Meet actor who debuted at 14, worked with Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi and quit acting at the peak of her career
Meet the former actress who debuted at 14, worked in pan-Indian films, and worked with Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mohanlal. But, eventually, she left showbiz after her marriage. Guess who?
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This former superstar ruled Indian cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. She has appeared in around 300 films and was hailed as one of the leading actresses of South Indian Cinema during her time. She has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam films. However, she left acting after she exchanged wedding vows with a businessman and decided to move to the US. We are talking about Maadhavi. Let's take a look at some unknown facts about her life, a glorified career in films, personal life, and more.
Who is Maadhavi?
Kanaka Vijayalakshmi better known by her stage name Maadhavi was born in Eluru on September 14, 1962. She was born to her parents Sasirekha and Govindaswamy. Maadhavi grew up with her siblings, her sister Keerthi Kumari and her brother Dhananjay.
Not many might know that the former actress is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer. Maadhavi was trained under Uma Maheswari. She started learning Bharatanatyam at 8 and has given more than a thousand performances. Later, Maadhavi also appeared as a child actress in minor roles in several films.
Maadhavi’s filmography
At 14, Maadhavi made her debut in 1976 with the Telugu film Thoorupu Padamara. The romance-drama flick became an instant success at the box office and garnered a lot of appreciation from the audience for her exceptional performance. In the same year, she appeared in Amara Deepam, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao.
Years went by and Madhavi appeared in several films. It is worth mentioning that she has also worked with legendary actors Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, and Mohanlal among others.
The actress has worked with Chiranjeevi in multiple films. Her first film was Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya in 1982. She acted again with him in the movie Khaidi which was a massive hit at the box office.
The duo once again collaborated with another Telugu movie named Big Boss. She has appeared in many Malayalam films and has acted with starring A-lister actors including Mohanlal and Mammootty.
Maadhavi was also part of the National Award-winning movie Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha. She played the role of a mother who suffers from Leukemia in Akashadoothu. Her performance made her bag the top acting honor at the Kerala State Film Award.
Maadhavi has also acted opposite Kamal Haasan in Raja Paarvai, Tik Tik Tik, Kaakki Sattai, Sattam, Ellam Inba Mayyam, and Mangamma Sabadham. Her collaboration with Rajinikanth was seen in several amazing movies including Garjanai, Thillu Mullu, and Thambikku Entha Ooru.
Why did Maadhavi leave acting and shift abroad at the peak of her career?
After ruling the hearts of millions with her exceptional performances in several films, Maadhavi decided to leave acting. It may sound shocking but the former actress decided to quit acting at the peak of her career.
Her personal life took an exciting turn as Maadhavi exchanged wedding vows with a businessman named Ralph Sharma. The couple got married on February 14, 1996. As per a report in DNA, her wedding was arranged by her spiritual teacher Swami Rama.
After getting married, she and her husband moved to the USA and thus it led to her moving away from the film industry. Maadhavi's last on-screen appearance was in the Malayalam film Aayiram Naavulla Ananthan.
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