambari. Among her Tamil films, the K. Balachander directed Manmatha Leelai (1976) opposite Kamal Haasan is the most notable.[1] Having acted in over 180 films, Hema is considered one of the most popular character artistes in South Indian cinema.
Apart from acting, Hema Choudhary is an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer and has performed for over 700 shows all across the world with her guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. She wasa classmate of Rajanikanth in the acting school at Madras. She is a recipient of the Panorama Award for her dancing skills. She has also been chosen by the National Film Awards committee as the judging panel for three years.[2]