Let's meet the talent of the early 20th century

The decades of 1920s and 1930s of Telugu cinema were ruled by Pasupuleti Kannamba. Apart from being an exceptionally talented actress, she was also a producer and playback singer. An actress who stole the hearts of the youth in her era.

Pasupuleti Kannamba- An inspiring heroine; Source: Celebwiki

Pasupuleti Kannamba was a first-generation actress, film producer, and playback singer; who gained huge popularity. She added all the Mirchi masala to the Telugu Film industry with his acting skills. She was the jaan of Tollywood.

Born in Nandyal and brought up in Karimnagar and Madras, Kannamba started her career at the young age of thirteen through Novel Stage Show Academy. During her career peak, she fell in love with a film director Kadaru Nagabhushanam. The two love birds got married in 1941.

By the time she turned the page number to thirty years in her profession, she had acted in more than 170 films and produced 25 films including both Tamil and Telugu movies.

P. Kannamba can is also known as the Heart of Telegu land because of her prominent characters in the movies- Sati Savitri, Anasuya, and Chandramati. She began her Filmy career with the blockbuster hit Harishchandra directed by Sri P.Pullayya, where she played the character of Chandramati. The drama troupe of the film had more than 20 members. Kannamba demanded that she would work only if all the troupe members were given roles. The skilled acting of this queen won numerous plaudits for her roles in Draupadi Vastrapaharanam and Chandika.

Her next venture was Gruhalakshmi, a film with a social message about the consequences of drinking. There was a scene in the film where Kannamba was running in the street and shouting, "There is no God, no justice". When this scene was filmed, Kannamba's acting was so real that the area policeman chased the woman thinking she was a real maniac.

Kannamba was so fanatical about her acting that she always waited for the director to say 'okay' before getting out of the mood and scene. During the shooting of Saudamini, rainwater was poured from above and a gust of wind was produced using a giant fan, when the concerned unit members moved towards her, she said, "How can I get up unless the director says "okay"?"

She took the initiative to co-produce movies. With a successful Tollywood career, Kannamba with her husband Kadaru Nagabhushanam opened a production house called “Raja Rajeswari films." Together, they have produced more than thirty movies, including – Sumati, Srikrishna Tulabharam, and Sati Sakkubhai.

As we know Pasupuleti was a person of many talents- she was an actress with a melodious voice. This Telugu actress sang not only for Tollywood films but also for Bollywood. Her perfect swar, taal can be witnessed in her song “Sagamu Rathiri Ayyane”, “Yashoda Nandana”, in the movie Chandika.

Gradually, she disappeared from the Tollywood industry as she aged. She passed away on May 7, 1964, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu due to prolonged illness. With her death, we lost a germ in the Indian film industry.