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{{Short description|Indian actress and producer (1918–1999)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| name = M. V. Rajamma
| image = MVRajamma.jpg
| caption = Rajamma in the 1940s
| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|3|10|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Akandanahalli, [[Kingdom of Mysore]], [[British Raj|British India]] (now [[Karnataka]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|2000|7|6|1921|3|10|df=yes}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/00jul8/nation.htm|title=Tribuneindia... Nation}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| occupation = Actress, film producer, playback singer
| years_active = 1932–1985
| spouse = M. C. Veerappa
| children =
| parents = Subbamma & Nanjappa
}}

'''M. V. Rajamma''' (10 March 1921 – 6 July 2000) was an Indian actress, producer and playback singer of films mostly in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]] languages from the 1930s through 1970s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwart South Indian actors such as [[Dr. Rajkumar]], [[Sivaji Ganesan]], [[M. G. Ramachandran|MGR]] and [[N. T. Rama Rao|NTR]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kalyanamalaimagazine.com/Content/Thiraichuvai/Oct10_1_15/Potpourri_of_titbits_about_Tamil_cinema_MV_Rajamma.html |title=M. V. Rajamma, the favorite 'Amma' |publisher=Kalyanamalai |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317051924/http://www.kalyanamalaimagazine.com/Content/Thiraichuvai/Oct10_1_15/Potpourri_of_titbits_about_Tamil_cinema_MV_Rajamma.html |archive-date=17 March 2013 }}</ref> [[Karnataka Government]] established ''M. V. Rajamma Award'' in her honor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/599414/annual-film-awards-presented.html|title = Annual film awards presented|date = 4 March 2017}}</ref>

Making her debut as a lead actress in the 1936 released Kannada movie ''[[Samsara Nauka]]'' though she was part of the 1932 silent film Hari Maya, which was produced by Gubbi Veeranna and starred B. Jayamma. Rajamma enjoyed an elaborate career in feature films across South India. She was the first and foremost woman producer in South India and in Kannada films.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} She produced the film ''[[Radha Ramana (film)|Radha Ramana]]'' in 1943 under her own home banner Vijaya Films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reelbox.tv/kannada/cinenews/do-you-know-the-first-woman-producer-of-kannada-|title=Do you know the First Woman Producer of Kannada?|publisher=Reelbox|access-date=30 June 2014|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228093717/http://reelbox.tv/kannada/cinenews/do-you-know-the-first-woman-producer-of-kannada-|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her entry to the Tamil films was through the 1940 classic hit film ''[[Uthama Puthiran (1940 film)|Uthama Puthiran]]''. She went on to star in about 60 Kannada, 80 Tamil, 20 Telugu and one Hindi films in her career spanning around four decades.

==Early life==
Rajamma was born in 1921 at Agandanahalli, a village in today's [[Bangalore Urban district]], hitherto a part of [[Kingdom of Mysore]]. Her father Nanjappa, a merchant, was fond of [[Stage (theatre)|stage]] and encouraged her to act. Rajamma joined the theatre group Chandrakala Nataka Mandali as a teenager and performed in plays alongside [[B. R. Panthulu]], who she would go on to collaborate frequently on stage and in films.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhaktavatsala |first1=M. |title=The two of a pair |url=http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug29/enter.htm |publisher=Deccan Herald |access-date=30 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000607193856/http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug29/enter.htm |archive-date=7 June 2000 |date=29 August 1999}}</ref> She did her schooling at the Arya Balika school in Bangalore till the 8th grade. She later shifted base to Chennai for doing films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kannadaratna.com/cinema/nayaki/rajamma.html|title=MV Rajamma article|publisher=Kannada Ratna|access-date=30 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024031418/http://www.kannadaratna.com/cinema/nayaki/rajamma.html|archive-date=24 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career==
In the early 1930s, Rajamma was attracted to the stage theatre and entered the field at a time when male actors disguised themselves to play female characters. Rajamma enacted several inspiring roles in dramas such as ''Samsara Nauke'', ''Gauthama Buddha'' and ''Subhadra''. In 1935, when one of her stage plays ''Samsara Nauke'' was made into a film, she was cast again as the lead actress opposite to Panthulu. They went on to work together in many films for about 20 years. In 1940, she entered Tamil film industry in Chennai with the film ''[[Uthama Puthiran (1940 film)|Uthama Puthiran]]''. From then on, she became one of the most sought after actresses across all the South Indian film industries. After her marriage, she concentrated mainly on playing motherly roles to the actors whom she had paired as a heroine earlier.

