Actress Srividya Passed Away

Srividya one of the most talented south Indian veteran actresses passed away on Thursday in Thiruvananathapuram after suffering from cancer. She was 53. She is one of the very few actresses who had filled the screen for more than four decades in the South Indian Cinema.

Born in Tamil Nadu in 1953, Srividya wore the grease paint in nearly 900 south Indian films. She acted in more than 300 Malayalam films, and played the female lead with all the big names of the film industry - from Sathyan to Mammootty.

Srividya started her career when she was 13 in "Thriuvarurselvar", in which the late Sivaji Ganesan was the hero. Later on she ventured into Malayalam field with "Chattambikavala" with another noted actor Sathyan as the hero. She had since portrayed many versatile roles along with great personalities like Kamal Hassan, Rajnikant, Madhu, Nazeer, Mammotty, Mohanalal, so and so forth. She has also won many awards including the state awards for "Edavazhiyile Poocha Minda Poocha" and "Rachana". Her unique acting skills brought her fame and made her also popular in other south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

She is so unique and exceptional in the south Indian cinema so much so that many film personalities are of the opinion that she is irreplaceable. One such example of this is apparent in the recent incident where a serial director, Sreekumaran Thampi, had to end the serial, "Amma Thampuratti", because Srividya was sick and he could not find a replacement for her!

Her personal life, however, suffered due to a bad marriage and much discussed ugly divorce. She is a very ardent devotee of Sai Baba and also was a music composer. But then, it should not come as a surprise as her mother is none other than the extraordinary classical singer, M L Vasanthakumari. Nowrunning.com and its members pay their tribute to this outstanding woman who captured the mind of many and will remain there forever!