Veteran theatre artiste and Kalaimamani awardee T.N. Mangalam passed away after a brief illness in the city on Monday evening. She was 72 and is survived by her husband and two sons.
Starting off as a child actor in stage plays in her native village of Meensurutti at the age of 11, Ms. Mangalam made her career in Tiruchi as a theatrical performer and behind-the-scenes worker in productions for several decades.
Besides performing in over 7,000 plays, she also worked as a voice-over artiste and in her later years as a make-up expert for Bharatanatyam dance programmes.
Ms. Mangalam was conferred the State’s Kalaimamani award in recognition of her contribution to the performing arts in February this year. A lifetime member of South Indian Artistes’ Association, she also performed supporting roles in two Tamil films.