In 1943, Rajamma took her career to another level by producing the Kannada film ''[[Radha Ramana (film)|Radha Ramana]]'' directed by Jyothish Sinha that featured herself opposite B. R. Panthulu in the lead. Acclaimed artists such as [[Balakrishna (Kannada actor)|Balakrishna]] and [[G. V. Iyer]] were introduced through this film. It went on to perform well at the box-office which resulted in her second production venture ''[[Makkala Rajya]]'' (1960). Though the film was lauded by the critics, the box-office collections soared which made her back off from film production for a long while. However, she went on to star in many box-office blockbusters in both Kannada and Tamil film industries.

Some of the most popular Kannada films featuring Rajamma as a lead actress were ''[[Bhakta Prahlada (1942 Kannada film)|Bhakta Prahalada]]'' (1942), ''[[Rathnagiri Rahasya]]'' (1957), ''[[School Master (1958 film)|School Master]]'' (1958), ''[[Abba Aa Hudugi]]'' (1959) among others.

==Awards==
* 1997-98 - [[Dr. Rajkumar Award|Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award]] by the [[Karnataka Government]].

==Selected filmography==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Film !! Language
!Role!! Notes
|-
|1935 || ''[[Samsara Nauka]]'' || [[Kannada]]
| Sarala || Debut as actor
|-
|1938 || ''[[Yayathi]]'' || [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| Devayani ||
|-
|1940 || ''[[Uthama Puthiran (1940 film)|Uthama Puthiran]]'' || Tamil
| Meenatchi ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[Gumasthavin Penn]]'' || Tamil
| Seetha ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[Madana Kama Rajan]]'' || Tamil
| Sathyavathi ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[Ananthasayanam (1942 film)|Ananthasayanam]]'' || Tamil
| Susheela ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[Bhakta Prahlada (1942 Kannada film)|Bhakta Prahlada]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1943 || ''[[Radha Ramana (film)|Radha Ramana]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1945 || ''[[Mayalokam]]'' || Telugu || ||
|-
|1946 || ''[[Arthanaari]]'' || Tamil
| Punyavathi ||
|-
|1946 || ''[[Vijayalakshmi (film)|Vijayalakshmi]]'' || Tamil
| Vijayalakshmi ||
|-
|1947 || ''[[Yogi Vemana (film)|Yogi Vemana]]'' || [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
| ||
|-
|1948 || ''[[Gnana Soundari (Citadel film)|Gnana Soundari]]'' || Tamil
| Gnana Soundari ||
|-
|1948 || ''[[Gokuladasi]]'' || Tamil
| Anuradha ||
|-
|1949 || ''[[Velaikari]]'' || Tamil
| Amritham ||
|-
|1950 || ''[[Laila Majnu (1950 film)|Laila Majnu]]'' || Tamil
| [[Layla and Majnu#|Layla]] ||
|-
|1950 || ''[[Parijatham (1950 film)|Parijatham]]'' || Tamil
| [[Rukmini]] ||
|-
|1950 || ''[[Raja Vikrama]]'' || Tamil
| Kamini ||
|-
|1952 || ''[[Thai Ullam]]'' || Tamil
| Nirmala ||
|-
|1952 || ''[[Penn Manam]]'' || Tamil
|Meenakshi ||
|-
|1952 || ''[[Zamindar (1952 film)|Zamindar]]'' || Tamil
| Allikulam ||
|-
|1953 || ''[[Ulagam]]'' || Tamil
| Meena ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[Karkottai]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[Iddaru Pellalu]]'' || Telugu
| Radha ||
|-
|1955 || ''[[Mudhal Thethi|Modala Thedi]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1955 || ''[[Shivasharane Nambekka]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1957 || ''[[Thangamalai Ragasiyam]]'' || Tamil
| Kumutha ||
|-
|1957 || ''[[Rathnagiri Rahasya]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1957 || ''[[Manalane Mangayin Bhagyam]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1958 || ''[[School Master (1958 film)|School Master]]'' ||Kannada
| Seetha ||
|-
|1958 || ''[[School Master (1958 film)|Engal Kudumbam Perisu]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1958 || ''[[Illarame Nallaram]]'' || Tamil
| Malathi ||
|-
|1959 || ''[[Bhaaga Pirivinai]]'' || Tamil
| Meenakshi ||
|-
|1959 || ''[[Abba Aa Hudugi]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1960 || ''[[Makkala Rajya|Kuzhandaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1960 || ''[[Makkala Rajya]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1960 || ''Kairaasi'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1961 || ''[[Kittur Chennamma (film)|Kittur Chennamma]]'' || Kannada
