The South Indian film industry has lost a legendary figure as veteran actress Pushpalatha passed away on February 5 in Chennai. She was 87 and had been battling age-related ailments.

With a career spanning several decades, Pushpalatha made a lasting impact on Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema. She appeared in over 100 films, earning admiration for her performances in classics like Naanum Oru Penn, Karpooram, Deivapiravi, Sarada, Paar Magaley Paar, Thaaye Unakkaga and Jeevanaamsam. She shared screen space with cinema greats such as MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan. Some of her well-remembered roles were in Rajinikanth’s Naan Adimai Illai and Kamal Haasan’s Kalyanaraman and Sakalakala Vallavan.

Pushpalatha’s journey in cinema began in 1958 with Senkkottai Singam in Tamil. She later made her mark in Malayalam cinema with the 1969 film Nurse, directed by Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair. Besides acting, she was a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and even ventured into film production, producing two films during her career.

In 1964, she became a household name as the face of Lux soap advertisements. Her personal life was also deeply connected to the film industry. During the filming of Naanum Oru Penn, she fell in love with actor and producer AVM Rajan, whom she later married. The couple had two daughters, including Tamil actress Mahalakshmi.

Pushpalatha’s final big-screen appearance was in the 1999 film Poovasam, directed by Sree Bharathi. Following her retirement, she devoted herself to spirituality and social service, choosing a life away from the limelight.

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