Veteran Telugu heroine Jamuna passed away due to age-related ailments at her residence in Hyderabad today.
Veteran Telugu heroine Jamuna passed away due to age-related ailments at her residence in Hyderabad today.
She was 86.
She is survived by her son Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco; and daughter, the artist Sravanthi Juluri.
Jamuna had starred alongside NTR, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Jaggayya, Krishna, Sobhan Babu and Krishnam Raju in her prime. And in her later years, she had worked in movies with the younger generation of Telugu stars.
The legendary actress is known for movies like Missamma, Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu, Bhagyarekha, Donga Ramudu, Pooja Phalam, Gundamma Katha, Mooga Manasulu and Letha Manasulu, among others. She was married to Juluri Ramana Rao in 1965.
Born to Kausalaya Devi and Srinivas Rao on August 30, 1936, in Hampi, Jamuna grew up in Duggirala in Guntur district (Andhra Pradesh) after her family moved there. A stage artiste in school, she made her debut in Telugu films with Puttillu, and went on to do many memorable roles and have an illustrious career for over five decades.
Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and the leaders of various political parties in both the Telugu States expressed grief over the death of the veteran actress and former MP.
Venkaiah Naidu said that he was shocked to know about the passing of Jamuna. "Known as Satyabhama of the silver screen, the roles she played were symbols of self-confidence and women empowerment. My condolences to her family and fans, praying for her soul to rest in peace (sic)," tweeted Naidu.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao too condoled the demise of Jamuna. Describing her death as a great loss to the film industry, he recalled that a first generation actress featuring in hundreds of films, Jamuna had become the favourite star for many Telugus. He conveyed his condolences to her family members.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy too expressed grief over the demise of the actress.
"Jamuna was the last of the artistes of the golden era of Telugu cinema," the Chief Minister said, and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy too condoled the death of Jamuna. He said that by playing diverse roles in South Indian films and also Hindi movies, she had carved a niche for herself.
Jamuna's death evoked a flood of condolence messages from Tollywood.
Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Mahesh Babu, NTR Jr and Pawan Kalyan were among those who posted condolences on Twitter.
Jamuna's death follows those of several yesteryear Tollywood actors over the past several months, including Krishna, Krishnam Raju and Kaikala Satyanarayana.