Krishna Kumari: An actress of mettle

She possessed a simplicity that represented the women of her times, oozing a mix of cinematic and natural charm, gave measured performances in an era when being melodramatic was the order of the day. Krishna Kumari, who passed away on Wednesday, had a lot in her kitty to command an exclusive space in Telugu cinema.

As an actress, she didn't take long to come out of her sister's (‘Sowkar’ Janaki) shadow, often knew her strengths and limitations which helped her career progress at a good pace.

Besides social dramas, her sharp and chiselled features made her an instant favourite for devotional dramas and folklore. That he she had begun her career with a film in a similar space-Navvite Navaratnalu helped her gain that image and it was no wonder that her worthy acting prowess was often overshadowed by her beauty.

Aware actor

Perfectly secure, she knew her space amid the illustrious company of Savitri, Jamuna, Saroja Devi. Like her counterpart Jamuna, she avoided character roles or the elderly parts for long and made her comeback after marriage with Manavudu Danuvudu; but her last film being K Raghavendra Rao’s Jyothi (1976) explains the distance she maintained from cinema ever since.

Telugu cinema remained her focus though she went on to act in Tamil and Kannada films with popular actors including Sivaji Ganesan and Rajkumar. She worked three shifts a day for nearly three decades acting in 200 films. Krishna Kumari had mentioned Gudi Gantalu, Vagdhanam, Punarjanma and Kulagothralu as her favourite films to many. ANR had labelled her a ‘director's heroine’ in many an interview.

Interestingly, her meteoric rise in Telugu films also coincided with the unofficial boycott of actress Jamuna from NTR and ANR’s films for a few years.

Savitri was no doubt in her prime then, but Krishna Kumari was a talent not many could ignore. This is the time she was seen in some of her most memorable films to date — Bandipotu, Vagdhanam, Bharya Bhartalu, Chikkadu Dorakadu and Pelli Kanuka to name a few.

Despite starring in several hit films with ANR, she was best known for her on-screen pairing with NTR, with whom she did 25 films. Some of her career best hits like Apta Mitrulu, Devantakudu (later modernised as Yama Gola), Lakshadhikaari came with him. She was equally sought after for her films with Kantha Rao. Vithalacharya considered her a favourite in his pet genre — foklore.

Many roles

In her social films, she played a woman who reflected a contemporary outlook and stood by her ideals — Chadvukunna Ammayilu and Doctor Chakravarthy to name a few. This doesn’t discredit her success in playing the damsel-in-distress parts to good effect too. In characters that came with certain sancticity, it was easy to identify her with the parts in Sri Tirupathamma Katha, Vinayaka Chaviti and Yashodha Krishna.Her successful outings in the South gave her a break in Hindi with Kabhi Andhera Kabhi Ujala, a newspaper in the North had addressed her as ‘one of the most beautiful girls the salubrious South has thrown up so far’.

Friends and family

Bhanumati was an actress she looked upto and went onto share screen space in Antasthulu as well sparking off a friendship that lasted till the former’s death. Actress Nutan who she had met on the film sets of the Hindi project also lent her voice to Krishna Kumari for the film Chilaka Gorinka. Many also remember Krishna Kumari for the reason that a young Jayalalithaa had made her rangapravesham at her house warming ceremony. Her sister Sowkar Janaki had often admired her for her loyalty to the family. She was remembered by her co-stars for the dishes she cooked — kheema and fish being the most popular. As she reaches the stars, she is assured to find fitting company.