Sindhu at 23:45, 7 February 2026

2026-02-07T23:45:56Z

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{{Short description|Indian actress and dancer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kumari Rukmani
| image = Kumari Rukmani.jpg
| caption = Rukmani in the 1940s
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|04|19}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2007|09|04|1929|04|19}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| other_names =
| known_for =
| education =
| occupation = [[Actor]]
| spouse = [[Y. V. Rao]]
| children = [[Lakshmi (actress)|Lakshmi]]
| parents = Nungambakkam Janaki
| relatives = [[Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran]] (granddaughter)
| years_active = 1935–2000
}}

'''Kumari Rukmani''' (19 April 1929<ref>{{cite journal |title=Birthdays of Film stars |journal=Kundoosi |year=1951 |pages=34–35 |language=Tamil}}</ref> – 4 September 2007), also known as '''Kumari Rukmini''',<ref name=lavangi /> was an Indian actress and dancer. She has acted in about 100 films in [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]], [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] and [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]] languages.<ref name=hindu>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/yesteryear-actor-rukmani-dies/article1905463.ece |title=Yesteryear actor Rukmani dies |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=5 September 2007 |accessdate=19 November 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119052200/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/yesteryear-actor-rukmani-dies/article1905463.ece |archivedate=19 November 2016}}</ref>

==Childhood==
She is the daughter of Nungambakkam Janaki, also an actress. She hails from [[Melattur, Tamil Nadu|Melattur]] in [[Thanjavur district]].
During the shooting of ''[[Harishchandra (1932 film)|Harishchandra]]'' (1932) in [[Bombay]] (now [[Mumbai]]) the producers were looking for a young actor to feature as ''Lohidasan''. Kumari Rukmani, as a child, was staying with her parents in the next room where [[T. P. Rajalakshmi]] who was the female lead in the film, was staying. Rajalakshmi recommended Kumari Rukmani to the producers. The producers talked to the parents and made Kumari Rukmani to feature as ''Lohidasan'' in the film. Thus began her film career.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tamil.thehindu.com/cinema/cinema-others/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%B8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%AF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BF/article7645448.ece |title=சூப்பர் ஸ்டார்களின் கதாநாயகி! |newspaper=The Hindu |language=Tamil |date=12 September 2015 |accessdate=19 November 2016 |trans-title=Heroine of super stars |archive-date=9 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109105803/http://tamil.thehindu.com/cinema/cinema-others/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%B8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%AF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BF/article7645448.ece |url-status=live}} ([https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=ta&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Ftamil.thehindu.com%2Fcinema%2Fcinema-others%2F%25E0%25AE%259A%25E0%25AF%2582%25E0%25AE%25AA%25E0%25AF%258D%25E0%25AE%25AA%25E0%25AE%25B0%25E0%25AF%258D-%25E0%25AE%25B8%25E0%25AF%258D%25E0%25AE%259F%25E0%25AE%25BE%25E0%25AE%25B0%25E0%25AF%258D%25E0%25AE%2595%25E0%25AE%25B3%25E0%25AE%25BF%25E0%25AE%25A9%25E0%25AF%258D-%25E0%25AE%2595%25E0%25AE%25A4%25E0%25AE%25BE%25E0%25AE%25A8%25E0%25AE%25BE%25E0%25AE%25AF%25E0%25AE%2595%25E0%25AE%25BF%2Farticle7645448.ece English translation])</ref>

