Bharathi Vishnuvardhan (born 15 August 1950),^[1] also known mononymously as Bharathidevi, is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in Kannada cinema. She began her career in 1966, as a lead actress, with the Kannada movie Love in Bangalore.

In a career spanning over 50 years, Bharathi has appeared in 150 films. Apart from 100 films in Kannada, she has also acted in a handful of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. In the course of her career, she became known for portrayal of the roles mythological and historical characters, and also that of a student, a romantic and a rural belle.^[1] Her role in Sri Krishnadevaraya (1970) as Chennambike won her a Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress. In 2017, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the government of India.^[2]

• 3Filmography

Personal life[edit]

Bharathi was born into the Marathi-speaking family in Bhadravathi on 15 August 1950 in the erstwhile Indian State of Mysore (now Karnataka).^[1] Her father Ramachandra Rao was a Tailor & Mother Bhadravathi Bai was a home maker. Bharathi did her Nursery education at Bharathi Vidya Shala & furthur education was at Malleshwaram Ladies Association (M.L.A) High School, Bangalore. Then she studied college at Maharani's Women's Science College in Bengaluru, she was very much active in sports, dance and her childhood ambition was to become a basket ball player or an Athlete. She started her acting in 1964. Photos of her dance performance caught the eyes of Kannada film actor Kalyan Kumar, who cast her in his film Love in Bangalore. But, her second film Dudde Doddappa saw theatrical release first.^[1]

Bharathi married actor Vishnuvardhan on 27 February 1975 in Bengaluru. They have adopted two daughters - Keerthi and Chandana. Dr. Vishnuvardhan passed away in 2009, aged 59.^[3]

Career[edit]

Bharathi's first claims to fame were her supporting roles in the 1966 film Nadodi, starring M. G. Ramachandran and Saroja Devi, where she played the elder sister to Saroja Devi, and then her role in Chandhrodhayam, as the supporting actress to Jayalalithaa. The song 'Ulagum Engum Orey Mozhi', picturised on her with M. G. Ramachandran established her as a star and Nadodi is the only film where she was cast as M.G.R's heroine. She then received offers as the lead heroine in Tamil films which became hits, like Deiva Cheyal and Namma Veetu Lakshmi, both with Muthuraman, Poovum Pottum with A.V.M. Rajan, Avalukendru Oru Manam opposite Gemini Ganeshan. Thanga Thambi, Valiba Virundhu, Enga Papa, Nimardhu Nil, Meendum Vazhven, Nee Vazha Vendum, - all six opposite Ravichandran, Naan Yaar Theriyuma, Unakkum Enakkum, Naangu Killadigal, Ponvandu and Nil Kavani Kadhali - all five opposite Jaishankar, Uyirandhan Manidhan with Sivakumar and Thanga Surangam with Shivaji Ganeshan. She again acted with MGR-Jayalalithaa in Annamitta Kai in 1972. Her last Tamil film as leading heroine was Nee Vazha Vendum in 1977.

She was introduced to Hindi Cinema by director A. Bhimsingh with film Mehrban (1967) and Saadu Aur Shaitaan (1968).

Her first Kannada film was the 1966 romantic comedy Love in Bangalore. She was critically acclaimed for her roles in Kannada movies like Sandhya Raga, Runa Mukthalu, Bangaaradha Manushya, Doorada Betta, Gandondu Hennaru, Bangarada Jinke, Bhagya Jyothi and the Kannada Doordarshan serial Janani.

In 2012, she appeared as a strict, no-nonsense sessions court judge in T.N. Seetharam's Kannada daily serial Mukta-Mukta.

She has acted alongside Rajkumar, Dilip Kumar, Sivaji Ganesan, ANR,M. G. Ramachandran, NTR, Prem Nazir, Gemini Ganesan, Manoj Kumar, Kalyan Kumar, Udaykumar, Vishnuvardhan, Jaishankar, Ravichandran, Shoban Babu, Krishna, R. Muthuraman, A.V.M. Rajan, Krishnam Raju, Kanta Rao, Haranath, Sivakumar, Vinod Khanna, Rakesh Roshan, Ambrish, Ananth Nag, Chalam, Rajesh, Gangadhar, Vinod Mehra and many other popular actors.

