Melody-filled screen presence

To yesteryear actor S. Varalakshmi, who passed away in 2009.

Multilingual SINGING STAR: S. Varalakshmi, in Navajeevanam (middle) and with V.N. Janaki in Aayiram Thalai Vaangi Ap rva !hinthamani. Saridey Varalakshmi (1927-2009) was a pop lar m ltilin! al sin!in! star who played a "ariety o# roles incl din! the #emale lead, "amp, later mother and a!!ressi"e mother-in-law in hit mo"ies in Tamil and Tel ! . She le#t an indeli$le #ootprint in the shi#tin! sands o# cinema thro !h her portrayal in mo"ies s ch as %&alara' (, %)alnati * ddham(, %+aya ,okam(, %,a"a - sa( (Tel ! ), %Se"a Sadanam(, %.ayiram Thalai"an!i .poor"a /hinthamani(, %0a"a'ee"anam(, %Veerapandiya -atta$omman(, %/hakra"arthi Thir ma!al(, %)anamaa )aasamaa.( 1er per#ormance in %)oo"a Thalaiya( (Tamil) is considered her $est. 1er #ame and name rippled o t thanks to her e2cellent "oice and actin! talent and her knowled!e o# /arnatic + sic, which she learnt as a yo n! !irl. Some o# her mo"ie son!s s ch as %-aadhal .a!inen( (%.poor"a /hinthamani() and %3maatram Thaana 3n Vaa4h"iley( (%/hakara"arthi Thir ma!al() were "ery pop lar. Varalakshmi also had a stint in -annada cinema and played a ma'or role in the 5a'k mar-starrer %&a$r "aahana(. 1owe"er she did not meet with the same s ccess that she did in her other lan! a!e #ilms. Varalakshmi was $orn in 1927 in the 4amindari town o# 6a!!ampeta (then in +adras )residency, now in .ndhra )radesh), and $elon!ed to a middle class #amily. 7 e to circ mstances, she !rew p in her ncle(s ho se in - rnool, where he was a m sician. Spottin! her #lair #or m sic, he #ormally trained her in /arnatic m sic.

Her debut
7 rin! this period, the stormy petrel o# Tel ! cinema and social protest #ilmmaker 8 da"alli 5ama$ramham (%+ala )illa(, %5aith &idda(, %.pa"aadh () was en!a!ed $y the pioneer #ilmmaker -. S $ramanyam to direct the Tel ! "ersion o# his pop lar Tamil mo"ie %&alayo!ini(. The #ilm had many children in ma'or roles and 5ama$ramham, to rin! .ndhra lookin! #or #resh talent, spotted yo n! Varalakshmi in - rnool. 9ith his enco ra!ement and S $ramanyam(s nod, Varalakshmi sailed into the world o# lens and li!hts with this #ilm in 19:;. <mpressed $y her looks and sin!in! skills, S $ramanyam cast her in his classic %Se"a Sadanam( (19:;) with +. S. S $$ lakshmi. Varalakshmi played a yo n! #riend o# the heroine (+.S.), and th s $e!an a close #riendship $etween the two, which helped Varalakshmi to hone her sin!in! skills. She played a yo n! !irl(s role in %)aras raman( (Tamil, 19=0) alon! with T. 5. +ahalin!am. ,ittle did she know then that he wo ld play a ma'or role in her li#e later, $oth on and o## screen. T. 5. S ndaram, +odern Theatres( $oss, cast her in a ma'or role in his $o2 o##ice hit %.ayiram Thalai Vaan!i .poor"a /hinthamani( (19=7). The title role was played $y V. 0. 6anaki, who had no hero. The hero who sol"es the p 44les in the mo"ie (). S. 8o"indan) had a heartthro$ (Varalakshmi.) The #ilm was a ma'or s ccess and 8o"indan and Varalakshmi made an attracti"e pair. T. 5. S ndaram cast her a!ain in the lead role in %&ho'an( (19=;) with 8o"indan as hero. This #ilm did not do as well as e2pected. )as p leti -annam$a cast her in her Tamil mo"ie %0a"a'ee"anam( (19=9), an emotion-drenched #amily story a$o t a yo n! man #rom a poor #amily (Sriram) who #alls in lo"e and marries a rich !irl (Varalakshmi).

Films with Mahalingam

Varalakshmi(s association with T. 5. +ahalin!am $e!an in 19>0. She played the heroine in %+achhare!ai( (19>1), %+ohanas ndaram( (19>1), %/hinnad rai( (19>2) and %Velaikkaran( (19>2). 1owe"er these were not s ccess# l. %5ama$ra( (19=>) was the #irst mo"ie o# .kkineni 0a!eswara 5ao as # ll #led!ed hero with two heroines, Varalakshmi and ). Shanthak mari. <t was a $o2 o##ice hit. %&alara' ( (19=7) a!ain with 0a!eswara 5ao, was a ma'or hit and some o# Varalakshmi(s son!s $ecame pop lar. She was also paired with .05 in the classic %)alnati * ddham( as +anchala who loses her lo"er in the historic $attle. The two san! a d et (%?hoooohooo../har seela(), which is still h mmed and remem$ered $y Tel ! #ilm $ ##s. Varalakshmi acted with all the top heroes o# her day incl din! Si"a'i 8anesan (%Veerapandiya -atta$$omman(), +. 8. 5amachandran (%+aatt kara Velan,( %0eedhikk Thalai"anan! (), 0. T. 5ama 5ao (%,a"a - sa(), /hittoor V. 0a!aiah (%0a!apanchami(), 5an'an (%3n +a!an() and 5. S. +anohar (%+aamiyaar().

-. S. 8opalakrishnan, the star-maker, cast her as an a!!ressi"e woman in %)anammaa )aasamma( in which she e2celled as the to !h lady. Then came her crownin! !lory with -. &alachandar(s %)oo"a Thalaiya(, in which 8emini 8anesh and 6aishankar played ma'or roles. 1ere a!ain, she played a to !h woman pitted a!ainst 6aishankar. ,ater, she came nder the in#l ence and intimate association o# .l. Srini"asan, a leader o# the Tamil #ilm ind stry. 9ith the onset o# middle a!e, opport nities $ecame rare and her health $e!an to s ##er. To keep hersel# occ pied, Varalakshmi lent her "oice #or some #ilms. The last years o# her li#e were spent in physical pain, as she s ##ered #rom a hip #ract re and was hospitalised o#ten. The end came on Septem$er 22. She was ;2. Varalakshmis powerful acting and her lilting melodies shall ever be remembered by moviegoers of south India.