Tuesday, June 1, 2010

TRAVANCORE SISTERS --.LALITHA,PADMINI,RAGINI

Born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum) in what was then the princely state of Travancore (now the Indian state of Kerala), Padmini was the second daughter of Thankappan Pillai and Saraswathi Amma.Together, the threesome were known as the Travancore sisters.Padmini and her sisters learnt bharathanatyam from Great Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiah pillai. Padmini and her sisters were disciples of the noted Indian dancer Guru Gopinath . They learnt Kerala natanam style of dancing from him. The noted film director, P. Subrahmaniam, noticed her talents while she was presenting ‘Parijatha Pushpapaharanam ‘in Trivandrum.
LALITHA-(ELDEST) ,PADMINI RAGINI [IN THAT ORDER] SISTERS AND ACTRESSES.THEY ACTED IN HINDI,MALAYALAM AND TAMIL FILMS OF 1950 TO 1980.PADMINI GAINED THE MAXIMUM SUCCESS AND HAD ACTED IN MORE THAN 250 FILMS.THEY HAVE ONE BROTHER ,CHANDRAKUMAR,WHO IS THE FATHER OF

 MALAYALM ACTRESS SHOBHANA

THEIR MOTHER SARASWATHY'S SISTER'S DAUGHTER IS THE 
FAMOUS SUKUMARI WHO HAS ACTED IN MORE THAN 1000 TAMIL AND MALAYALAM,HINDI AND TELGU  FILMS [She has been acting since she was 10 years old]
                        SUKUMARI

PADMINI IN FROCK (BELOW)WITH EXTENDED FAMILY AT MALAYA COTTAGE 1935
another family photo below



Lalitha and Padmini ( Travancore sisters) entertained  Pandit Jawharlal Nehru at a reception given by the officers of the Defence services in Madras on July 26, 1949 at St. Thomas Mount, Madras.

Padmini in Kaattu Roja IN A classical dancer, multi-faceted personality, and talented movie star, she brought rare power, charm, charisma, and great beauty to her many movie roles in Tamil
Vaira malai
 IN Vanjikottai Vaaliban-TAMIL FILM

Kannum Kannum Kalandu -song -Vanjikkootai Vaaliban




Vennilla Vaie -song -Vanjikkootai Vaaliban




Raja Magal-song -Vanjikkootai Vaaliban




Inba Kannavu Onru -song -Vanjikkootai Vaaliban




Padmini & Saroja Devi - Manjalum Tandhal - Thenum Paalum




Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini & Saroja Devi-

 - Nadhiyinil Vellam - Thenum PALUM




Saroja Devi & Sivaji Ganesan in Naan Pesa -

 Palum PaZASaroja Devi & Sivaji Ganesan in Naan Pesa -Ninaipadhelam - Palum PazhamumUM




