Veteran actor Tulasi shocked all film-goers on Monday, by announcing her retirement from acting, in a low-key announcement post on social media.
Taking to her Instagram page on Monday evening, Tulasi shared a note that read, “In continuation of my shirdi darshan this december 31’ I wish myself a happy retirement will continue my journey in peace with Sainadha. Thanking all for helping me learn life Sairam.”
Tulasi, who begun her acting career as a 3-month old on behest of legendary actor Savitri, gained recognition as a child artist before transitioning to her career as a notable character artist in both Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the recipient of Nandi Award twice in her career, both for her work as a child artist — in films Seetamalakshmi (1978) and Sankarabharanam (1980). She was also part of many popular films like Disco King, Mahanadhi (1994), Nallavanuku Nallavan (1984) and Sakalakala Vallavan (1982).
After a sabbatical of 9 years, Tulasi returned to cinema with a memorable performance in Excuse Me (2003). Since then, the actor has been a consistent presence in Telugu and Kannada cinema, with films like Jhossh, Mr. Perfect, Srimanthudu, Nenu Local, and Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty and many more. In her career, Tulasi worked in more than 200 films overall.
Tulasi, who was married to Kannada actor Shivamani, has acted in several Kannada films too. Her latest film Love OTP was a Kannada-Telugu bilingual.