Prathima Devi

Prathima Devi Biography

Prathima Devi is a famous actress of yesterdays who appeared in more than Kannada 60 films. She is the wife of D. Shankar Singh, one of the prominent film makers of Kannada film industry in the early talkies, who was known as a film director, producer, screenwriter, exhibitor and a freedom fighter during the British rule in India. Her children and grandchildren are also into film industry, thus becoming the third generation of actors. She acted in some movies produced and directed by husband, and they turned commercially successful too. She played female lead in Shankar Singh’s debut film, the iconic - Jaganmohini (1951) which became the first Kannada film to complete 100 days in theater.

Prathima Devi was born on 9 April 1932 in Karnataka. She is fundamentally a theatre artiste who started her film journey with 1947 movie, Krishnaleela directed by C V Raju. When B. Vittalacharya and Prathima’s future husband, D. Shankar Singh formed a new production house and named it "Mahatma Pictures" in 1946, Krishnaleela was their first venture, released in 1947. Since then Prathima Devi is associated with one of the early production house of Kannada, and also D. Shankar Singh whom she married later. Jaganmohini and Nagakanye are among her biggest hits as a lead heroine.

This actor is the first heroine to star in a silver jubilee film in Kannada in the early 1950s, when she played lead in Jaganmohini (1951) directed by her husband. Srinivasa Kalyana, Muttidella Chinna, Chanchala Kumari, Dharmasthala Mahatme, Mangala Sutra, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage etc are a few more noted works. Apart from her husband, many of his family members belong to film industry. Her son Rajendra Singh Babu is a film director and daughter Vijayalakshmi Singh is an actress and producer. Filmmaker Jai Jagadish is her son-in-law while film actors of present day generation - Aditya Singh and Rishika Singh are her grandchildren.

Published: September 17, 2018

Updated: September 17, 2018