Malashri

Malashri (born as Sri Durga on 10 August 1969) to Telugu speaking parents is an Indian film actress. She has predominantly worked in Kannada movies and was the topmost heroine in the 1990s. She has also worked in Tamil and Telugu cinema. Malashri was popular for playing diverse roles in women-centric movies many of which were highly successful at the box-office. She was popularly called Kanasina Rani ("Dream Girl") in the media.[1]

Malashri
Born
Sri Durga

(1969-08-10) 10 August 1969
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesMalashree
OccupationActress
Years active1979–present
Spouse(s)Ramu
Children2
RelativesSubhashri (sister)

Malashri made her debut as a heroine with the Kannada film Nanjundi Kalyana (1989). Her portrayal of a haughty, shrewish woman won her accolades and heralded her as a top actress of Kannada Cinema. She established herself as the topmost heroine in Kannada cinema with films like Gajapathi Garvabhanga (1989), Policena Hendthi (1990), Kitturina Huli (1990), Rani Maharani (1990), Hrudaya Haadithu (1991), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Ramachaari (1991), Belli Kalungura (1992), Solillada Saradara (1993) and Gadibidi Aliya (1995).

In 2015 she won her first Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress[2] for her actin-oriented role in Ganga.

Career

Child artiste

Malashri began her career as a child artiste and appeared in 34 films in Tamil and Telugu and she played the role of a boy in 26 of them.[3] In a talk show, Majaa Talkies, she said that as a child, she was a fan of actor Amitabh Bachchan and would dress up like him, which prompted directors to cast her as a boy, in 1979 films like Imayam and Neela Malargal.[4]

Lead roles

Writer and lyricist Chi. Udaya Shankar introduced Malashri to the Rajkumar family when they were on the look out for a fresh face opposite their son Raghavendra Rajkumar who was gearing to make his debut. Parvathamma Rajkumar decided to cast her in Nanjundi Kalyana (1989) and rechristened her from Durga to Malashri. Malashri went on to act in two other films with Vajreshwari Combines, Gajapathi Garvabhanga opposite Raghavendra again, and Mruthyunjaya with Shiva Rajkumar.

In 1990 Malashri took on the famous double role in Rani Maharani (immortalized by Sridevi in Chaalbaaz) and won a huge fan following with her powerhouse performance. Her next film Hrudaya Haadithu where she played a young woman inflicted with a heart problem won her acclaim from the masses and critics alike as well as the Filmfare Best actress award for 1991. As she churned out hit after hit even the stalwart V. Ravichandran, who till then believed only in importing heroines from other states, cashed in on her popularity by casting her in Ramachaari (a remake of Tamil Hit Chinna Thambi). The move paid off, enabling him to come out of the financial crisis he faced due to the debacle of Shanti Kranti.

In later part of the 90s, Malashri had a string of less successful films like Prema Khaidi, Snehada Kadalalli, Megha Mandara, Arishina Kumkuma, and Solillada Saradara. She took brief hiatus after marriage and made comeback in the new millennium with "angry woman" roles in Chamundi (2000), Kannadada Kiran Bedi (2009), Shakti (2012), Veera (2013) and Ganga (2015).

Personal life

Malashri was born and brought up in Madras (now Chennai).[5] She shot to fame with Nanjundi Kalyana in 1989 but her personal life hit an all-time low the same year when her mother died in a road accident. She was in a relationship with actor Sunil, her co-star of many films.[6] But in 1994 they met with a car accident and while Malashree suffered multiple injuries, Sunil died on the spot. It was rumoured that they had been planning to get married.[7] She is currently married to film producer Ramu and they have a daughter together, Ananya (b. 2001).[8] Her sister Subhashri was also an actress, who appeared in South Indian films.

