Savitri (actress)

Savitri Ganesan
Born
Savitri

(1934-12-06)6 December 1934
Chiravuru, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died26 December 1981(1981-12-26) (aged 47)
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesMahanati Savitri
Nadigaiyar Thilagam
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, director
Years active1951–1981
Spouse
​
(m. 1952)​
Children2
AwardsKalaimamani

Savitri Ganesan (née, Nissankara; 6 December 1934 – 26 December 1981) was an Indian actress, singer, and filmmaker known for her works primarily in Telugu and Tamil films. Known as Nadigaiyar Thilagam (Doyen of all the actresses) & Mahanati (The great actress), Savitri was one of the highest-paid and most popular Indian actresses in the 1950s and '60s. She was one of the most accomplished and respected actresses of all time in South India.[1]

In a career spanning three decades, Savitri starred in more than 250 films. Her first significant role was in the 1952 film Pelli Chesi Choodu. Later, she starred in successful and award winning films such as Devadasu (1953),[2][3][4] Donga Ramudu (1955), Mayabazar (1957), and Nartanasala (1963), featured at the Afro-Asian Film Festival in Jakarta.[5] She also starred in works such as Missamma (1955), Ardhangi (1955), Thodi Kodallu (1957), Mangalya Balam (1959), Aradhana (1962), Gundamma Katha (1962), Doctor Chakravarty (1964), Sumangali (1965), and Devata (1965).[6]

Savitri was also noted for her kindness, charity, and generosity towards the poor. She received "A Moon Among Stars" honor at the 30th International Film Festival of India, "Woman in Cinema" section in 1999.[7] The 2018 biographical film Mahanati based on the life of Savitri won the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.[8]

  1. ^ Kalyanam, Rajeshwari (22 December 2013). "Drama In Real Life". The Hans India. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  2. ^ "::Directorate Of Film Festivals::". Archived from the original on 28 May 2015.
  3. ^ "4th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  4. ^ "33rd International Film Festival of India" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  5. ^ 100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 land mark Indian films of all time|Movies News Photos-IBNLive
  6. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). Iffi.nic.in. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  7. ^ Devipriya (January 1999). "Savitri: A Moon Among Stars" (PDF). 30th International Film Festival of India '99. Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 150. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Mahanati: 100 glorious days of an undisputed classic!". in.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018.