Info at 00:06, 8 January 2026

2026-01-08T00:06:36Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{short description|Indian playback singer (1931–2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = C. S. Radhadevi
| image = CS_radha_devi.JPG
| image_size =
| caption = C. S. Radhadevi
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year|1931}}
| birth_place = [[Travancore]], British India
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|07|07|1931}}
| death_place = [[Thiruvananthapuram]], [[Kerala]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Solo singer, dubbing artist, radio artist
| spouse = N. Narayanan Nair
| years_active =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| background = solo_singer
| genre = {{flat list|
* [[playback singer|Playback singing]]
* [[Filmi]]
}}
| instrument = Vocals
| label =
}}
| honours = [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] <br/> [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] <br/> Gurupooja Award by [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]] <br/> [[Kerala Film Critics Award]] <br/> [[Kerala State Film Awards|Kerala State Film Award]] for Outstanding Contribution to Malayalam Cinema
| website =
}}
'''C. S. Radhadevi''' (1931 – 7 July 2025) was a playback singer, dubbing artist, radio artist and actor from [[Kerala]], India. Radhadevi has been in the field of [[Malayalam]] radio broadcasting for seven decades. She has sung in over thirty films in a span of 30 years. She has received many awards including [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]], [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]], Gurupooja Award by [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]], [[Kerala Film Critics Award]] and the [[Kerala State Film Awards|Kerala State Film Award]] for her ''Outstanding Contribution to Malayalam Cinema''.

==Biography==
C. S. Radhadevi was born in 1931, in [[Travancore]], the daughter of Sivasankara Pillai and Chellamma.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award 2019, Handbook |date=2019 |publisher=Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academi}}</ref><ref name="malayalasangeetham"/> From a young age she was interested in dance and music. Radhadevi's first gurus were Vaikom Mani Iyer and Iraniyal Thankappan.<ref name="malayalasangeetham">{{cite web |title=Profile of Malayalam Singer CS Radhadevi |url=https://malayalasangeetham.info/displayProfile.php?category=singers&artist=CS%20Radhadevi |website=malayalasangeetham.info}}</ref> She learned [[Carnatic music]] from Ramanatha Bhagavathar of [[Madras]]. She later studied music at the Thycaud Music Academy for one year.<ref name="Mathrubhumi">{{cite news |title=ശ്രുതിസാന്ദ്രമായ മധുരഗാനം |url=https://archives.mathrubhumi.com/thiruvananthapuram/nagaram/article-1.4006349 |work=[[Mathrubhumi]] Archives |language=en}}</ref>

===Personal life and death===
Radhadevi and her husband N. Narayanan Nair, who was a University Assistant Registrar, have one son N. Nandagopan.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> She was staying at Malikappurakkal house on Uppalam Road, Pulimoottil, [[Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref name="Deshabhimani">{{cite news |title=തീരാ‍ത്ത പാട്ടുകള്‍, തോരാത്ത ഓര്‍മ്മകള്‍ |url=https://www.deshabhimani.com/music/g-venugopal-on-c-s-radhadevi/609249 |work=[[Deshabhimani]] |language=ml}}</ref> Radhadevi died on July 7, 2025, at her residence in Thiruvananthapuram.<ref name="From duet">{{cite news |title=From duet with Yesudas's father to silver screen stardom: Remembering AIR artist CS Radhadevi |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/from-duet-with-yesudass-father-to-silver-screen-stardom-remembering-air-artist-cs-radhadevi-u49gwtwx |work=@mathrubhumi |date=8 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
Radhadevi started acting at the age of 13, by acting in a dance scene in the play ''Parivarthanam'' by [[T. N. Gopinathan Nair]].<ref name="Deshabhimani2">{{cite news |title=മലയാളിയുടെ റേഡിയോക്കാരി |url=https://www.deshabhimani.com/women/profile/write-up-about-cs-radhadevi-97474 |work=Deshabhimani |language=ml}}</ref> She later acted in the lead role in the play ''Ballatha Pahayan'' directed by [[Bahadoor]].<ref name="Deshabhimani2"/> Her father Sivasankara Pillai initially opposed her acting.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

