Soundarya- The name itself speaks of beauty but our dear actress in Tollywood speaks of Grace, Acting Skills, Simplicity and unfaltering Smile. Her ease in performing any sort of role, tremendous screen presence, and the brilliant nativity she put forth to every role she adorned is something exemplary. She graced the Telugu Silver Screen for nearly twenty years with her versatile acting in every film she signed up for, and her multifaceted talent in elevating an emotional scene is another huge asset.
A Star Entry...
Though it was Kodi Ramakrishna’s Ammoru she signed initially, Soundarya was noticed for the first time in S.V.Krishna Reddy’s Rajendrudu Gajendrudu opposite Nata Kireeti Rajendra Prasad. Her fresh face, innocent looks, tremendous confidence in acting surprised the audience. She could equally create an aura opposite a senior actor like Rajendra Prasad and since then, Soundarya never looked back in her career. She paired up with same team yet again in Mayalodu which was another blockbuster hit. By gaining the glamorous and innocent image, Soundarya stunned the audience with her stellar performance as a devotee of Goddess Durga in Kodi Ramakrishna’s Ammoru. People saw a transformed actress in it and it was easily evident that Soundarya was not just a glam girl, but also a phenomenal performer.
A rising star...
Opportunities flocked Soundarya in Telugu Cinema. Despite belonging to Karnataka, Telugu Audience considered her as a Telugu Native for her believable nature and charming aura. She was paired opposite all popular Telugu Heroes such as Nagarjuna in Hello Brother, Chiranjeevi in Rikshavodu but the best pairing for her came with Victory Venkatesh. Their tenure began with Muthyala Subbaiah’s Pavitra Bandham and it marked the discovery of a proper Telugu heroine which was redefined by Soundarya after ages. Some critics even called her the “Savitri of Modern Telugu Cinema” for the tremendous talent she possessed. The fantastic chemistry she shared with Venkatesh resulted in many successful films such as Pelli Cheskundam, Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuraalu, Raja and so on. Soundarya shared a great chemistry with another brilliant actor Jagapathi Babu and the pair had some memorable films . One such noted film for Soundarya and Jagapathi Babu as well is Krishna Vamshi’s Antahpuram in which she played the role of a determined mother who wants her child back from a factionist in-law family.
Let it be a bubbly young girl in Rajendrudu Gajendrudu, a girl obsessed with traditions in Hello Brother, a staunch devotee of Goddess Durga in Ammoru, a principled working woman in Pavitra Bandham, a rural belle with tremendous sense of humour in Choodalani Undhi, or a glamorous Entrepreneur in Annayya, an understanding wife and devotee of Lord Shiva in Sri Manjunatha- Soundarya could literally bring life to every role she adorned.
Apart from Telugu Cinema, Soundarya made her presence felt in Tamil and Kannada Cinema as well. She was paired opposite Superstar Rajnikanth in Arunachalam and Kamal Hassan in Navvandi Lavvandi which generated some brilliant comedy. Her performance in Aptamitra, the Kannada Version of Modern Horror Classic Chandramukhi became most memorable as well.
A Fallen Star...
It is highly unfortunate that Soundarya was lost in a tragic Plane accident on this very same day in 2004. Despite completion of ten years of her demise, Telugu Film Industry as well as the audience can never forget her breathtaking contribution to films. She set a standard for how a Telugu Female Lead should look, act and perform par excellence. After all, Art is Long and Life is short!
iQlikmovies remembers the Actress Par Excellence Soundarya on her tenth death anniversary today.
