M. S. Sundari Bai

M. S. Sundari Bai
M. S. Sundari Bai
Born	Madurai Saurashtra Sundari; 2 March 1923; Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Died	12 March 2006 (aged 83); Chennai, India
Other names	Sundari Bai
Occupation(s)	Singer, dancer, actress
Spouse	Kothamangalam Subbu (m. 1945; died 1974)

Madurai Saurashtra Sundari Bai (2 March 1923 – 12 March 2006) was an Indian actress, singer and dancer who worked mainly in Tamil cinema from the 1940s to the 1970s.^[1]^[2] Sundari Bai was the wife of writer and director Kothamangalam Subbu. Her most notable films include Aadmi (1939),^[3] Madanakamarajan (1941), Nandanar (1942), Dasi Aparanji (1944), Kannamma En Kadhali (1945), Miss Malini (1947), Chandralekha (1948), Avvaiyyar (1953), Vanjikottai Valiban (1958), Deivapiravi (1960), Padikkadha Medhai (1960)^[4] and Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1976).^[2]

Biography

Sundari Bai was born in Madurai in 1923, and belonged to the Saurashtra community. A family friend persuaded her parents to send her to Bombay (now Mumbai). In the 1930s, she appeared in an advertisement film.^[2] When film producer S. S. Vasan bought Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam's MPPC Studio and renamed it Gemini Studios in 1940,^[5] Sundari Bai joined Gemini as staff artiste. She appeared in a major role in Gemini's first Tamil production Madanakamarajan (1941). She played a slum girl in Nandanar (1942), while her role as a maid in Dasi Aparanji (1944) elevated her fame. She later fell in love with Kothamangalam Subbu, another member of the Gemini staff who was a writer, actor, and director, and married him. In 1945, Sundari Bai played the lead in Kannamma En Kadhali, a World War II film written by Subbu. In 1947, Gemini produced the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Miss Malini, written and directed by Subbu, who also played the male lead. Sundari Bai acted and sang two songs in this film that became hits. She later went on to act in various films including Chandralekha, Samsaram, Moondru Pillaigal, Avvaiyar, Valliyin Selvan, Enga Veettu Mahalakshmi, Vanjikottai Valiban, Deivapiravi, Naan Kanda Sorgam, Padikkadha Medhai, Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar and Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal.^[2]

^ K S Sivakumaran (14 December 2011). "Forgotten Tamil actresses". Daily News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Randor Guy (24 March 2006). "Charming, villainous". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ "Aadmi 1939". indiavideo.org. India Video. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ Malathi Rangarajan (11 November 2010). "Emotional recall". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ "Madanakamarajan (1941)". The Hindu. 8 October 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
^ "Cinema Plus / Columns : Kannamma En Kaathali 1945". The Hindu. 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2016.