In 1944, at the age of 13, she made her film debut by singing and dancing to the song ''Murali Murali Nee Radha Manasahari'' with T. K. Balachandran in the movie ''Yachakamohini'' by Attar Parameswaran Pillai, but the movie has not been released.<ref name="Deshabhimani2"/> She also acted as a child actress in the Tamil film ''Ambikapathy''.<ref name="Janayugom">{{Cite web |date=2025-07-07 |title=ആദ്യകാല ചലച്ചിത്ര, നാടക നടിയും പിന്നണി ഗായികയുമായ സി എസ് രാധാദേവി അന്തരിച്ചു |url=https://janayugomonline.com/early-film-and-theater-actress-and-playback-singer-cs-radhadevi-passes-away/ |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=Janayugom Online |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1948, she acted as the second heroine in the film ''Stree'' starring [[Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair]].<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> Later she played the lead role in the play ''Ballatha Pahayan'' directed by actor Bahadur.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> Since her family didn't like her acting in movies, she couldn't continue acting.<ref name="Deshabhimani2"/>

Radhadevi has been active in the field of playback singing since the early days of Malayalam cinema. Thirunayinarkurichi Madhavan Nair brought Radhadevi to playback singing.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> She first sang with [[K. J. Yesudas|Yesudas]]' father Augustine Joseph in a song by Dakshinamurthy in the 1950 film ''Nallathanka''.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> She has sung in over thirty films in a span of 30 years.<ref name="pookalam"/>

Radhadevi has been in the field of Malayalam radio broadcasting for seven decades.<ref name="pookalam">{{cite web |title=ശബ്‌ദനായിക – സി എസ് രാധാദേവി – പൂക്കാലം |url=https://pookalam.kerala.gov.in/2022/03/11/the-heroine-of-the-sound-art-cs-radhadevi/ |website=pookalam.kerala.gov.in |publisher=Government of Kerala }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She started conducting musical programs in the Travancore radio station in 1942 and joined [[All India Radio]] in 1950 as an artist.<ref name="pookalam"/> While working in All India Radio, Radhadevi has entered the dubbing industry and has lent her voice in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

As a dubbing artist, Radhadevi first voiced for a child actress in the film ''Vanamala'' (1951) directed by G. Viswanath.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title='യേശുദാസ് താമസമെന്തേ പാടി; കോരിത്തരിപ്പോടെ ഞാൻ കേട്ടിരുന്നു' |url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/columns/singer-cs-radhadevi-birthday-special-randidangazhi-movie-song-1.5718933 |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=Mathrubhumi |date=3 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Her first dubbing for a heroine was in the film ''Jnanasundari'' (1961).<ref name=":0" /> She also dubbed to characters in Malayalam films such as ''Sita'', ''Snapaka Yohannan'', ''Bhaktakuchela'', ''Kadal'', and ''Ana Valarthiya Vanambadi''.<ref name="Janayugom"/>

==Awards and honours==
In 1983, Radhamani received the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.keralaculture.org/prakshepana-kala-a-ksna/474 |title=Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Prakshepana Kala |publisher=Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala|access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref> In 2018, she was honoured with the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]].<ref name="pookalam"/> She also received many other awards including Gurupooja Award by [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]], [[Kerala Film Critics Award]], the Tagore Jayanti Award, the [[Kerala State Film Awards|Kerala State Film Award]] for Outstanding Contribution to Malayalam Cinema, the Natyagriham Award, TR Sukumaran Nair Memorial Award, Swathithirunal Sangeethasabha Award, Swaram Award, Bharathiyakalapeedam Sangeeta Samgama Puraskaram and the All India Radio Award for service of 60 Years.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/><ref name="malayalasangeetham"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radhadevi, C. S.}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:Singers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian women playback singers]]
[[Category:Kerala State Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language playback singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Film musicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]]

C. S. Radhadevi - Revision history

Info at 00:06, 8 January 2026