“I had to flee my own daughter from her school, because my in-laws would not let me meet her. I brought her to Hyderabad with me.
As a child, my small house, which could barely accommodate 11 of us, including my 8 siblings, was my everything. Life was happy until my family got me married to a local villager. I was 10 years old and clueless. All I knew was that I was passionate about acting and dancing, like I am today. I had my daughter when I was sixteen. It was almost as if I was growing up with her. I was mistreated and abused by my husband on multiple occasions. I walked out of the marriage, left my daughter with my in-laws and moved to Hyderabad alone in 1971.
I survived in the lanes of Old City and Chaderghat before I decided to bring my daughter back and move to my Uncle’s house. One and a half year later, Ms. Madduri Vijaya Laxmi, a well known theatre director observed my skill and gave me the opportunity to act in her plays. I used to earn Rs. 400 – 500 per play. I played different characters until I got the chance to act in movies in 1979. My first movie released when I was in my early 20’s and I continued to act in many films.
Not much later, I worked with Director Raja Chandra and did a couple of films under him. We had a really good relationship, but the bad mouthing around us pushed me to get married to him, despite the fact that he was already married. However, I was happy, until the day someone murdered him and threw his butchered body on the street in front of my house. I was a lead suspect and accused of his murder. Privacy became an illusion and my career of 150+ films was destroyed.
I got my daughter married in 1989 and tried to start again from scratch but not one gave me the opportunity. That’s when I moved into the television industry and acted in serials. Unfortunately, I got duped multiple times. Eventually, I got tired. I was alone and financially unstable. That was when I decided to move to the US. I worked there for a year as a caretaker for an old lady. I moved back to India after a year, continued my career in the television industry once again and here I am still, acting.
My life has been a series of important decisions made impulsively. But that is what makes me, me. Life has tested me on multiple occasions but I made it through. I am happy and content. I live for the sunny side up of life. Afterall, there is always a new chapter waiting to be opened and explored!”
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