Actor Krishna Kumari passes away at 85

Known for her work in Telugu, Krishna Kumari was one of the busiest actors in the 60s.

Veteran yesteryear actor Krishna Kumari breathed her last due to health issues at her residence in Bangalore. She was 85 and is survived by her daughter. The actor was diagnosed with cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy for the past couple of years. Known for her work in Telugu, Krishna Kumari was one of the busiest actors in the 60s. She worked with several legends such as NT Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Krishnam Raju, Dr Rajkumar, Sivaji Ganesan, Kanta Rao and Jaggayya.

The younger sister of another popular yesteryear heroine, Sowkar Janaki, Krishna Kumari made her acting debut in 1951 with the Telugu movie Navvithe Navaratnalu. While she acted in a string of Tamil movies such as Thirumbi Paar (1953), Manithan (1953), Azhagi (1953), Pudhuyugam (1954), Viduthalai (1954) and Thuli Visham (1954), she later chose to focus on Telugu cinema.

She was known for her memorable performances with NT Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Telugu and with Dr. Rajkumar in Kannada. Some of her films in Telugu are still considered to be classics such as Bharya Bhartalu (1961), Vagdanam (1961), Kulagothralu (1962), Gudi Gantalu (1964). Krishna Kumari is also famous for her mythological portrayals with Kanta Rao. She is also the recipient of the President’s award for her work. It is also said that the first dance recital of late chief minister and actor J Jayalalithaa was allegedly hosted at Krishna Kumari’s residence. Kumari had quit acting after her marriage.