Bharathi has acted in a number of Hindi films as well, like Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1970) starring Balraj Sahni, where she was cast opposite Rakesh Roshan in his debut film, Manoj Kumar's Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Hum Tum Aur Woh and Mastana, both with Vinod Khanna, Prabhat Khanna's Uttar Dakshin (1987), Izzatdaar (1990 with Dilip Kumar), Mehmood's Kunwaara Baap (1974), Naya Din Nayi Raat, Aao Pyaar Karen (1994, with Saif Ali Khan and Shilpa Shetty), and many more.

My bolt. Bharathi has acted in various Malayalam films with many other leading actors, but in character roles.

In Tamil, she acted as the leading heroine to all four doyens of Tamil film industry in those days: Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan and R. Muthuraman.

In the Telugu cinema field, she has acted in Jai Jawan (1970), Govula Gopanna (1968), Sipayi Chinnayya and Bangaru Gajulu (all with Akkineni Nageswara Rao), which were hits.

Apart from acting, Bharathi has also been a singer and associate director in the film industry. She has sung a duet with T.M. Soundarrajan for Snehithi, a Tamil film. The song 'Thanga Nilave Nee Illamal' is picturised on Gemini Ganesan and herself. She sang a Kannada song 'Ee Notake Mai Matake' with her husband Vishnuvardhan for the movie Nagara Hole.

She worked as associate director to K. S. L. Swamy for the movies Karune Illada Kanoonu, Huli Hejje and the classic Malaya Marutha.

She had represented Karnataka State Level Throw-ball team during her college days.

Filmography[edit]

Below is a list of a few films in which Bharathi Vishnuvardhan has performed.^[4]

Television[edit]

• Bhagyavantaru -serial aired in Star Suvarna
• Sevanthi - serial aired in Udaya TV
• Janani -serial aired in Doordarshan

Awards[edit]

Padmashri - the 4th highest civilian award of India in 2017^[6]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcd'Bharathi Vishnuvardhan: Shining on the silver screen for five decades'. The Times of India. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
2. ^'Padma Awards 2017'(PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
3. ^'Vishnuvardhan Death'. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
4. ^Bharathi, IMDb, retrieved 15 January 2008
5. ^http://www.tulucinema.com/kannada-actor-bharathi-vishnuvardhan-act-tulu-film-titled-ambar-caterers/
6. ^http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=157675

External links[edit]

• Bharathi on IMDb

‘Muktha-Muktha’ serial was telecast in ETV Kannada channel. The serial had ended on 12 September 2010. The serial was directed by T.N. Seetharam. The director also acted as a lawyer in the serial. The director took the daily civic topic in the society that was bothering the citizens and created awareness through this serial.

Every episode has a different tale to tell. It taught people how to seek justice in the society which is their fundamental civic right. Despite strong bureaucratic and political opposition that prevents the general public seeking justice in the society, the serial created an awareness in the minds of the public.

The serial created a legal awareness among the Karnataka citizens. A prolific writer of Karnataka region Sudha Narayana Murthy was in the cast as an actor in the serial. In initial stages of the telecast, the serial was just named as ‘Muktha’, but later when the serial was started with a new name ‘Muktha Muktha’ that involved new characters in each and every episode.

Even in the new concept, director T. N. Seetharam acted the role CSP. When’ Muktha-Muktha’ serial was telecast, it had depicted common issues concerning the citizens of Karnataka such as Naxalite, farmers struggle and even the medical system in the system.

The serial used to take up current topics and issues prevalent in our system and thereby had created a general idea of how to tackle them with a strong legal base. The serial created a higher TRP in its prime telecast and continued to gain public attention in every episode. Produced by Bhoomika Productions, the TV serial has a total number of 552 episodes telecast.

It had an enormous drama in the courtroom and every time the character changed according to a different storyline. The story of the serial was written by T.N. Seetharam himself who directed and acted in the serial as a judge.

Another Version Story..

This is a Kannada serial aired on ETV Kannada. It is written and directed by T.N. Seetharam. The serial is from Bhoomika Productions. The name of the show means ‘reprieve’ in Sanskrit. The director acted in the show as a lawyer and wanted to create awareness about the fight for justice that many people fight, against all the political oppositions, and bureaucratic.

The show then ended on 12th September 2010. The show fulfilled its main aim of increasing the facts about legal awareness among the people. Sudha Narayana Murthy, a known Kannada writer also participated in the show as a judge. Next time, the show aired as Muktha Muktha, and now it widened its area of interest to issues like farmers, medical system, and naxal. The show had a huge impact on the audience.