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Remembering
Soundarya
Soundarya.. The name itself means
beauty. But actress Soundarya’s name did not mean beauty alone - it also
meant dignity, talent, professionalism and hard work. It has been a year (April 17th, 2004)
since Soundarya lost her life in a tragic accident. But the actress has been
living in our memories and in her movies. She maintained a fine balance
between glamour and acting – which was done in the past by only few
actresses. Her performance in Tooguve Krishnana and Gandharva, her first
Kannada film, won her many accolades. She went on to do many
performance-oriented roles like the one she did in Dweepa. It took an
actress of her caliber to produce a quality movie like Dweepa. She won the
coveted ‘Swarna Kamal’ award for her performance in Dweepa. The film also
bagged three State Awards - Best Actress, Best Film, and Best
Cinematography. It was also nominated for five international film festivals.
Daughter of noted Kannada producer and
director, Late Sri Satyanarayana, Soundarya was studying her first year MBBS
when she was roped in for the Kannada movie Gandharva by her father’s
friend. Having acted in more than 90 films, Soundarya was known for her
dignified and graceful roles. She acted opposite Amitabh Bachchan in
Sooryavamsham. Though the film did not work wonders at the box office, her
performance got noticed. She acted in many Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam
movies opposite leading artistes.
Her performance in Sri Manjunatha, in
which she acted as a devotee of Lord Shiva, won lots of appreciation. Her
acting skills in scenes like Lord Shiva coming to her home in disguise and
she and her husband (played by Arjun Sarja) serving the guests when their
son lies dead inside are beyond words. Sipayi opposite Ravichandran also saw
her performing at her best. She had also teamed up with Girish Kasarvalli to
produce Gruhabhanga, a Kannada soap being telecasted on ETV. Her last movie
in Kannada, Aaptha Mithra is running to packed houses. All the songs in the
movie went on to become chartbusters. Pata Pata Haaro Gaalipata, Baara
Sanihake Baara still top the music charts in Kannada. This movie
strengthened that fact Soundarya was an actress par excellence. Her other
movies in Kannada include
Sri Renukamba
and Vijayadasami.
In one of her interviews, she had
mentioned that an artiste needs positive criticism for personal improvement
and growth. This attitude of hers explains how matured she was as an
individual and as an actress. She always maintained that cinema is never a
single person’s show and that cinema means team effort. She was known as a
humble actress.
Born as Soumya, rechristened Soundarya,
this actress had a bright future which was cut short by the tragic plane
crash on
April 17, 2004 near Jakkur. Her brother
and two others aboard on the flight also lost their lives. Let us all pray
for the departed souls.
This article is a small tribute to the
talented actress. I admire her professionalism, dignity, no-nonsense
approach and her dedication towards work. She was never involved in
controversies and had tremendous goodwill in the industry. We can say with
pride that Soundarya belonged to Karnataka. That she is a Kannadiga is in
itself a matter of pride of all of us. She made us proud by proving herself
as an actress with immense talent and dignity.
May her soul rest in peace!!!
Sandhya Venkatesh
Singapore
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