# Krishna Kumari (actress)
**T. Krishna Kumari** (కృష్ణ కుమారి; 6 March 1933 – 24 January 2018) was an Indian actress who was a leading heroine of [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema) from the 1950s through the 1970s and also appeared in Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/). She acted in about 150 Telugu films and more than 30 Tamil and Kannada films, co-starred with [N. T. Rama Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/n-t-rama-rao), Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, and [Dr. Rajkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-rajkumar), and received the President's Award for her work[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 March 1933, Naihati, West Bengal, India, to a Telugu-speaking Madhva Brahmin family[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/) |
| Died | 24 January 2018, Bangalore, Karnataka, of bone marrow cancer; reported as aged 85 by Indian Express, 84 by IMDb[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/) |
| Career span | Small role in *Pathala Bhairavi* (1951) at age 17; peak from the 1950s to the 1970s; character roles again in the 1980s[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2016/Jun/08/the-unknown-side-of-veteran-actress-krishna-kumari-937818.html) |
| Output | About 150 Telugu films and over 30 Tamil and Kannada films[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms) |
| Recognition | President's Award; first award for the Rajkumar film *Bhaktha Kanakadasa* (1960)[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms) |
| Marriage | Ajay Mohan Khaitan, 16 March 1969 until his death in 2012; one daughter[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/) |
## Early life
Krishna Kumari was born on 6 March 1933 in Naihati, West Bengal, where her Telugu-speaking father worked; the family was a Madhva Brahmin family described in sources as Kannadiga or Telugu-speaking[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/) • [5](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/remembering-legendary-actress-krishna-kumari-on-her-birth-anniversary-143043.html). Because of her father's job she studied in [Rajahmundry](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajahmundry), Madras, Assam, and Calcutta, finishing her schooling in Assam[6](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/krishna_kumari). Her elder sister was the actress [Sowcar Janaki](https://www.edgepedia.org/sowcar-janaki), who was already established in Tamil and Telugu films[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/). A Telugu-language profile gives her birthplace as Lakhimpur, Assam rather than Naihati; the accounts naming Naihati are more numerous and include the Indian Express obituary[7](https://tvaartha.com/tollywood-stars/krishna-kumari/).
## Career
**Beginnings.** She began her screen career at 17 with a small role in the Telugu film *[Pathala Bhairavi](https://www.edgepedia.org/pathala-bhairavi)* (1951) and played her first heroine role in *Navvite Navaratnalu* (1951); Indian Express describes *Navvithe Navaratnalu* (1951) as her acting debut[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/). Her first chance came when a producer spotted her at a cinema hall, according to her daughter's account[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms).
**Telugu stardom.** She then concentrated on Telugu cinema, which brought her stardom. The films *Pelli Meeda Pelli* (1959), *Bharya Bhartalu* (1961), *Vagdanam* (1961), *Kulagothralu* (1962), and *Gudi Gantalu* (1964) remain regarded as Telugu classics, and she was one of the busiest actors of the 1960s[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/). Her most successful films were with [Akkineni Nageswara Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/akkineni-nageswara-rao) and N. T. Rama Rao, and she was also known for mythological roles opposite Kanta Rao[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/).
**Later career and retirement.** She quit acting after her marriage in 1969, at what her daughter describes as the pinnacle of her career, and moved to a farm on the outskirts of Bengaluru[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/) • [4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2016/Jun/08/the-unknown-side-of-veteran-actress-krishna-kumari-937818.html). She returned to the screen in the 1980s for character roles at a time when Sridevi and Jayaprada were beginning their careers; Sridevi recalled feeling "that a princess had entered the room when she came onto the sets"[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2016/Jun/08/the-unknown-side-of-veteran-actress-krishna-kumari-937818.html). IMDb credits her as known for *Sati Savitri* (1965) and *Yashoda Krishna* (1975), in which she played Devaki[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/).
## Family and later life
She married Ajay Mohan Khaitan on 16 March 1969; he founded *Screen* magazine and was an editor of the *Indian Express*, and the marriage lasted until his death in 2012[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/) • [8](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/telugu/movie-actress/krishna-kumari). Their daughter is Dipika V Maiya[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms). Anecdotes recorded in the family book place the rangapravesham (first dance recital) of [J. Jayalalithaa](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-jayalalithaa), later Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, at Krishna Kumari's house-warming dinner, and note that the Hindi star Nutan sang playback for her[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2016/Jun/08/the-unknown-side-of-veteran-actress-krishna-kumari-937818.html).
She was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy for about two years before her death at her [Bangalore](https://www.edgepedia.org/bangalore) residence on 24 January 2018; she is survived by her daughter[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/). One Telugu-language profile places her death in Puducherry, which conflicts with the Indian Express and IMDb accounts of Bangalore[7](https://tvaartha.com/tollywood-stars/krishna-kumari/).
## Memoir and portrayal
In 2016 Dipika V Maiya published *My Mother, T Krishna Kumari*, combining biography and recipes and drawing on conversations begun when Maiya's father was hospitalized in 2013, with writer Aravinda Anantharaman and recipes curated by hospitality specialist Aslam Gafoor[2](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms).
## References
1. [Actor Krishna Kumari passes away at 85, The Indian Express (24 January 2018)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/krishna-kumari-south-actress-passes-away-at-85-5037243/)
2. [Through parted curtains, Bangalore Mirror (20 May 2016)](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/through-parted-curtains/articleshow/52348301.cms)
3. [T. Krishna Kumari, Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474928/bio/)
4. [The unknown side of veteran actress, Krishna Kumari, The New Indian Express (8 June 2016)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2016/Jun/08/the-unknown-side-of-veteran-actress-krishna-kumari-937818.html)
5. [Krishna Kumari Birth Anniversary : అనగనగా ఓ కృష్ణ కుమారి! - NTV Telugu](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/remembering-legendary-actress-krishna-kumari-on-her-birth-anniversary-143043.html)
6. [Krishna Kumari, UzPedia](https://uzpedia.uz/pedia/krishna_kumari)
7. [కృష్ణ కుమారి (Krishna Kumari) — Tollywood Star Profile, Tvaartha](https://tvaartha.com/tollywood-stars/krishna-kumari/)
8. [Telugu Movie Actress Krishna Kumari Biography, NETTV4U](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/telugu/movie-actress/krishna-kumari)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Telugu film actors › Surnames H to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license