Fathima Babu

Fathima Babu is a South Indian actress, former newsreader and socialite based out of Chennai who hails from Puducherry.[1] Born in a Muslim family, Fathima began her public career as a newsreader for more than 25 years with DD Podhigai,[1] the Tamil version of Doordarshan news, and later worked for Jaya TV. She later converted to Hinduism for her husband.[2][3] She subsequently moved on to work in television serials, films and theatre performances, operating in the Tamil and Malayalam languages.[4]

Fathima Babu
Born
Fathima

(1963-12-26) 26 December 1963
Puducherry, India
OccupationActress
Former Newsreader
Years active1996-present
Spouse(s)Babu
ChildrenAashiq, Shahrukh

Career

Fathima became a newsreader with DD Podhigai, the Tamil version of Doordarshan, in the late 1980s. In 1989, she briefly went missing causing much speculation as to her disappearance. Several years later, Fathima clarified that during the period she was missing, she was filming for a television serial known as Chithirapaavai and did not want to breach Doordarshan's rule of news anchors not being able to work in serials.[5][6]

Fathima made her film debut through K. Balachander's feminist film Kalki (1996),[1] where she starred alongside an ensemble cast of Shruti, Rahman, Prakash Raj, Geetha, and Renuka. The film garnered positive reviews, with a film critic noting that Fathima "has an impressive debut, performing with confidence".[7] Fathima moved on to play supporting roles in films, often portraying the mother of the lead characters.

Fathima started her own drama production group, Fab's Theatre, which performs shows in Chennai. She was initially introduced to theatre by K. Balachander, who often helped her work on and develop scripts. The group has made shows such as Sethu Vandirikkaen and Thaarama Tallyaa directed by Fathima, which opened in February 2016.[8][9] She was also briefly involved in politics, and campaigned for the AIADMK on behalf of Jayalalithaa, and eventually took up a role as a spokesperson of the party.[10] After Jayalalithaa's death, Fathima joined O. Paneerselvam's team, before ultimately distancing herself from politics. In 2019, she appeared in the reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil 3 on Star Vijay, and was the first contestant to be eliminated.[11]

Controversy

A widely gossiped urban folklore in Tamil Nadu was that DMK leader M K Stalin had abducted Fathima Babu, who was a Doordarshan Kendra news reader, when his father M. Karunanidhi was Chief Minister in the late 1980s, as she went missing in 1989. Later, she finally denied such an incident ever took place.[6]

She explained, "In those days, I was acting in a television serial Chithirapaavai. Back then Doordarshan had this policy wherein news readers of its bulletins can"t simultaneously cast news and act in serials. Therefore, I was not reading news". Further she said, "On days we had night shifts, the Doordarshan would organise a taxi to drop us back home. So there was no scope for this abduction at all."[5]

Films

Tamil
Year Film Role Notes
1996KalkiKohila
1997Pasamulla Pandiyare
V. I. P.Priya's mother
Nerukku NerAlamu
1998UlavuthuraiSangeetha's mother
SwarnamukhiVanaja
Thulli Thirintha KaalamVisalam
SollamaleVikram's mother
Unnidathil Ennai KoduthenVasanthi
SimmarasiMaragatham's wife
KannathalKannatha's mother
Kalyana GalattaCommissioner's wife
1999Ninaivirukkum VaraiSandhya's mother
Nee Varuvai EnaSubramani's mother
Mugam
MudhalvanAranganathar's wife
Unnaruge Naan IrundhalJamindar's wife
2000MugavareeViji's mother
Unnai Kodu Ennai TharuvenIndu's mother
SimmasanamAnnapoorani's sister-in-law
Parthen RasithenPinky Raja
Ilaiyavan
AnbudanSathya's mother
Ninaivellam NeeNurse
2001MinnaleShanti, Reena's mother
Paarvai Ondre PodhumeVisalakshi
Little JohnNirmala
Manadhai ThirudivittaiShruti's mother
AalavandhanTejaswini's mother
Love Marriage
2002Alli ArjunaUsha
YouthSandhya's mother
2003ManasellamBala's mother
Lesa LesaVaralakshmi
Aahaa Ethanai Azhagu
ThithikudheVenu's adopted mother
Thathi Thavadhu Manasu
IndruGauthaman's mother
2005ThirupaachiRaj's wife
Kannadi Pookal
Devathaiyai KandenUma's mother
AmudheyNancy's mother
2007Adavadi
En Uyirinum MelanaKamakshi
18 Vayasu PuyaleSeetha
2008KuselanSister MariaSimultaneously shot in Telugu as Kathanayakudu
SarojaCar passengerSpecial appearance
VasoolAngayarkanni
Thithikkum IlamaiDefense lawyer
2011Kasethan Kadavulada
2012ThiruthaniAndiyappan's wife
2013Puthagam
Naanum En Jamunavum
Thirumathi Thamizh
Chithirayil NilachoruChurch mother
2014Azhagiya PandipuramMadhavan's mother
Nee Naan NizhalRohit's mother
Namma GramamKarthyayani