Filmography
Year Film Role Language Notes
1979ImayamTamilCredited as Baby Durga
Neela MalargalTamil
1986ManakanakkuTamil
1988Chinababu Telugu
Ramudu bheemudu Telugu
VarasudochhaduTelugu
1989Nanjundi KalyanaDeviKannada
Gajapathi GarvabhangaSowmyaKannada
Chinnari SnehamTelugu
Chinna Chinna AasaigalTamilCredited as Rasika
1990Prema KhaidiNeelimaTelugu
Policena HendthiVanajaKannada
MruthyunjayaShailajaKannada
Raja Kempu RojaGeethaKannada
Aatha Naan Pass AyittaenTamil
Rani MaharaniSuma / RaniKannadaDual roles
PrathapRaniKannada
1991Hrudaya HaadithuAshaKannadaFilmfare Award for Best Actress
Kitturina HuliBharathiKannada
Thavarumane UdugoreLakshmiKannada
Readymade GandaKannada
S. P. BhargaviBhargaviKannada
RamachaariNandiniKannada
Gandu SidigunduKannada
Rowdy & MLAKannada
Halli Rambhe Belli BombeKannada
Gruha PraveshaKannada
Kollur KalaKannada
MangalyaKannada
1992Belli KalunguraBhadraKannada
Hatamari Hennu Kiladi GanduKannada
ShivanagaKannada
Belli ModagaluSeethaKannada
Sindhoora ThilakaKannada
VajrayudhaKannada
Malashree MamashreeMalashriKannada
Solillada SaradaraKannada
Nagaradalli NayakaruKannada
Kanasina RaniKannada
SahasiKannada
Prema SangamaKannada
Megha MandaraMeghaKannada
Gruha LakshmiKannada
Halli Krishna Delhi RadhaRadhaKannada
Snehada KadalalliKannada
Mana Mecchida SoseKannada
Marana MrudangaKannada
Belliyappa BangarappaHerselfKannadaGuest appearance
Kaliyuga SeetheKannada
1993Hendthi Helidare KelabekuMalaKannada
Mangalya BandhanaKannada
Kalyana RekheKannada
Navibbaru NamagibbaruKannada
Paruvu PrathisthaPremaTelugu
Akka Chellelu Telugu
Urmila UrmilaTelugu
LoversTelugu
Bava BavamaridiGeetaTelugu
1994Police AlluduTelugu
Allari Police KasturiTelugu
Bhale MaavayyaVyjayantiTelugu
Bangaru Mogudu RaniTelugu
Thodi KodalluVyjayanthiTelugu
1995Mutthinantha HendthiKannada
Gadibidi AliyaKannada
Giddu DadaKannada
Lady PoliceKannada
PutmalliPutmalliKannada
Hello SisterKannada
Gharana AlluduTelugu
1996Sahasa Veerudu Sagara KanyaGangaTelugu
Circle InspectorKannada
Arishina KunkumaKannada
NirnayaKannadaSpecial appearance
1997Surya PutruluTelugu
Ganga YamunaGangaKannada
C.B.I. DurgaDurgaKannada
Lady CommissionerKannada
AkkaKannada
ZindabadKannada
1998Lady TigerKannada
Agni SakshiKannada
Goonda Matthu PoliceKannada
Tiger PadminiPadminiKannada
2000ChamundiKannada
2001Bhavani IPSBhavaniKannada
2004DurgiDurgaKannada
2009Kannadada Kiran BediKiran Bedi / Bellary BhagyalakshmiKannada
2012ShaktiShakthiKannada
2013VeeraKannada
2013ElectionIndiraKannada
2014GharshaneNethraKannada
2015MahakaliDeviKannada
2015GangaGangaKannadaKarnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
2016John Jani JanardhanKannadaSpecial appearance
2017Uppu Huli KharaKannada
TBAMalashreeMalashriKannadaAnnounced[9]

Awards
Karnataka State Film Awards
Filmfare Awards South
Other awards

References
  1. "The name is star, super star". The Times of India. 11 November 2008.
  2. Karnataka State Film Awards, 2015: Full List
  3. "I played a boy in 26 films: Malashri". The Times of India. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. Malashri (17 August 2015). Majaa Takies - 17th October 2015 - ಮಜಾ ಟಾಕೀಸ್ - Full Episode (in Kannada). Colors Kannada. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  5. "Combat queen". The Hindu. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  6. "Malashree's comeback effort". Rediff. 5 May 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  7. "Kannada Actress Malashree Profile". karnatakaspider. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  8. "IT'S MOTHER MALASHREE". chitraloka.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2001. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. "Action queen returns with a new role". The Indian Express. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  10. https://archive.is/20170208061710/https://archive.org/details/39thAnnualFilmfareKannadaBestActorActress
  11. "Land for Telugu institute: Somanna". The New Indian Express. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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