Sumalatha

27 Aug, 1963 | Chennai

Actress

Biography

Sumalatha is a popular Indian film actress. She has acted in more than 200 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi. Born in Chennai, she was raised in Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh and remains based in southern India. Sumalatha began acting at age 15 after winning an Andhra Pradesh beauty contest. She is married to Kannada superstar and politician Ambareesh. Her most memorable films include New Delhi, Isabella, Thoovanathumbikal, and Nirakkoottu. Personal life Sumalatha reportedly speaks six languages and has acted in four. She is married to Ambareesh , a great actor and Karnataka politician, and is close friends with actress Suhasini Maniratnam, her co-star in a Telugu film. The friendship between the two provided the material for a candid scene in the film when director Kodandarami Reddy noticed Suhasini combing Sumalatha's long hair on the train journey to the film set. Reddy asked his cameraman, Ashok Reddy, to film the two, and he added the scene to the movie's final cut. She has acted in many Telugu films. She received the Best Actress Nandi Award for her role in Sruthilayalu in 1987. She co-starred with Rajendra Prasad (actor) in Jayammu Nishchayammu Raa and Donga Kollu; with Chiranjeevi in Swayamkrushi, Gangleader, Veta, Raakshasudu, Kaidhi, Chattam tho Poratam, Agnigundam, and Sri Manjunatha. Her last movie in Telugu is Boss (2006); she played Sreya's mother in that movie. She also appeared in the Kannada movie Kallarali Hoovagi with her husband, which went on to win a National Award. Her husband, Ambareesh, died on November 24, 2018, at Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru due to cardiac arrest. Political Career Sumalatha announced in March 2019 that she would run as an independent candidate in Mandya for the Lok Sabha elections against JD (S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Darshan and Yash campaigned for Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Mandya constituency.