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Actress: Rajasulochana
Sandhya Soman,
TNN:
CHENNAI: Veteran actor and classical dancer Rajasulochana, who
starred in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam movies in the 1950s and
'60s, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday, 06th March 2013. She was 78 and had
renal problems.
"Rajasulochana was known for her dancing," said film historian
Randor Guy, who was also one of her friends. The actor, who was from Vijayawada,
debuted in the Kannada film 'Gunasagari' in 1953. She went on to act in more
than 250 films in all south Indian languages and shared screen space with stars
such as M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, N T Rama Rao, Nageswara Rao and
Rajkumar. Guy said that she remained her warm, cheerful self despite health
problems.
"She grew up in Triplicane after her father got transferred here.
She learnt Bharatanatyam from Lalithamma and K N Dhandayuthapani Pillai and
Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her dancing skills led her to movies,"
said Guy.
One of the first movies that got her noticed in the Tamil
industry was 'Pennarasi'. "It had several song and dance sequences that were
shot in Coimbatore. She became very popular," said Guy. But what brought her
stardom was her role in 'Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum' (1958), directed by A K
Velan. The songs became hits and Rajasulochana went on to act in more movies.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and
governor K Rosaiah said that the death of the actor was a great loss. "It is not
just a personal loss for me, but also for the entire film industry," said
Jayalalithaa.
Rajasulochana ruled the roost with fellow actor Devika. "She was
a mature actor known for her portrayal of sophisticated, well-bred women. She
stayed away from controversies and was one of those who had a good innings,"
said actor and historian Mohan Raman. At a recent interaction at a film club,
the veteran said her primary interest remained dance, said Raman.
Rajasulochana set up a dance school, which is run by her
disciples. "She was more of a teacher there. She didn't act after retiring from
the industry more than 20 years ago. She was doing a lot of social work," said
Krishna, her son-in-law.
Rajasulochana is survived by her son Shyam Sundar and daughters
Sree and Dev
( Courtesy:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ )
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