Yester year dubbing artist, actress and playback singer, T G Kamala Devi, who primarily contributed to Telugu cinema is no more. The 83 year old breathed her last on Wednesday midnight in Chennai.
Born in Karvetinagaram in Chittoor district, T G Kamala Devi’s orginal name is Thota Govindamma. Later she changed her name to Kamala Devi and started her career as a stage actor. Her first film as an actress was ‘Choodamani’ in 1941 followed by films like ‘Tenali Ramakrishna’, ‘Dakshayagnam’, ‘Bala Nagamma’, ‘Parvathy Kalyanam’, etc. She acted in about 30 films in Telugu and Tamil altogether. In ‘Malleeswari’, she essayed the role of Ishtasakhi Jalaja. She played the female lead role opposite Akkineni Nageswara Rao in ‘Mugguru Marateelu’ and even crooned the song ‘Chal Chalo Vayyari Shikari’ in that film. Apart from that, she lent her voice to songs in classics like ‘Pathala Bhairavi’, ‘Malleeswari’, ‘Guna Sundari Katha’, ‘Mugguru Marateelu’, etc. Not stopping with that she even dubbed her voice for heroines like B Saroja Devi and Lalitha. ‘Kutumba Gouravam’ in 1984 was her last film.
This multi-talented woman was also a billiards player. In 1947, she took a special training in billiards with the encouragement given by her husband Aavula Chandrababu. She was the first woman to play billiards in India and became the National Champion.
T G Kamala Devi was honoured with Nataka Kala Prapoorna Award by the Andhra Pradesh Nataka Academy. Her son Aavula Jayachander informed that her body will be cremated on Sunday as her grandsons who are in the US are expected to pay their last respects.
Ragalahari prays for her soul to rest in peace.
