Madhavi
Biography
Kanaka Vijayalakshmi, popularly known as Maadhavi, is a renowned Indian film actress who appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi cinema. In a career spanning nearly two decades, she acted in over 300 films and was one of the most successful South Indian actresses during the 1980s and early 1990s. She won several State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards before retiring from films in 1997.
Early Life
Maadhavi was born in 1962 in Velupucherla village, Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh, to Sasirekha and Govindaswamy. She has a sister, Keerthi Kumari, and a brother, Dhananjay. Trained in Bharatanatyam and folk dance from a young age, she performed in over a thousand dance programs. She studied at Stanley Girls' High School in Hyderabad.
Career
Director Dasari Narayana Rao introduced her as a lead actress in the Telugu film Thoorupu Padamara, which became a major hit. She later worked with K. Balachander in Maro Charitra (1978) and reprised the role in its Hindi remake Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), earning a Filmfare nomination.
Balachander introduced her to Tamil cinema with Thillu Mullu (1981) opposite Rajinikanth. She later acted in Hindi films such as Andha Kanoon, Geraftaar, and Agneepath alongside Amitabh Bachchan.
In Kannada cinema, she worked extensively with legends like Dr. Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, starring in multiple successful films with both actors. In Tamil cinema, she frequently appeared opposite Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in several notable films.
She also shared a successful partnership with Chiranjeevi in Telugu films, including Khaidi, which became a blockbuster.
In Malayalam cinema, Maadhavi delivered some of her most acclaimed performances. She portrayed Unniyarcha in Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha and won the Kerala State Film Award and Filmfare Award for her role in Akashadoothu. Many of her most author-backed and award-winning roles were in Malayalam films. Overall, she won three Kerala State Film Awards.
Personal Life
In 1996, Maadhavi married pharmaceutical businessman Ralph Sharma in a marriage arranged by her spiritual teacher, Swami Rama. The couple has three daughters and resides in New Jersey, USA.
