Prathima Devi, the veteran Kannada film actor who featured in more than 60 films, died on Tuesday at her residence in Bengaluru.
She was 88.
According to PTI, the actor had a habit of taking a nap before lunch. On Tuesday too, she was taking a nap in the afternoon. When her family members tried to wake her up, the actor did not respond. She was rushed to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Born in Udupi as Mohini, the veteran actor adopted the stage name Prathima Devi when she entered the film industry with her debut film Krishna Leela at the age of 15. Passionate about acting, she left her home at the age of 11 to follow her passion in a touring theatre company.
Prathima Devi was awarded the Dr Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001-02 by the Karnataka government. She was the lead actor in Jaganmohini (1951), which was the first Kannada film to run for 100 days.
Expressing his condolences, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed his condolences in a tweeted: “The CM has expressed deep grief for the demise of veteran actress Prathima Devi who had served theatre and cinema field more than four decades. I pray for, her peaceful journey and power to family members and fans to overcome by this situation,” the tweet read.
Yuvarathnaa actor Puneeth Rajkumar also took to Twitter to express his condolences.
RIP Prathima Devi, Veteran actress.
Our heartfelt condolences.— Puneeth Rajkumar (@PuneethRajkumar) April 7, 2021
Arvind Limbavali, Karnataka’s forest and culture minister, wrote on social media, “With the death of Pratimadevi, Kannada cinema has lost a link with the older generation.”
Other notable films of Prathima Devi include Mangala Sutra, Shiva Parvathi, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, Raja Satyavrata, Pathala Mohini, Nagakanye, Narada Vijaya, and Rama Shama Bhama.
She is survived by three children, including noted filmmakers SV Rajendra Singh Babu and Vijayalakshmi Singh. She was married to the noted late Kannada film actor, director, and producer, Shankar Singh.
