Savitri

Nissankara Savitri (also known as Savitri Ganesan; 6 December 1934 – 26 December 1981) was an Indian actress, singer, and filmmaker known for her works primarily in Telugu and Tamil films. She was one of the highest-paid and most popular Indian actresses in the 1950s and '60s. Known for her versatility, Savitri was considered as the epitome of method acting in South Indian cinema. She was one of the most accomplished and respected actresses of all time in South India. She is popularly known by the epithets Mahanati in Telugu and Nadigaiyar Thilagam in Tamil. In a career spanning three decades, Savitri starred in more than 250 films. Her first significant role was in the 1952 film Pelli Chesi Choodu. Later, she starred in successful and award winning films such as Devadasu (1953), Donga Ramudu (1955), Mayabazar (1957), and Nartanasala (1963), featured at the Afro-Asian Film Festival in Jakarta. She also starred in works such as Missamma (1955), Ardhangi (1955), Thodi Kodallu (1957), Mangalya Balam (1959), Aradhana (1962), Gundamma Katha (1962), Doctor Chakravarty (1964), Sumangali (1965), and Devata (1965). Savitri was also noted for her kindness, charity, and generosity towards the poor. She received "A Moon Among Stars" honour at the 30th International Film Festival of India, "Woman in Cinema" section in 1999. The 2018 biographical film Mahanati based on the life of Savitri won the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Early life Nissankara Savitri was born on 6 December 1934 in a Telugu-speaking family in Chirravuru, Guntur district of present-day Andhra Pradesh. Her parents were Nissankara Subhadramma and Guravayya and both of them belonged to Kapu caste. Her father died when she was six months old, after which her mother took Savitri and an older sibling, Maruti to live with an aunt and uncle. Her uncle, Kommareddy Venkataramaiah enrolled her in classes when she began to show a talent for dance.