Veteran Telugu actor Krishna Kumari passes away

Veteran actor T Krishna Kumari, who had a prolific career in Telugu cinema in the 60s and 70s, died on Wednesday after suffering from prolonged illness in Bengaluru. She was 83. 

Born on March 6, 1933, in Naihati, West Bengal, Krishna Kumari made her debut in the Telugu film Navvithe Navaratnalu (1951) and went on to appear in over 110 films from the 50s till the late 70s. During this period, she acted alongside stalwarts like NTR, ANR, Sivaji Ganeshan, Dr Rajkumar, Krishnam Raju, Kantha Rao, Jaggayya and Krishna. She is best known for her work in films such as Bangaru Papa, Pelli Kanuka, Aggi Pidugu, Bharya Bharthalu, Vagdanam, Kula Gotralu, Doctor Chakravarthy, Gudi Gantalu, Antastulu, Manavudu Danavudu, Neramu Siksha and Yashoda Krishna.

After the Murali Mohan-starrer, Jyothi, in 1976, she made the decision to step away from films. She had also acted in films made in Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. Her cousin, Sowkar Janaki, is also a popular South Indian actor.

Sowkar Janaki can't bear the thought of living without her. "We have been living in Bengaluru for many years now. We tried our best to save her, but couldn't," she told us. "We shared a great bond, and even though she was born in Bengal and I, in Rajahmundry, we grew up like twins. She was a great actress and leaves behind a void that cannot be filled. She was such a humble person despite her stardom."

Several Tollywood personalities have also since paid tributes to the late actor.