Veteran south Indian actress Jamuna passed away at the age of 86 at her residence in Hyderabad on Friday due to age-related ailments.
Jamuna has acted in over 200 movies across Telugu, Tamil, and other industries, but it was her role in 'Missamma' that gained her immense popularity and stole a million hearts.
Jamuna was born in Karnataka's Hampi on August 30, 1936. Her parents, Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kowsalya Devi, moved to Andhra Pradesh later.
She received her primary education at Duggirala in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and was a stage artist in her school days. Jamuna, whose real name was Jana Bai, made her acting debut in 1953 at the age of 16 with 'Puttillu' directed by Garikapari Rajarao.
However, it was LV Prasad's Missamma (1955) that gave her recognition. She played a supporting character in the film with the lead roles played by NT Rama Rao, Savitri, and Akkineni Nageswara Rao. In a career spanning four decades, she donned various roles and acted with the legendary actors of her time.
Jamuna also acted in 11 Hindi films. She won the Filmfare award for best supporting actress for Milan (1967), starring Sunil Dutt and Nutan. It was a remake of the Telugu movie Mooga Manasulu (1964), which featured Jamuna along with Nageswara Rao and Savitri.
Jamuna also plunged into politics by extending her support to Congress and later switching to BJP. In 1980, she joined the Congress party after being impressed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She was then elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajahmundry in 1989. However, she left politics following her defeat in 1991. She later joined the BJP and campaigned for the party in the late 1990s.
Celebs from Tollywood took to social media to mourn her passing.
(With IANS inputs)