Aarathi

Aarathi
Aarathi
Born	1954
Occupation(s)	Actress, Filmmaker
Years active	1969–1986 (acting), 2005 (directing)
Known for	Contributions to Kannada cinema, collaborations with Puttanna Kanagal

Aarathi (originally named Bharathi, born in 1954) is a retired Indian actress and filmmaker, celebrated for her contributions to Kannada cinema throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She has been honored with four Karnataka State Film Awards as well as four Filmfare Awards South. In addition to her Kannada filmography, Aarathi also featured in selected productions within Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, and Malayalam cinema.

Her acting career commenced with a supporting role in the Kannada movie Gejje Pooje (1969). Aarathi rose to prominence through her collaborations with director Puttanna Kanagal, starring in adaptations such as Upasane (1974), Shubhamangala (1975), Bili Hendthi (1975), Dharmasere (1979), and Ranganayaki (1981). She received critical acclaim and secured her first Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress for the socially impactful Naagarahaavu (1972). Other significant titles in her career include Bangaarada Panjara (1974), Daari Tappida Maga (1975), Katha Sangama (1976), Premada Kanike (1976), and Hombisilu (1978).

Following her retirement from acting in 1986, Aarathi transitioned into directing, debuting with Mithayi Mane (2005), which won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Children's Film. She was also nominated as a Member of the Legislative Council of the Vidhana parishad, becoming only the second actress after B. Jayamma to attain this role.

Early roles and rise to fame

Aarathi's first screen appearance was in a minor part in Gejje Pooje (1969), directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Her inaugural lead performance occurred in the comedy Takka Bitre Sikka (1970), where she starred opposite Srinath. She undertook supporting roles in several films featuring Rajkumar, including Kasturi Nivasa (1971) and Bangarada Manushya (1972), before sharing lead billing with him in movies such as Sipayi Ramu (1972) and Premada Kanike (1976).

Her breakthrough role was in Kanagal’s Naagarahaavu (1972), portraying the character Alamelu, which earned her the prestigious Karnataka State Film Award. The film achieved commercial success, running for over 20 weeks across Karnataka, and introduced actor Vishnuvardhan, with whom Aarathi collaborated on numerous subsequent projects.

Partnership with Puttanna Kanagal

From their initial collaboration on Gejje Pooje (1969) through to their final joint venture, Ranganayaki (1981), Kanagal frequently cast Aarathi. During the production of Bili Hendthi (1975), they entered into a secret marriage despite Kanagal’s existing marital status. He developed compelling, female-focused roles tailored for Aarathi, leading to acclaimed films like Edakallu Guddada Mele (1973), Upasane (1974), and Paduvaaralli Pandavaru (1978). All eight of Aarathi’s significant awards—comprising four Karnataka State Film Awards and four Filmfare South honors—were earned through Kanagal-directed projects. Their professional association concluded following their separation after completing Ranganayaki.

Broad acclaim and departure from acting

Outside of her work with Kanagal, Aarathi enjoyed commercial success alongside prominent actors including Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Srinath, Ambareesh, Anant Nag, and Tiger Prabhakar. She featured in 12 hit films opposite Rajkumar and formed a prolific on-screen partnership with Vishnuvardhan across approximately 16 to 17 films such as Hanthakana Sanchu (1980) and Khaidi (1984).

She also led female-centric films directed by other notable filmmakers, including titles like Mahathyaga (1974), Hombisilu (1978), Manini (1979), and Samarpane (1983). After marrying for a second time in 1986, Aarathi withdrew from acting; her last released movie was titled Tiger.

Director


Year	Title	Remarks
1986	Namma Nammalli	Bangalore DD television series
2005	Mithayi Mane	Recipient of the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Children Film

Actress

rowspan="5"| 1979 rowspan="5"| 1980 |'Bangarada Jinke' || Asha |'Kannada' rowspan="10" 1981 rowspan="10" 1982 rowspan="14" 1983


