Pandari Bai

Pandari Bai (Kannada: ಪಂಡರೀ ಬಾಯಿ; 18 September 1928 – 29 January 2003) was a prominent actress of South Indian languages films mostly in Kannada and Tamil during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. She is considered Kannada cinema's first heroine. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Rajkumar and Sivaji Ganesan. She was the heroine in Rajkumar's debut movie Bedara Kannappa and also Sivaji's debut movie Parasakthi. She has acted in over 1,000 films in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.

Early life and education

Born in Bhatkal, Karnataka, in present Uttara Kannada in a Marathi speaking family. Her father was a drawing master and a Harikatha exponent, and also a stage actor. He taught her the art of Harikatha, thus even before she was ten years old, Pandari started giving Harikatha performances.

Career

Pandaribai began her career in acting in plays based on mythological stories before making her film debut in 1943 with the Kannada language film, Vani. She shot to fame after appearing in the hugely successful 1954 Kannada film Bedara Kannappa opposite another future star Rajkumar. In the film, she played the role of Neela, wife of Kanna (played by Rajkumar), a hunter. She established herself as a lead actress portraying a woman with a 'progressive' image assuming the burdens of a feudal patriarchy in films such as Sant Sakhu (1955) and Rayara Sose (1957). In 1959, she appeared in Abba Aa Hudugi, with her sister Mynavathi. The film is considered a landmark in Kannada cinema.