| Rudrambe ||
|-
|1961 || ''[[Paava Mannippu]]'' || Tamil
| Maragatham ||
|-
|1961 || ''[[Thayilla Pillai]]'' || Tamil
| Parvathi ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Padithal Mattum Podhuma]]'' || Tamil
| Rao Bahadur's wife ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Aadi Perukku (film)|Aadi Perukku]]'' || Tamil
| Parvathi ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Kudumba Thalaivan]]''|| Tamil
| Velamma ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Thayi Karulu]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Deivathin Deivam]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Gaali Gopura]]'' || Kannada
| Shantha ||
|-
|1962 || ''Gaali Medalu'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Bandha Pasam]]'' || Tamil
| Meenakshi ||
|-
|1962 || ''[[Paadha Kaanikkai]]'' || Tamil
| Parvathi ||
|-
|1963 ||''[[Panathottam]]''|| Tamil
| Thangamma ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum]]''|| Tamil
| Sadanandam's wife ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[Sathi Shakthi]]'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[Kunkhumam]]'' || Tamil
| Vedhavalli ||
|-
|1964 || ''[[Chinnada Gombe]]'' || Kannada
| Meenakshi ||
|-
|1964 || ''[[Pasamum Nesamum]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1964 || ''[[Vazkai Vazhvatharke]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1964 || ''[[Karnan (1964 film)|Karnan]]'' || Tamil
| [[Kunti|Kunti Devi]] ||
|-
|1964 ||''[[Muradan Muthu]]'' || |Tamil
| Maruthamuthu's wife ||
|-
|1965 || ''Thayin Karunai'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1965 || ''[[Vaazhkai Padagu]]'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1966 || ''Enga Paapa'' || Tamil
| ||
|-
|1966 || ''[[Emme Thammanna]]'' || Kannada
| Kaveri ||
|-
|1966 || ''[[Dudde Doddappa]]'' || Kannada
| Sharada ||
|-
|1968 || ''[[Amma (1968 film)|Amma]]'' || Kannada
| Seetha ||
|-
|1970 || ''[[Sri Krishnadevaraya (film)|Sri Krishnadevaraya]]'' || Kannada
| Kamala ||
|-
|1970 || ''[[Thedi Vandha Mappillai]]'' || Tamil
| Parvati Ammal ||
|-
|1971 || ''[[Thayi Devaru]]'' || Kannada
| Gowri ||
|-
|1971 || ''Malathi Madhava'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Jaga Mecchida Maga]]'' || Kannada
| Kausalyadevi ||
|-
|1972 || ''Ondu Hennina Kathe'' || Kannada
| ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Badi Panthulu]]'' || Telugu
| ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[Bangaarada Panjara]]'' || Kannada
| Nanjamma ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[Sampathige Savaal]]'' || Kannada
| Parvathi ||
|-
|1975 || ''[[Daari Tappida Maga]]'' || Kannada
| Prakash and Prasad's mother ||
|-
|1975 || ''[[Thrimurthy]]'' || Kannada
| Savitri ||
|-
|1976 || ''[[Besuge]]'' || Kannada
| Nagu ||
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0530820}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130317051924/http://www.kalyanamalaimagazine.com/Content/Thiraichuvai/Oct10_1_15/Potpourri_of_titbits_about_Tamil_cinema_MV_Rajamma.html Potpourri of titbits about M. V. Rajamma]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajamma, M. V.}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Kannada cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Telugu cinema]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Kannada-language playback singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners]]
[[Category:Indian women film producers]]
[[Category:Film producers from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Kannada film producers]]
[[Category:Indian women songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian songwriters]]
[[Category:People from Bangalore Rural district]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Singers from Karnataka]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Film musicians from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Businesswomen from Karnataka]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesswomen]]

M. V. Rajamma - Revision history

Smasher at 18:09, 7 May 2026