Alayamaniyin Osai - Palum Pazhamum


Padmini & M. N. Nambiar - Aasai Athane - Arasilankumari

Kaniya Kaniya Mazhalai - M G Ramachandran & Padmini - Mannadhi 

Mannan

Kangal Irandum Inru - M G Ramachandran, Anjali Devi & Padmini -

 -Mannadhi Mannan

Kalayodu Kalandadu Unmai - Padmini - Mannadhi Mannan

Special POSTAL Cover – Travancore Sisters – Cinema
A special cover was released on 01 Oct 2008  on 80th Birthday of Dr Sivaji Ganesan at Chennai. It is specially dedicated to the Travancore sisters Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini who were born in Thiruvanthapuram in what was the erstwhile Princely state of Travancore. The Three sisters were leading actresses of Indian Cinema and acted in a large number of films and worked with leading actors like Sivaji Ganesan , MGR,Raj Kapoor ,Prem Nazir, Rajkumar etc. Padmini had acted with Sivaji Ganesan in 60 Films.
PADMINI AS A FILM ACTRESS
In a interview to shobha warrior padmini said:-The Travancore sisters' initiation into films happened accidentally when an uncle of theirs invited renowned dancer Uday Shankar for dinner during one of their visits to Mumbai. Uday Shankar called the sisters to Madras to act in a film based on dance which he was planning to make.
That is how at the age of 14, Padmini became an actress. Her first Tamil film, 'Manamagal', was a big hit and Padmini became hit in Tamil. While her sisters concentrated only on Malayalam films, Padmini was more active in Tamil. But she remembered one Malayalam film Adhyapika (Teacher) in which she played the teacher. The movie was completed in just 13 days in Trivandrum and got a National Award for that film."
She adds, "We sisters had a lovely time in those days because we were in the same profession. We used to act in films, and dance on stage. We formed a troupe called Dancers of India."
The members of the dance troupe included not only the three sisters but their cousins, Sukumari and Ambika, both well known actresses in Malayalam. (In fact, Sukumari acts in films even today.)
Dance was their passion, not films. What they performed in films -- the snake charmers, Krishna Leela, the story of Radha-Krishna, etc -- were picked up from stage. And, they would travel all around the world with their troupe. In one of their famous dance dramas, Ramayana , Padmini played Sita and her younger sister Ragini, Rama. The eldest Lalitha was Ravana and Sukumari and Ambika danced as Hanuman and Bharatan respectively. "Being the tallest, Ragini always performed the male characters. And, as I was the shortest, I was the female lead all the time."
"I used to play characters who were crying most of the time. Ragini was good at comedy roles and Lalitha in vampish roles."
She then compared the 1940s, when the sisters shone in films, and the 1990s. "There is not much of a difference between then and now. Of course, technically, films have improved a lot. Those days, we used to concentrate only on one film at a time. We used to read the full script and discuss it with the director who was the most important person. And, most of the directors in those days were studio owners and they themselves were the producers."
Though her voice was husky, she used to dub herself in all her films. "I used to act in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. And there was no dubbing for me in any of the languages. For that, you have to put in a lot of effort. I believe that no dubbing artiste can do full justice to what you do on screen. I don't know why today's actresses let their voce be dubbed. Lack of time? Lazy to learn the lines? We used to work three shifts but when we were doing the make-up, the dialogue writer would read the lines to us. That was how we used to learn the lines."
She also told me about how make-up changed when films changed to colour from black and white. "My first colour film was 'Valli' in Tamil. Make-up was completely different in colour. In black and white, we would apply dark make-up with shades but in colour, it was pinkish and plain."
It was in 1952 that Padmini entered the Hindi film industry with a dance in 'Kalpana.' But her full length role was in 'Mr Sampath' (the film was based on a book written by R K Narayan) opposite Moti Lal. Mr Sampath was first made in Tamil with Pushpavalli (Rekha's mother) doing the role Padmini did in Hindi.
After Nargis left RK Studios, Padmini was the first actress to join it. The sisters knew Nargis and Raj Kapoor from 1953 onwards. It was at a cricket match between the film stars of Bombay and Madras that they met Nargis. While Padmini scored the highest for Madras, Nargis did so for Bombay. From that day onwards, both became good friends.
When Nargis and Raj Kapoor came to shoot 'Chori Chori' in Madras, Padmini's mother gave them a house to stay in, close to where the sisters lived. So they used to meet everyday. Nargis used to visit Padmini's shooting and she would go and see Nargis on the sets. But more than Padmini, her younger sister Ragini was closer to Nargis.
In 1957, Lalitha got married and quit films to settle down in Trivandrum. In 1961, Padmini got married to Dr Ramachandran. In 1970, they migrated to the United States.
When I met Padmini in 1996, both Lalitha and Ragini were no more. "I miss them a lot," Padmini had said. "Once when Lalitha came to the United States, I made her dance on stage after 23 long years. We performed together in Chicago. When Ragini came, we performed on stage together. Those were unforgettable moments."
In 1992, when their niece, actress Shobhana, visited Padmini, they performed the dance-drama 'Valli Thirumanam'. Shobhana was Valli and Padmini, Lord Muruga.
I had seen the last film of the late G Aravindan, Vaasthuhara (Mohanlal and Shobhana played the lead) in which Padmini had essayed a small role. I was curious to know how she ended up acting in an Aravindan film. "My son had gone to meet Aravindan. Aravindan asked him whether I would act in his Vaasthuhara. I accepted the role only because I wanted to work with him as I had heard a lot about him. He would barely talk on the sets. If he wanted to tell us something, he would come near us and tell us in a very low vice. He never interfered in our acting. We were given full freedom. Some directors make such a lot of fuss. But Aravindan was very different and I enjoyed the experience."
Among all the actors she had acted with, Sivaji Ganesan and Raj Kapoor were her favourites. She said work was very systematic and disciplined in the South while everything started late in Mumbai. "Sivaji would even reach the location an hour early. That was the kind of discipline he followed," she said.
"I attribute my success and happiness to God. Without God, there is nothing."But fame does not seem to have affected her.
"It all depends on an individual's nature," she replies. "We were brought up in a disciplined way by our mother. There was a "lakshman rekha" we had to obey. Mother came to a strange place (Madras) from Travancore, made us all stars and got us married too ... all arranged marriages and into the best of families.
Was he supportive and understanding? "It was a very happy marriage," she says. "I miss my husband very much. He passed away on September 16, 1981. He was a true lover of the arts and could sing very well. My husband would sit in the first row during my dance recitals and was my best critic
jis desh mai ganga bahti hai songs;RAJ KAPOOR AND PADMINI

