Who was Soundarya, the Sooryavansham and Arunachalam star, killed in a plane crash, now back in news over speculation about her death?

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Meanwhile, her foray into Tamil cinema further propelled her career, bringing her widespread recognition. With consecutive hits such as Rajinikanth’s Arunachalam and Padayappa, as well as Kamal Haasan’s Kaathala Kaathala, she solidified her position in the industry. In 1999, she made her Bollywood debut too, in EVV Satyanarayana’s cult classic family drama Sooryavansham, opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Although the film flopped, her performance received much acclaim.

Soundarya with Rajinikanth in Padayappa. (Express archive photo)

At the peak of her career, Soundarya expanded into film production, bankrolling legendary director Girish Kasaravalli’s Dweepa (2002), in which she also played the lead role. The film opened to critical acclaim and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, adding another feather to her cap. That same year, she forayed into Malayalam cinema, where, despite appearing in only two films — Yathrakarude Sradhakku and Kilichundan Mampazham — she left a lasting impact with her performances.

Her final film appearances were in the Telugu action drama Siva Shankar, where she starred alongside Mohan Babu, and the Kannada psychological horror Apthamitra, featuring Vishnuvardhan in the lead — both released posthumously.

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Soundarya with Amitabh Bachchan in Sooryavansham. (Express archive photo)

How Soundarya died

In her later years, Soundarya became involved in politics and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On April 17, 2004, she and her brother Amarnath, along with two others, were killed when their aircraft, en route to a BJP campaign event in Karimnagar (then part of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh), crashed and exploded in flames within three minutes of takeoff. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition. BJP worker Ramesh Kadam and pilot Capt. Joy Philips also lost their lives in the incident, according to a PTI report.

Two decades later, a police complaint was reportedly filed, alleging that her death was not an accident but a murder linked to a property dispute with actor Mohan Babu. However, her widower GS Raghu dismissed the claims, stating that they never had any land transactions with Mohan Babu. He also emphasised that their family shares a “strong and good friendship” with the actor.