Year	Title	Character	Language	Remarks
1969	Gejje Pooje	Lalitha	Kannada
1970	Kallara Kalla	Malli	Kannada
	Takka! Bitre Sikka!!	Jayanthi	Kannada
	Inti Gowravam		Telugu
1971	Kasturi Nivasa	Lakshmi	Kannada	Special appearance
	Anugraha	Gowri	Kannada
	Nyayave Devaru	Lalitha	Kannada	Special appearance
	Sri Krishna Rukmini Satyabhama	Jambavathi	Kannada
	Prathidhawani	Usha	Kannada
	Makane Ninakku Vendi	Sophia	Malayalam
1972	Ooriki Upakari		Telugu
	Sipayi Ramu	Champa	Kannada
	Bangarada Manushya	Sharavati	Kannada
	Bhale Huchcha	Chandra	Kannada
	Naagarahaavu	Alamelu	Kannada	Awarded Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
1973	Mane Belagida Sose		Kannada
	Edakallu Guddada Mele	Devaki	Kannada	Honored with Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
	Mooroovare Vajragalu	Rukmini	Kannada
	Mannina Magalu	Sundari	Kannada
1974	Bangaarada Panjara	Mallamma	Kannada
	Upasane	Sharada	Kannada	Winner of Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
	Maha Thyaga	Dr. Saroja	Kannada
	Nanu Baalabeku	Prabha	Kannada
	Bhale Bhatta		Kannada
	Gumasthavin Magal	Seetha	Tamil
1975	Daari Tappida Maga	Radha Devi	Kannada
	Shubhamangala	Hema	Kannada	Awarded Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
	Bili Hendthi	Sharada	Kannada
	Devara Kannu	Sandhya	Kannada
1976	Katha Sangama	Munithayi	Kannada	Recipient of Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
	Hosilu Mettida Hennu		Kannada
	Premada Kanike	Seetha	Kannada
	Punaradatta	Padmini	Kannada
	Bahaddur Gandu	Radha	Kannada
	Raja Nanna Raja	Ganga/Geetha	Kannada
	Baalu Jenu	Geetha	Kannada
	Phalitamsha	Sheela	Kannada
	Aparadhi	Usha	Kannada
1977	Maagiya Kanasu	Radha	Kannada
	Pavana Ganga	Ganga	Kannada
	Anuroopa	Asha	Kannada
1978	Kudure Mukha	Rekha	Kannada
	Hombisilu	Dr. Roopa	Kannada
	Maathu Tappada Maga	Revathi	Kannada
	Muyyige Muyyi	Uma	Kannada
	Paduvaaralli Pandavaru	Journalist	Kannada	Special appearance
	Anuraga Bandhana		Kannada
	Premayana	Pammi	Kannada
	Vasantha Lakshmi	Vasantha	Kannada
	Balu Aparoopa Nam Jodi	Suji	Kannada
Dharmasere	Tunga	Kannada	Recipient of Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada, Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
Adalu Badalu	Radha	Kannada
Naniruvude Ninagagi	Sarasa	Kannada
Manini	Hema/Prema	Kannada
Nentaro Gantu Kallaro	Shobha	Kannada
Bhaktha Siriyala	Mangala	Kannada
Hanthakana Sanchu	Anita	Kannada
'Nyaya Neethi Dharma'	Revathi	'Kannada'	' '
'Anurakthe'	Sumi	'Kannada'	' '
'Ranganayaki''	'Ranganayaki/ Mala'	'Kannada'	'Recipient of Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada, Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress '
''Thayiya Madilalli''	'Ganga'	'Kannada'	' '
''Naari Swargakke Daari''	'Seetha'	'Kannada'	' '
''Ganesha Mahime''	'Saraswati'	'Kannada'	' '
''Bhagyavantha''	'Seeta'	'Kannada'	' '
''Chadurida Chitragalu''	'Ganga'	'Kannada'	' '
''Bhagyada Belaku''	'Janaki'	'Kannada'	' '
''Edeyuru Siddalingeshwara''	'Basamma'	'Kannada'	' '
''Preethisi Nodu''	'Madhu'	'Kannada'	' '
''Pedda Gedda''	'Jyothi'	'Kannada'	' '
'Archana''	'Archana'	'Kannada'	' '
''Mullina Gulabi''	'Mala'	'Kannada'	' '
''Karmika Kallanalla''	'Lakshmi'	'Kannada'	' '
''Mava Sose Saval''	'Radha'	'Kannada'	' '
'Parajitha''	'Dr. Rani'	'Kannada'	' '
''Nyaya Yellide''	'Inspector Durga'	'Kannada'	' '
''Kannu Terasida Hennu''	'Arundhati'	'Kannada'	' '
"Suvarna Sethuve"	"Saroja Teacher"	"Kannada"	" "
"Hasyaratna Ramakrishna"	"Kamala"	"Kannada"	" "
"Raja Maharaja"	" "	"Kannada"	" "
"Tirugu Baana"	"Saroja"	"Kannada"	" "
"Gedda Maga"	"Sheela"	"Kannada"	" "
"Jaggu"	"Roopa/ Mother"	"Kannada"	" "
"Nyaya Gedditu"	"Geetha"	"Kannada"	"Special appearance"
"Kalluveene Nudiyithu"	"Prapulla"	"Kannada"	" "
"Thayiya Nudi"	"Annapoorna"	"Kannada"	" "
"Sididedda Sahodara"	"Latha"	"Kannada"	" "
"Kranthiyogi Basavanna"	"Gangambike"	"Kannada"	" "
"Ananda Sagara"	"Shanthi"	"Kannada"	" "
"Gandharvagiri"	"Netravati"	"Kannada"	" "

External links