Sun Sun Madras Ki MUJRIM (1958).

kkathaa Dhoorathu Kannum Nattu (1984) .... Kunjoonjamma Thomas
RAGINI :-
Malayalam: രാഗിണി) was a South Indian danseuse and actress. She was the youngest of the famed Travancore Sisters -- Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini.[1] With sister Padmini, she started her acting career in mid 1950s and acted in movies of different Indian languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. The era of dance in the Hindi cinema is considered to be begun with the entrance of Ragini and other South Indian actresses.
Selected filmography "An American Dream" (2002) TV series .... Parvathy Amma Vasthuhara (1991) .... Bhavani Poove Poochudava (1985) .... Pungavanathama - Sundari's grandmother

  1. Dard Ka Rishta (1982) .... Guest artist
  2. Ezhamkadalinakkare (1979) .... Radha
  3. Navarathnam (1977)
  4. Gurudakshinai (1976)
  5. Jai Jagat Janani (1976, Hindi)

Ernakulam Junction (1971, Malayalam)
Lankadahanam (1971, Malayalam)
Aranazhikaneram (1970, Malayalam)
Thurukkatha Vathil (1970, Malayalam)
Othenante Makan (1970, Malayalam)
Aadhi Raat Ke Baad (1965, Hindi)
Manavatty (1964, Malayalam)
Gehra Daag (1963, Hindi)
Naag Rani (1963, Hindi)
Shikari (1963, Hindi)
Bharya (1962, Malayalam)
Puthiya Aakasham Puthyiya Bhumi (1962, Malayalam)
Unniyarcha (1961, Malayalam)
Aai Phirse Bahar (1960, Hindi)
Kalpana (1960, Hindi)
Amar Shaheed (1959, Hindi)
Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959, Tamil)
Nayaru Pidicha Pulival (1958, Malayalam)
Amar Deep (1958, Hindi)
Mujrim (1958, Hindi)
Sitamgar (1958, Hindi)
Mr. X (1957, Hindi)
Payal (1957, Hindi)
Qaidi (1957, Hindi)
Thooku Thooki (1954, Tamil

