MALASRI KANNADA ACTRESS
BORN 1973 AUGUST 10
Malashri (born Sri Durga; 10 August 1973) 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.[2]
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[3] for her action-oriented role in Ganga. In 1992, 19 movies starring her in lead roles were released. With that, she broke the 24-year-old record of highest releases in lead roles in Kannada in a single year surpassing Rajkumar who had 16 releases in 1968.[4]
Career[edit]
Child artiste[edit]
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.[5] 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.[6]
Lead roles[edit]
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[edit]
Malashri was born and brought up in Chennai (Chennai).[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] She was married to film producer Ramu and they had a daughter together, Ananya (b. 2001).[10] Her sister Subhashri was also an actress, who appeared in South Indian films. Her husband Ramu died on 26 April 2021 due to Covid.[11]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Imayam | Tamil | Credited as Baby Durga | |
| Neela Malargal | Tamil | |||
| 1986 | Manakanakku | Tamil | ||
| 1988 | Chinababu | Poorna | Telugu | |
| Ramudu Bheemudu | Surpanaka | Telugu | ||
| Varasudochhadu | Bujji | Telugu | ||
| 1989 | Nanjundi Kalyana | Devi | Kannada | |
| Gajapathi Garvabhanga | Sowmya | Kannada | ||
| Chinnari Sneham | Telugu | |||
| Chinna Chinna Aasaigal | Tamil | Credited as Rasika | ||
| 1990 | Prema Khaidi | Neelima | Telugu | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu |
| Policena Hendthi | Vanaja | Kannada | ||
| Mruthyunjaya | Shylaja | Kannada | ||
| Raja Kempu Roja | Geetha | Kannada | ||
| Aatha Naan Pass Ayittaen | Tamil | |||
| Rani Maharani | Suma / Rani | Kannada | Dual roles | |
| Prathap | Rani | Kannada | ||
| 1991 | Hrudaya Haadithu | Asha | Kannada | Filmfare Award for Best Actress |
| Kitturina Huli | Bharathi | Kannada | ||
| Thavarumane Udugore | Lakshmi | Kannada | ||
| Readymade Ganda | Kannada | |||
| S. P. Bhargavi | Bhargavi | Kannada | ||
| Ramachaari | Nandini | Kannada | ||
| Gandu Sidigundu | Kannada | |||
| Rowdy & MLA | Kannada | |||
| Halli Rambhe Belli Bombe | Kannada | |||
| Gruha Pravesha | Kannada | |||
| Kollur Kala | Kannada | |||
| Mangalya | Kannada | |||
| 1992 | Belli Kalungura | Bhadra | Kannada | |
| Hatamari Hennu Kiladi Gandu | Kannada | |||
| Shivanaga | Kannada | |||
| Belli Modagalu | Seetha | Kannada | ||
| Sindhoora Thilaka | Kannada | |||
| Vajrayudha | Kannada | |||
| Malashree Mamashree | Malashri | Kannada | ||
| Solillada Saradara | Radha | Kannada | ||
| Nagaradalli Nayakaru | Kannada | |||
| Kanasina Rani | Kannada | |||
| Sahasi | Kannada | |||
| Prema Sangama | Kannada | |||
| Megha Mandara | Megha | Kannada | ||
| Gruha Lakshmi | Kannada | |||
| Halli Krishna Delhi Radha | Radha | Kannada | ||
| Snehada Kadalalli | Kannada | |||
| Mana Mecchida Sose | Kannada | |||
| Marana Mrudanga | Kannada | |||
| Belliyappa Bangarappa | Herself | Kannada | Guest appearance | |
| Kaliyuga Seethe | Kannada | |||
| 1993 | Hendthi Helidare Kelabeku | Mala | Kannada | |
| Mangalya Bandhana | Kannada | |||
| Kalyana Rekhe | Kannada | |||
| Navibbaru Namagibbaru | Kannada | |||
| Paruvu Prathistha | Prema | Telugu | ||
| Akka Chellelu | Telugu | |||
| Urmila | Urmila | Telugu | ||
| Lovers | Telugu | |||
| Bava Bavamaridi | Geeta | Telugu | ||
| 1994 | Police Alludu | Telugu | ||
| Allari Police | Kasturi | Telugu | ||
| Bhale Maavayya | Vyjayanti | Telugu | ||
| Bangaru Mogudu | Rani | Telugu | ||
| Thodi Kodallu | Vyjayanthi | Telugu | ||
| 1995 | Mutthinantha Hendthi | Kannada | ||
| Gadibidi Aliya | Kannada | |||
| Giddu Dada | Kannada | |||
| Lady Police | Kannada | |||
| Putmalli | Putmalli | Kannada | ||
| Hello Sister | Kannada | |||
| Gharana Alludu | Telugu | |||
| 1996 | Sahasa Veerudu Sagara Kanya | Ganga | Telugu | |
| Circle Inspector | Kannada | |||
| Arishina Kunkuma | Kannada | |||
| Nirnaya | Kannada | Special appearance | ||
| 1997 | Surya Putrulu | Telugu | ||
| Ganga Yamuna | Ganga | Kannada | ||
| C.B.I. Durga | Durga | Kannada | ||
| Lady Commissioner | Kannada | |||
| Akka | Kannada | |||
| Zindabad | Kannada | |||
| 1998 | Lady Tiger | Kannada | ||
| Agni Sakshi | Kannada | |||
| Goonda Matthu Police | Kannada | |||
| Tiger Padmini | Padmini | Kannada | ||
| 2000 | Chamundi | Kannada | ||
| 2001 | Bhavani IPS | Bhavani | Kannada | |
| 2004 | Durgi | Durga | Kannada | |
| 2009 | Kannadada Kiran Bedi | Kiran Bedi / Bellary Bhagyalakshmi | Kannada | |
| 2012 | Shakti | Shakthi | Kannada | |
| 2013 | Veera | Kannada | ||
| 2013 | Election | Indira | Kannada | |
| 2014 | Gharshane | Nethra | Kannada | |
| 2015 | Mahakali | Devi | Kannada | |
| 2015 | Ganga | Ganga | Kannada | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress |
| 2016 | John Jani Janardhan | Kannada | Special appearance | |
| 2017 | Uppu Huli Khara | Kannada | ||
| TBA | Malashree | Malashri | Kannada | Announced[12] |
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