Saritha facts for kids

Saritha is a famous Indian actress. She has acted in over 150 movies and lent her voice to many other actresses in more than 200 films. She has worked in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu movies. During the 1980s, she was one of the most popular and praised lead actresses. She also appeared in a TV show called Selvi. Saritha is also known as a dubbing artist. This means she speaks the lines for other actors. In the 1990s, she dubbed voices for actresses like Nagma, Vijayashanti, Tabu, Sushmita Sen, Ramya Krishnan, and Soundarya.

Saritha has won many awards from different states in India. She has also received six Filmfare Awards and six Nandi Awards. This includes a special award for her role in the movie Arjun. She won the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards four times and the Karnataka State Film Awards once. She also received many awards from film fan groups.

Her Acting Journey

Saritha started her acting career in 1978. Her first movie was Manchiki Sthanam Ledu. After that, she starred in Maro Charitra, a Telugu film. This movie was about a cross-cultural romance. In it, she played a girl who spoke Telugu and acted alongside Kamal Haasan.

She soon got many more roles in Tamil films. The Tamil audience really liked her. She often worked in movies directed by K. Balachander. Some of her well-known films include Thappu Thalangal, Idi Katha Kaadu, Vandichakkaram, Netrikan, Agni Sakshi, Puthukavithai, Kalyana Agathigal, and Achamillai Achamillai. Her acting in Vandichakkaram (1980) and Achamillai Achamillai (1984) earned her the Filmfare Best Tamil Actress awards. She also made special guest appearances as herself in 47 Natkal and its Telugu version.

Saritha also acted in many popular Kannada movies. She worked with the famous Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar in films like Hosa Belaku, Keralida Simha, Bhakta Prahlada, Chalisuva Modagalu, and Kaamana Billu. She was highly praised for her roles in movies where the story focused on the female lead. These include Eradu Rekhegalu, Sankranthi, and the musical Malaya Marutha, where she acted opposite Dr. Vishnuvardhan.

In 1980, she shaved her head for a role as a character with cancer in the movie Sujatha. Later, in 2005, she gained weight to play a complex role in the film Julie Ganapathi. Even though these films were not big box office hits, her performances were highly praised by critics. She also won a Nandi Special Jury Award for her role as Aandaalu in the movie Arjun in 2004.

After a long break from acting, Saritha returned to films in 2023. She appeared in the movie Maaveeran, starring Sivakarthikeyan.

Voice Acting Work

Saritha is also a talented voice actor. She has lent her voice to many other actresses in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil films. Some of the actresses she has dubbed for include Madhavi, Soundarya, Ramya Krishnan, Nagma, Vijayashanti, Simran, Tabu, Sushmita Sen, Roja, Suhasini, Radha, Radhika, and Aarthi Agarwal. She won the Nandi Award for Best Female Dubbing Artist four times. These awards were for her voice work for Soundarya in Ammoru, Maa Ayana Bangaram (1997), and Anthapuram (1999).

Her Life

Saritha was born and grew up as Abhilasha in Munipalle, which is in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Saritha married Venkata Subbiah in 1975, but they separated after one year. She later married Malayalam actor Mukesh on September 2, 1988. They have two sons, Shravan and Tejas. The couple separated in 2011. Saritha now lives in the UAE with her son Shravan. Shravan also started his acting career in the 2018 film Kalyanam.

Awards and Special Mentions

Filmfare Awards South

• 1980 – Best Actress – Tamil for Vandichakkaram
• 1982 – Best Actress – Kannada for Hosa Belaku
• 1984 – Best Actress – Tamil for Achamillai Achamillai
• 1985 – Best Actress – Kannada for Mugila Mallige
• 1986 – Best Actress – Kannada for Mouna Geethe
• 1989 – Best Actress – Kannada for Sankranthi

Nandi Awards

• 1982 – Special Jury – Best Actress for Kokilamma
• 1995 – Best Female Dubbing Artist for Ammoru
• 1996 – Best Female Dubbing Artist for Maavichiguru
• 1997 – Best Female Dubbing Artist for Maa Ayana Bangaram
• 1998 – Best Female Dubbing Artist for Anthapuram
• 2004 – Special Jury for Arjun

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

• Kalaimamani Award from Tamil Nadu State
• 1979 – Best Actress for Oru Vellaadu Vengaiyagiradhu
• 1982 – Best Actress for Agni Sakshi
• 1988 – Best Actress for Poo Pootha Nandavanam
• 1995 – Best Female Dubbing Artist for Amman (1995)

Karnataka State Film Awards

• 1989 – Best Actress for Sankranthi

South Indian International Movie Awards

• 2024 – SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Tamil for Maaveeran

Television Appearances

Saritha has also acted in and lent her voice to television shows.

• 2005-2006: Selvi as Thamarai (Tamil, Sun TV)
• 2024-present: Mahanadigai as Judge (Tamil, Zee Tamil)
• 2000: KB Micro Thodargal- Kaadhal Vaangi Vanthen (Voice Artist for Thamarai, Tamil)