Hyderabad: Veteran actress Jamuna passed away here on Friday after a brief illness. She was 86. She breathed her last at her residence, family sources said. Jamuna, who acted in around 200 movies in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi, is survived by a son and a daughter.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences at the demise of the popular film actress, Filmfare award winner and former MP, Jamuna. She was born in Hampi in Karnataka on August 30, 1936, but her parents Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kowsalya Devi moved to Andhra Pradesh. She received her primary education at Duggirala in Guntur district and was a stage artist during her school days.
Jamuna, whose real name was Jana Bai, made her acting debut at the age of 16 with Puttillu (1953) directed by Garikapari Rajarao. It was LV Prasad’s Missamma (1955) which gave her recognition. She played a supporting character in the film with the lead roles played by NT Rama Rao, Savitri and Akkineni Nageswara Rao.In a career spanning four decades, she portrayed a variety of roles and acted with legendary actors of her time and other top actors of her time.
Jamuna also acted in 11 Hindi films. She won the Filmfare award for best supporting actress for Milan (1967) starring Sunil Dutt and Nutan. It was a remake of the Telugu movie Mooga Manasulu (1964) which featured Jamuna along with Nageswara Rao and Savitri.
Impressed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, she joined the Congress in 1980 and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajahmundry in 1989, but quit politics after her defeat in 1991. She later joined the BJP and campaigned for the party during the late 1990s.
KCR said that the passing away of Jamuna is a big loss to the film industry. The Chief Minister remembered Jamuna who acted in hundreds of films as a first-generation actress and emerged as Telugu’s favourite star.
KCR said that it is remarkable that Jamuna, who acted in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada and in Hindi films, won people’s hearts as a popular actress and also rendered public service as an MP. The Chief Minister conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family.
