Tamil Nadu: Popular actor Chitra no more

CHENNAI: Popular yesteryear actor Chitra passed way following a cardiac arrest at her residence in Saligramam on Saturday. She was 56. She is survived by her husband Vijayaraghavan and daughter Mahalakshmi.
The actor began her career as a child artist, and featured in more than 200 films. Born in Kochi, she joined movies soon after completing her Class X. Her first film 'Apoorva Raagangal' (1975), though an accidental opportunity for her, had the likes Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and Srividya.
She performed characters that had depth and definition like the one in C Rudraiah's 'Aval Appadithaan'. Another poignant role she performed as an upcoming artist was in Kamal Haasan's 100th movie 'Raja Paarvai.' The movie, directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao saw Chitra play a blind girl who wishes to wed Kamal Haasan.
She acted in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada movies and was popular in the Tamil film industry in the 1990s. She moved to the Malayalam film industry after doing defining roles her. Her first Malayalam film was 'Attakalasam' in which she acted with Prem Nazir, Mohanlal and Lakshmi in 1983, and made her mark in the industry. A few of her famous movies in the language include 'Panchagni', 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' and 'Amaram'.In Kannada, she has acted in 'Sundara Swapnagalu' and 'Krishna Mechida Radhe'.
She later came to be known as 'Nallennai Chitra' in TN after an advertisement for an edibile oil company became popular. She stepped away from the arclights after marriage, but did roles in television serials until recently.