do nigahen teri ashamujrim
Tu Hai Mera Prem Devata
man mora baawra rafiraagini
eh To Kaho Kaun Ho Tum Mukesh
Lata Mangeshkar - 'O Natkhat nanhi laadli' in B.Nagi Reddi's 'Nanha Farishta'
Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai - Hum Bhi Hain Tum Bhi Ho
Pardesi (57) - Naa Dir Dim
Classical based dance from Raagini
Is Jahan Ka Pyar Jhoota 1
O.P. NAYYAR's "Sun Sun Madras ki Chori.." from MUJRIM
Laagi Apni Nazariya Katar 1
Yeh Duniya Rail Niraali
mere man ka bawra panchhi...Lata-tribute to DQ Padmini
LATA & MUKESH - BEGAANI SHADI MEIN - JIS DESH MEIN GANGA BEHTI HAI 1960
Premathin Naattukaariyaanu - Puthiya Akasam Puthiya Bhoomi ( 1962 )
Thaamara Thumbi Vaa - Puthiya Akasam Puthiya Bhoomi ( 1962 )
Periyare Periyare - Bharya ( 1962 )
Omanakayyil Olivila Kombumayi - Bharya ( 1962
Devatharu Pootha Naloru - Manavatti (1964)
Manassinullil Mayakkamkollum - Thurakkaatha Vaathil
Nalikerathinte Nattilenikkoru - Evergreen Malayalam Song
Anupame Azhake
Eeswaran orikkal - Lankadahanam ( 1971
Nakshathra Rajyathe - Lankadahanam ( 1971 )
Swarga Nandini - Lankadahanam ( 1971
Panchavadiyile
Thiruvabharanam Charthi Vidarnnu
PADMINI
She got Filmfare Best Actress Nomination for Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Filmfare Best Supportiung Actress Nomintation for Kaajal and she won the award Kaajal and also won Best actress awards(South) of the Film Fans Association in 1954,'59,'61 and '66.
Her Performances-Kalpana(with Ashok K),Kaajal(with Meena K,Rajkumar,Dharamendra),Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai(with Raj K),Bhai Behan(with Ashok K,Sunil D,Nutan),Mahabharat(with Pradeep K,Dara Singh),Vaasna(with Rajkumar,Biswajeet),Chanda aur Bijli(with Sanjeev Kumar,Sachin) and Mera Naam Joker(with Raj K,Rajendra K,Dharamendra,Manoj K,Simi,Rishi Kapoor)etc.
Padmini co-starred with several of the most well-known actors in Indian film, including Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran, Raj Kapoor, Prem Nazir, Rajkumar and Gemini Ganesan.She acted with Sivaji Ganesan in almost 60 films.
In two of her popular Bollywood films – Mera Naam Joker and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai – she was paired against the legendary Bollywood star, Raj Kapoor. Her other Bollywood films included Payal (1957), Babubhai 
Mistry’s Mahabharat
Her most famous film was Thillana Mohanambal, a Tamil film where she plays a dancer competing against a musician to see whose skills are better. She dances and he plays the Nadhaswaram.
More than 100 students now learn Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, and folk dances at the school. So far, more than 71 arangettams (graduations) were held. Late film actress Richa Sharma, Sanjay Dutt's wife was one of her students.
Padmini has performed dances on Christian themes also. Her "Mary Magdalene" was a very successful dance drama. In addition to her own dance school, she also teaches children at the Kerala Culture Forum in New Jersey. She also has plans to start a school to teach classical Indian Dance forms in Chennai.
She is a founder-member of the Hindu Temple Society of North American. She is also associated with many charities.
 The Kalaimamani Award from Tamil Nadu Government in 1958
* The Best Classical Dancer Award from Moscow Youth Festival in 1957
* Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award for the film Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960)
* Filmfare Best Actress Award for Poove Poochudava (1985)
* Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kaajal (1966)
The Russian Government had awarded the 'Moscow Youth Festival Award' by recognizing her as the best classical dancer in 1957

Awards

  • Best actress award from Film Fans Association in 1954, 1959,1961 and 1966
  • The Kalaimamani Award from Tamil Nadu Government in 1958
Malayalam hits
Many of her Malayalam hits created film history. Mention must be made of `Snehaseema' (1954), a brilliant adaptation of Alfred Tennyson's famous story-poem `Enoch Arden.'Other Malayalam movies include `Adhyapika' (1968) and `Adimagal' (1969). Padmini's reputation as a classic actress of high merit rests on her memorable Tamil movies `Madurai Veeran,' `Amaradeepam' (1956), `Veera Pandiya Kattaboman' (1959), `Chitthi' (1966), `Penn Deivam' (1970), `Vietnam Veedu' (1970) and so on.
GREAT VARIETY: Padmini in Kaattu Roja.

Dance Competition - Padmini & M G Ramachandran - Mannadhi Padmini & M G padmini and PADMINI AND M.G.Ramachandran Mannadhi Mannan

 Aadatha Manamum Undo - M G Ramachandran & Padmini - Mannadhi Mannan

Kannum Kannum Kalandu -song -Vanjikkootai Vaaliban

Thillaana Moganaambaal - Maranthirunthu Paarkkum

Aadatha Manamum Undo - M G Ramachandran & Padmini- - Mannadhi Mannan

Palum Pazhamum

Alayamaniyin Osai - Palum Pazhamum

Padmini (பத்மினி ராமச்சந்திரன்)
(പദ്മിനി )
Padmini (1932-2006)
Born
Padmini
June 12, 1932
Died
September 24, 2006 (aged 74)
Other names
Natiya Peroli, Pappima
Spouse
Ramachandran
ld




Kangal Irandum Inru - M G Ramachandran, Anjali Devi & Padmini



Kaniya Kaniya Mazhalai - M G Ramachandran & Padmini -




TALAT MAHMOOD WITH THE WORLD FAMOUS 'TRAVANCORE SISTERS' OF SOUTH INDIATaking Superstar Talat Mahmood's autograph backstage
after his concert are none other than the famous Travancore
Sisters Ragini and Padmini (star of Raj Kapoor's "Jis Desh
Men Ganga Behti Hai") with their equally famous cousin Sukumari 




THE TALAT MAHMOOD SHOW'  ENGLAND
For Talat's first Concert Tour Of England in 1964,
in his troupe of artistes, he had taken the 'Travancore
 Sisters' as the dance attraction and Johnny Walker
as the comic and compere! 

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