Kamala Kumari (6 January 1945 – 26 July 2021), known by her stage name Jayanthi, was an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada cinema and Tamil cinema.
Jayanthi was born in Bellary, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency of British India on 6 January 1945.
Her father Balasubramanyam worked as English professor at the St Joseph's College in Bangalore.
Her mother was Santhanalakshmi.
Jayanthi was the eldest of three siblings and had two younger brothers.
Her parents separated when she was young and her mother took the children and moved to Madras.
Jayanthi's mother was keen on making her daughter a classical dancer and hence she joined a dance school.
Her friend in dance school was the popular Tamil actress Manorama.
As a child, Jayanthi went to the studios to see her idol N. T. Rama Rao.
He called her and made her sit on his lap.
Affectionately, he had asked her whether she would agree to become his heroine and the little girl had merely blushed.
The pair would go on later in life to produce successful films such as Jagadeka Veeruni Katha, Kula Gowravam, Kondaveeti Simham and Justice Chowdhury.
Jayanthi was ridiculed most of the time as she was plump and could never dance well.
During her teens, she had the chance to act in a few Tamil and Telugu movies in bit parts.
Jayanthi was shattered after the episode, but promised herself that one day she would prove her worth.
Jayanthi's life changed when noted film director Y. R. Swamy spotted her during one of her dance rehearsals and cast her in his film Jenu Goodu after persuading her unrelenting mother who gave in after the former's third visit to her house.
He also gave her the stage name.
Jayanthi enjoyed a good run in the Kannada Film industry.
She has costarred in more than 40 movies with Rajkumar, the doyen of Kannada cinema.
Jenu Goodu, Jayanthi's first Kannada film was commercial success.
Her next Kannada film as heroine was T. V. Singh Thakur's Chandavalliya Thota, the first film that paired her with Rajkumar.
Based on T. R. Subba Rao's novel the film was a huge success and even won the President's Medal for Best Film in Kannada.
1960
She was noted for her contributions to different genres of films from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
She had appeared in over 500 films in various languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Marathi.
Jayanthi has been recipient of seven Karnataka State Film Awards, four times as Best Actress and twice as Best Supporting Actress, the President's Medal for Best Actress and two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
She has been cited as Kannada cinema's "most bold and beautiful" actress by various media outlets, a title for which she has received substantial publicity.
The Kannada film industry honored her with the title "Abhinaya Sharadhe", (Goddess Sharada in acting).
1962
Jayanthi featured in Tamil films from 1962 to 1979 as leading lady, frequently paired opposite Gemini Ganesan and Nagesh in Tamil.
In Tamil, she acted with all major stars including M.G. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan, Muthuraman and Jaishankar.
She acted with M. G. Ramachandran in Padagotti and Mugaraasi, with Gemini Ganesan in Kanna Nalama, Velli Vizha, Punnagai, Ganga Gowri and Iru Kodugal, with Jaishankar in Nil Gavani Kadhali and Kaadhal Paduthum Paadu and Ethir Neechal with Nagesh.
She was director K. Balachander's regular actress and they went on to work in films such as Iru Kodugal, Bama Vijayam, Ethir Neechal, Punnagai, Velli Vizha and Kanna Nalama.
She acted with Jayalalithaa and Manorama in the film Mugaraasi.
The song Aadhi Naadan Ketkindraan picturised on her sung by TMS-Janaki was very popular.
1965
The next major film that Jayanthi starred in was the 1965 Miss Leelavathi directed by M. R. Vittal in which she played the title role.
Considered a film with a "bold theme" in what was seen as the conservative cinema at the time, the film dealt with the influence of parental differences and of a lead heroine who grows up to be a rebel and stands up against convention, refusing marriage, opting to be career-oriented women and with a carefree attitude towards premarital sex.
Jayanthi was launched as the glamour-diva in the film, a first for a Kannada film, wearing skirts, T-shirts and nighties.
The film was a huge success and catapulted Jayanthi to fame.
She is credited with being the first Kannada actress to wear a swimsuit on screen, which the producers' first choice for the role had refused to do.
The film won Jayanthi the President's award.
Jayanthi recalled the occasion in one of her interviews when she received the award from Indira Gandhi (then the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), who, after giving away the award called back Jayanthi and gave her a kiss and wished her good luck.
