Pandari Bai (1930 - 2003) was a prominent heroine of South Indian languages films during the 1950s and 60s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Sivaji Ganesan and Dr. Rajkumar. She was the heroine in Sivaji's debut movie Parasakthi and also the heroine of Rajkumar's debut movie Bedara Kannappa.
She had acted in a thousand five hundred films in several languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi and enjoyed a long career span of nearly half a century. She had played lead roles in many movies with success and then switched over to character roles. Besides being attractive, she had a glowing inner beauty and a distinctive affectionate air about her which made her an ideal screen mother. Her soft looks and dialogue delivery also added luster and depth to such roles.
Interestingly, and perhaps ironically, in her later career she played the mother of stars older than she and with most of whom she had played the lead in her earlier years! [1]
Pandari Bai also acted in a couple of Kannada serials Amma and Manethana (1998-2000). Both of them were produced by her sister Mynavathy's company Yantra Media.
Filmography
- Parasakthi (1952)
- Thirumbi Paar (1953)
- Andha Naal (1954)
- Abba aaa Hudugi (1959)
- Kula Deivam (1956)
- Bhabhi (1957)
- Belli Moda (1967)
- Avalum Penn Dhaney (1974)
- Bahar (1949)
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