Jamuna

Biography

Jamuna (30 August 1936 – 27 January 2023; née Nippani) was an Indian actress, director, and politician who appeared mainly in Telugu cinema. She made her acting debut at age 16 in Dr. Garikapati Rajarao's Puttillu (1953), and received her breakthrough with L. V. Prasad's Missamma (1955). Her filmography also includes Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films. She won a Filmfare Award and an award at Filmfare Awards South. She was a member of parliament in the 9th Lok Sabha (1989–1991) representing the Rajahmundry constituency.

Jamuna was born in Hampi in present-day Karnataka to Kannada-speaking Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Telugu-speaking Kowsalya Devi, and was named Jana Bai. Her father was a Madhva Brahmin, while her mother was a Vaisya, resulting in an inter-caste love marriage. Jamuna grew up in Duggirala, in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. Her father was involved in the business of turmeric and tobacco and their family moved there when she was seven years old. When Savitri was performing drama in Duggirala, she would stay at Jamuna's house. Later, Savitri invited Jamuna to act in films. She began performing as heroines in movies at the age of 16.

Jamuna was a stage artist in school. Her mother taught her vocal music and harmonium. In 1952, Dr. Garikipati Raja Rao of the Indian People's Theatre Association saw her stage show Maa Bhoomi and offered her a role in his film Puttillu.

Jamuna acted in 198 films in Telugu and other South Indian languages. She also acted in Hindi films, winning the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Milan (1967), repeating her role from the original Telugu film Mooga Manasulu (1964).

Jamuna also established the Telugu artist association and through it provided social services for 25 years.

Jamuna joined the Congress party in the 1980s and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Rajahmundry constituency in 1989. She lost the 1991 election and quit politics, but briefly campaigned for the BJP in the late 1990s during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.

In 1965 Jamuna married Juluri Ramana Rao, a zoology professor at SV University; he died from cardiac arrest on 10 November 2014 at age 86. They had a son, Vamsee Juluri, and a daughter, Sravanthi Juluri, and lived in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Jamuna died at her home in Hyderabad on 27 January 2023, at age 86.