Sujatha the Veteran South Indian Actress Passed Away

One of Kollywood's most popular character artist, Sujatha, died on Wednesday ,April 06, 2011 at the age of 58 due to cardiac arrest.  The actress was suffering from heart disease and was on dialysis after a recent kidney failure. It is learned that the actress has undergone a surgery for fitting pacemaker last month  in a private hospital in Chennai . She recovered fully after the surgery.

The actresses discontinued her screen appearance for the last five years.  Sujatha is survived by her husband Jayakar and children Sajith and Divya. It is learned that the final rites are expected to be held on Thursday, April 8, 2011.   

The acclaimed actress known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal varied emotions, was born on 10^th December 1952 in Galle, Sri Lanka where she spent her childhood. She showed keen interest in acting in school plays. Later her family moved to Kerala when she was 14. She started acting in Malayalam films 1968 Thapasvini 1971 Ernakulam Junction.  With a strong inclination for acting since school days, she captured the attention of the veteran director of Tamil Cinema and she soon started acting as Kavitha, the heroine in his Aval Oru Thodarkathai (She is a Never Ending Strory – 1974). Sujatha’s entry into South Indian film industry through such a powerful role made many to take notice.  Her roles as Annam in Annakili (!976), Anu in Avargal (1977) and the subtle performance pairing with Sivaji Ganesan in Andaman Kadali (1977 immortalized her at a very young age. She has even made the path breaking of the Kollywood norm of hero-centric films.  

“My father thought of her as a director's delight. She would understand what exactly the director wanted, internalise the character and perform accordingly,” says Pushpa Kandasamy, film producer and daughter of Balachander.

She has also paired with leading heros like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, A Nageswara Rao, Krishna and Shoban Babu. Her roles with Kamal Haasan are being cherished by her fans even today. Sujatha (Career 1968 – 2006) has acted in over 300 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, (1968 Do Kaliyan, 1981 Ek Hi Bhool Hindi).with almost 200 in Tamil. During the eighties she started playing character roles, often portraying mother roles. Her last film Vathiyar Tamil came in 2006.