Malayalam
Year Film Role Notes
2001RaavanaprabhuMundakkal Sekharan's wife
2002OnnamanDeepa
2007Ali BhaiAmbu Bhai's wife
HalloShivaraman's mother
2008MadampiShyamala's mother
2009My Big FatherAlby's mother
BhramaramSivankutty's mother
2010Oru Naal VarumSchool Principal
Alexander the GreatSumithra
ShikkarManu's mother
2011Kottarathil Kutty Bhootham
TrafficRaihan's mother
2012Casanovva
The King & the CommissionerJustice Eliyamma Pettikaran
Josettante HeroSajan's mother
GrandmasterAlice
GramamKarthyayaniSimultaneously shot in Tamil as Namma Gramam
MatineeFathima
2014@Andheri
1 by TwoAmmukkuty Amma
Asha BlackRohit's motherSimultaneously shot in Tamil as Nee Naan Nizhal

Telugu
Year Film Role Notes
2008KathanayakuduSister Maria

Dramas
YearFilmRoleActorDirectorWritten ByRef.
2013 Ponniyin Selvan Nandhini Yes No Kalki Krishnamurthy [12]
2014 Koodi Vaazhnthal (Short Play) N/A No Yes Aashiq Babu
2014 Seethai Mark Seeyakaithool (Short Play) Subbamma Yes Yes Sundara Ramasamy
2014 Aan Dharmam (Short Play) Paanjali Yes Yes Jayanthan
2014 Thappattam (Short Play) N/A No Yes Vaseekaran
2014 Naan Avan Illai (Short Play) N/A No Yes Chelli Sreenivasan
2015 Sethu Vandhirukken Vanaja Yes Yes K. Balachander [9]
2016 Thaarama Tallyaa Radha Yes Yes Chitralaya Sriram [8]
2019 Valayil Sikkiya Meen Yes No

Television
Year Program Role Channel Language Notes
1997–1999ChithirappaavaiSaradhaDD PodhigaiTamil
2004–2005Kadamattathu KathanarNicolas's MotherAsianetMalayalam
2006Swami AyyappanUnnikrishnan's motherAsianetMalayalam
2006–2008LakshmiChandraSun TVTamil
2006–2008Raja RajeshwariLakshmi AmmaSun TVTamil
2008–2010Thangamana PurushanLion JanakiKalaignar TVTamil
2009–2010AlaipayutheyJaya TVTamil
2017–presentYaaradi Nee Mohini[13]NeelambariZee TamilTamil
2018MakkalSaraswathiMazhavil ManoramaMalayalamReplaced by Shobha Mohan
Aranmanai KiliJudge KaveriVijay TVTamil
GenesGuestZee TamilTamilOne episode
2019Bigg Boss Tamil 3[14]ContestantVijay TVTamilEvicted on Day 14
gollark: Can we make haskell and rust channels?
gollark: <@341618941317349376> Rust.
gollark: Or booleans of lists.
gollark: IOYK HAS ELLK
gollark: I think there's a reverse state monad in which somehow the `s` flows in the opposite direction to the `a`.

References
  1. "Fathima Babu native place and other details". Asianet News.
  2. "Complaint on Kollywood Actress Fathima Babu".
  3. "Fathima Babu converting her religion for her husband".
  4. "Fathima Babu rare photo goes viral". Asianet News.
  5. "Stalin did not abduct me: TV news reader sets record straight after 30 years".
  6. Kumar, Veera (26 April 2018). "மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் வதந்தி பற்றி இத்தனை வருடங்கள் கழித்து பாத்திமா பாபு வாய் திறக்க காரணம் என்ன?". Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  7. http://www.bbthots.com/reviews/rewind/kalki.html
  8. Subramanian, V. (18 February 2016). "An account of family ties". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  9. Krishnamachari, Suganthy (2 April 2015). "Lacked in originality". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  10. https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/jayalalithaa-ropes-in-kollywood-to-campaign-for-her-1424759.html
  11. Sharanya CR (11 July 2019). "I wanted people to see and know the real me: Fathima Babu". Times of India. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  12. Charukesi (13 June 2013). "Kalki classic for your ears!". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  13. "Team Yaaradi Nee Mohini celebrates 600 episodes milestone; see pics". Times of india.
  14. "Bigg Boss Tamil 3: Fathima Babu to get evicted from the house?". Times of India.
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