Jamuna, a top actor from the Telugu film industry’s golden era, died. She was 86. She had been battl ing illness for many years. She breathed her last on Friday in her Hyderabad home.
She made her first appearance on screen in the 1952 film “Puttillu.” She was born on August 30, 1936, in Hampi but grew up Duggirala in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. Jana Bai was Jamuna’s birth name. Jamuna’s acting reputation began to grow with the release of her debut film.
First came her success with the 1955 film “Donga Ramudu,” starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and then came the iconic blockbuster “Missamma” (1955).
She rose to fame after starring in a string of hit movies beginning with 1956’s “Tenali Ramakrishna” and continuing through 1959’s “Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu” and “Illarikam”. She, along with Savitri, dominated the business at the time. She had a successful pairing with NTR and ANR, who were at the time top stars in Telugu cinema.
Several films released between 1962 and 1965, including Gulebakavali Katha, Gundamma Katha, Pooja Phalam, Mooga Manasulu, Muralikrishna, Ramudu Bheemudu, and Sri Krishna Tulabharam, contributed to her rising star status.
Later, she helped launch the careers of several up-and-coming actors, including Haranath (“Leta Manusulu”), Sobhan Babu (“Tahsildar Gari Ammayi”), and Krishnam Raju.
She appeared in roughly 190 Telugu films. She has appeared in over a dozen Hindi films as an actress. With the Hindi version of Mooga Manasulu, she was able to win a Filmfare award for her performance.
Jamuna lived life on her own terms. She was a formidable performer who had a firm stance on issues and dared to take on the industry’s most acclaimed men. In the 1980s, Jamuna became a member of the Congress party, and in 1989, was elected to represent the Rajahmundry constituency in the Lok Sabha.
This post was last modified on January 27, 2023 10:16 am