# Sumithra (சுமித்ரா) (actress)
**Sumithra** (சுமித்ரா) is an Indian actress who has worked in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada language films since the early 1970s. She was a leading heroine in South Indian cinema through the mid-1980s and has been best known for mother roles since the 1990s, appearing in more than 200 films over a career spanning five decades.[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210) • [2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Thrissur, Kerala, India[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210) |
| First film | A small role in the Malayalam film *Nrithasala* (1972); heroine debut in *Nirmalyam* (1973)[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812) • [4](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Sumithra&category=actors) |
| Lead-actress period | Female lead roles between 1974 and 1986[5](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra) |
| Output | More than 200 films across Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) |
| Later career type | Mother and supporting roles from the 1990s onward[5](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra) |
| Family | Husband, the director D. Rajendra Babu; daughters Umashankari and Nakshatra, both actresses[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) |
| Kannada honors | Karnataka State Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) |
## Beginnings in Malayalam cinema
Sumithra was born in Thrissur, Kerala, to Raghavan Nair and Janaki.[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) Her first screen appearance was a small role in the Malayalam film *Nrithasala* (1972), and the MalayalaSangeetham.Info database lists her first year of work as 1972.[4](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Sumithra&category=actors) In a 2024 interview with [IndiaGlitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiaglitz) she said her first film was the Malayalam movie *Nirmalyam*, that she was 14 years old at the time and did not yet understand what romance meant, and that the film won a National Award; after seeing it, filmmakers came to Nilambur, a village in Kerala, to sign her for Tamil films.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812) *Nirmalyam* (1973) was produced by S. Pavamani and [M. T. Vasudevan Nair](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-t-vasudevan-nair) and directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair.[4](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Sumithra&category=actors)
In Tamil, *Avalum Penn Thaane* (1974) is cited as her first film.[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) Her early Malayalam work also included *Chakravakam* (1974), directed by [Thoppil Bhasi](https://www.edgepedia.org/thoppil-bhasi).[4](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Sumithra&category=actors)
## Lead-actress years
Through the 1970s and early 1980s Sumithra was among the most sought-after actresses in the Malayalam and Tamil industries, and she also appeared in Telugu and Kannada films.[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210) Sources place her run of female lead roles between 1974 and 1986.[5](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra) [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) lists *Nirmalyam* (1973), *Chakravakam* (1974), *Nizhal Nijamagiradhu* (1978), *Lava* (1980), *Engamma Maharani* (1981), and *Asambhava* (1985) among her best-known works from this period, along with *Aalkkoottathil Thaniye* (1984) and *Geethanjali* (1989).[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210)
She acted alongside leading heroes of the era, including [Sivaji Ganesan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivaji-ganesan), Jaishankar, Sivakumar, Rajinikanth, and [Kamal Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamal-haasan) in Tamil, and Vishnuvardhan and Rajesh in Kannada.[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) In her IndiaGlitz interview she described *Annan Oru Kovil* with Sivaji Ganesan as a very challenging role, recalling a courtroom scene in which she played his sister and Ganesan coached her on pacing between words; she credits him, the actor known as "Nadigar Thilagam," with teaching her to act.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812)
**Languages and dubbing.** Sumithra has said she has a strong interest in languages and learned Tamil and Kannada quickly; when she dubbed for herself in Kannada, she recalled, everyone there was surprised.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812)
## Mother roles and later career
From the 1990s onward Sumithra became known for mother roles, a phase in which she often played the mother of actors she had once co-starred with as a heroine.[5](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra) • [3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812) In *Singara Velan* she played Kamal Haasan's mother, and in *Panakkaran* (1990) she played Rajinikanth's mother; she recounted that [Rajinikanth](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajinikanth) found it difficult to call her "Mom" in the final scene and the take succeeded only after her position was changed.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812) She also played a double role in *Kadavul Amaitha Medai*, which she described as hard work in an era without today's technology.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812)
Her later credits span all four industries: *Saamy* (2003) and *Saamy 2* (2018) in Tamil, *Singam* (2010) and *[Singam 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/singam-ii)* (2013) in Tamil, a large run of Kannada films including *Appu* (2002), *Jackie* (2010), *Brahma* (2014), *Endendigu* (2015), *Tarak* (2017), and *Takkar* (2022), Telugu films such as *Santosham* (2002) and *Ammammagarillu* (2018), and the Malayalam *Bharya Onnu Makkal Moonuu* (2009).[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210) • [5](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra) In 2022 she appeared in the Tamil film *[Valimai](https://www.edgepedia.org/valimai)* as Ajith's mother.[6](https://www.nowrunning.com/celebrity/6811/sumithra/movies.htm) In the same interview she described Ajith as unusually affectionate on set, sending chicken soup to her caravan daily at 11 a.m. during the shoot.[3](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812)
## Recognition and family
Chiloka's trivia section records that in 2011 she received the Karnataka State Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Puttanna Kanagal Award for outstanding contribution to [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema).[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra) She married the Kannada director D. Rajendra Babu, and her daughters Umashankari (Uma) and [Nakshatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/nakshatra) are both actresses; Nakshatra debuted as a lead actress in the Tamil film *Doo*.[2](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra)
Published birth dates disagree: film databases list 18 September 1948,[7](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/sumithra) while other profiles give 18 September 1953; this article therefore states only her birthplace, Thrissur, Kerala, on which all sources agree.[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210)
## References
1. [Sumitra – Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/sumitra/1047210)
2. [Sumithra: Kannada Actress, Movies, Biography, Photos, Chiloka](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/sumithra)
3. ["I can't bear the heat, please finish the shoot quickly," Sumithra told Rajini, IndiaGlitz (16 September 2024)](https://indiaglitz.com/i-cant-bear-the-heat-please-finish-the-shoot-quickly-sumithra-told-rajini-tamil-news-358812)
4. [Sumithra / സുമിത്ര – Malayalam Actors, MalayalaSangeetham.Info](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Sumithra&category=actors)
5. [Sumithra Rajendra, Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/sumithra-rajendra)
6. [Sumithra Movies, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/celebrity/6811/sumithra/movies.htm)
7. [Sumithra, Flickchart](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/sumithra)
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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 › Tamil film actors › Surnames R to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license