==Film career==
[[File:Kumari_rukmini_in_AVM_SriValli.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Rukmani in 1945 film ''[[Sri Valli (1945 film)|Sri Valli]]'']]
She featured in many films together with T. P. Rajalakshmi. Her first film as heroine was [[Sri Valli (1945 film)|Sri Valli]] in which she acted as Valli paired with [[T. R. Mahalingam (actor)|T. R. Mahalingam]].<ref name=hindu />
In 1946 she featured in [[Lavangi]] paired with the multi-talented [[Y. V. Rao]]. While the shooting of this film was going on both she and Rao fell in love with each other and later got married. Cine actress [[Lakshmi (actress)|Lakshmi]] is their daughter.<ref name=lavangi>{{cite web |author=Randor Guy |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/lavangi-1946/article4750082.ece |title=Blast from the past - lavangi 1946 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=25 May 2013 |accessdate=19 November 2016 |quote=The heroine was Kumari Rukmini, daughter of dancer Nungambakkam Janaki. She entered films as Baby Rukmini and went on to become a star. |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130910173841/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/lavangi-1946/article4750082.ece |archivedate=10 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Partial filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1935 || ''Harichandra'' || Lohidasan || Child Artist
|-
| 1937 || ''[[Chintamani (1937 film)|Chintamani]]'' || || Child Artist
|-
| 1937 || ''[[Balayogini]]'' || || Child Artist
|-
| 1938 || ''[[Desa Munnetram]]'' || || Child Artist
|-
| 1941 || ''[[Rishyasringar (1941 film)|Rishyasringar]]'' || || Child Artist
|-
| 1945 || ''[[Sri Valli (1945 film)|Sri Valli]]'' || [[Valli|Goddess Valli]] ||
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Lavangi]]'' || [[Jagannatha Pandita Rayalu]]'s wife ||
|-
| 1947 ||''[[Pankajavalli (film)|Pankajavalli]]'' || [[Lord Krishna]] ||
|-
| 1948 || ''Ramadas'' || ||
|-
| 1955 || ''[[Mullaivanam]]'' || ||
|-
| 1961 || ''[[Kappalotiya Thamizhan]]<ref name=hindu />'' || Meenakshi Ammal ||[[V. O. Chidambaram Pillai]]'s wife
|-
| 1961 || ''[[Sri Valli (1961 film)|Sri Valli]]'' || ||
|-
| 1963 || ''[[Mani Osai]]<ref name=hindu />'' || ||
|-
| 1963 || ''[[Idhayathil Nee]]'' || ||
|-
| 1963 || ''[[Kadavulai Kanden]]'' || ||
|-
| 1963 ||''[[Paar Magaley Paar|Paar Magaleya Paar]]''
||Sekar Mother
|
|-
| 1964 ||''[[Poompuhar (film)|Poompuhar]]''||Govalan Mother||
|-
| 1964 || ''[[Karnan (1964 film)|Karnan]]'' || [[Radha (Mahābhārata)|Radha]] Karnan Step Mother ||
|-
|1964
|''[[Navarathri (1964 film)|Navarathri]]''
|Ananth Mother
|
|-
| 1965 || ''[[Vennira Aadai]]<ref name=hindu />'' || Seetha ||
|-
| 1965 || ''[[Idhayak Kamalam]]<ref name=hindu />'' ||Baskar Mother
|
|-
|1966
|''Thedi Vantha Thirumagal''
|
|
|-
| 1970 || ''[[Vilaiyaattu Pillai]]'' || ||
|-
|1970
|''[[Thalaivan (1970 film)|Thalaivan]]''
|Manimegalai
|
|-
| 1970 || ''[[Mayani Mamata]]'' ||
||Telugu film
|-
| 1971 ||''[[Avalukendru Or Manam]]''||Rajam
|
|-
| 1971 || ''[[Irulum Oliyum]]'' || ||
|-
|1971 ||''[[Moondru Dheivangal|Moondrudeivangal]]''
|| ||
|-
| 1973 || ''[[Karaikkal Ammaiyar (1973 film)|Karaikkal Ammaiyar]]'' || Dharmavathi || [[Karaikkal Ammaiyar|Punithavathi]]'s mother
|-
| 1976 || ''[[Rojavin Raja]]<ref name=hindu />'' ||Visalam
|
|-
| 1978 ||''[[Ennai Pol Oruvan]]''
||Sekar Mother
|
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Kandukondain Kandukondain]]'' || Sivagnanam's mother ||
|}

==Producer==
She has produced two films in Hindi, with Lavangi and Manjari.<ref name=hindu />

==Death==
After ailing for some time, Kumari Rukmani died on 4 September 2007 at her daughter actress [[Lakshmi]] residence in Chennai.<ref name=hindu />

==K. T. Rukmini==
There was another actress/singer named K. T. Rukmini during 1930/40s. She was featured in films like ''[[Menaka (1935 film)|Menaka]]'' (1935), ''Thirumangai Alwar'' (1940) and her last film was ''Ponnuruvi'' (1947).

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{BH person|rukmani|Rukmani}}
* {{IMDb name|name=Rukmini}}
* {{youTube|d7qBIr8QqyA|Chyamalan Vanthaaradi}} - A song sung by Kumari Rukmani from the film Ramadas (1948)
* {{youTube|5tUPGiR1Bls|Kalaba Mayile}} - A song sung by K. T. Rukmini (with [[Kothamangalam Seenu]] from the film Thirumangai Alvar (1940)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rukmini, Kumari}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Chennai]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses in Telugu cinema]]
[[Category:Child actresses in Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:Indian child actresses]]
[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]

Kumari Rukmani - Revision history

Sindhu at 23:45, 7 February 2026