Thiruvarutchelvar
When a dancer makes a king realise the insignificance of the worldly pleasures, he decides to devote his life t...
Acting
Padmini (12 June 1932 – 24 September 2006) was an Indian actress and trained Bharathanatyam dancer, who acted in over 250 Indian films. She acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi language films. Padmini, with her elder sister Lalitha and her younger sister Ragini, were called the "Travancore sisters".
Padmini was born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram, in what was then the princely state of Travancore (now the Indian state of Kerala). She was the second daughter of Sree Thankappan Pillai and Saraswathi Amma, both coming from noble Nair families. Her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, were also well known film actresses. Together, the three were known as the Travancore sisters. Padmini and her sisters learnt Bharathanatyam from Thiruvidaimarudur Mahalingam Pillai. The trio were the disciples of Indian dancer Guru Gopinath. They learnt Kathakali and Kerala Natanam styles of dancing from him. N.S. Krishnan noticed her talents while she was presenting Parijatha Pushpapaharanam in Thiruvananthapuram. After that performance, he said that in the future she would become an actress. She was thus cast as heroine in his own production Manamagal.
The Travancore Sisters grew up in a joint family tharavadu (Malaya Cottage) in Poojappura, Trivandrum. The matriarchial head of the family was Karthiyayini Amma, whose husband was P.K. Pillai (Palakunnathu Krishna Pillai of Cherthala) alias "Penang Padmanabha Pillai". P.K. Pillai had six sons, of whom Satyapalan Nair (Baby) was a leading producer of many early Malayalam films. They performed at the 1955 Filmfare Awards. Padmini was a leading actress and one of the highest paid actresses of the 50s, 60s and 70s. She is also known as one of the charming beauty queens of the 50s and 60s. She was given the title "Natya Peroli" in Tamil Nadu because of her excellent Bharatnatyam performances in Tamil films. Her Tamil movie Thillana Mohanambal, is a cult classic of Tamil cinema and continues to be remembered even today. Her beautiful performance in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai was outstanding and made her a national star.
Browse movies and TV shows featuring Padmini
When a dancer makes a king realise the insignificance of the worldly pleasures, he decides to devote his life t...
After the East India Company forces Kattabomman, the king of Panchalankurichi, to pay taxes and be their subord...
Raju faces many hurdles and disappointments in matters of the heart throughout his life. But as a clown in a ci...
Raised by a kind matriarch, Madhavi (Meena Kumari) shares a close bond with her foster brother Rajesh (Dharmend...
An elderly woman who is rich lives alone in a town. However, her life changes for the better when her granddaug...
Paadha Kaanikkai (English: Offering to the feet) is a 1962 Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Shankar. Th...
Raja Saheb (Ashok Kumar) is a rich man, strict father to sons Virendra (Sunil Dutt) and Mahendra. One day, Mahe...
This first co-production of the Soviet and Indian cinematographers is dedicated to the Tver merchant Afanasy Ni...
The story of the complete Ramayana, from the birth of Lord Rama to his Pattabhisheka after completing his exile.
A poor and lonely woman strikes up a friendship with a rich but neglected child, but her parents refuse to let...
Vasthuhara (Malayalam: വാസ്തുഹാര English: The Dispossessed) is a Malayalam social film by the late G. Aravindan...
Raju informs the police about a group of bandits, even though he is in love with the chief's daughter. The poli...
Rajeshwari is the strict disciplinarian of the family that keeps everyone under her control – particularly her...
When his employee disappears in Singapore, Shyam travels from India to investigate the absence and becomes enta...
A rickshaw puller, who also enjoys racing with other rickshaw pullers, finds a child whose father has been kill...
Kunjoonjamma Thomas is a widow living in the village all by herself. People always make fun of her because she...
Mary, a nurse in a hospital, narrates the tale of how Mother Mary helped Kamakshi and her son Sundaram in Velan...
Shammi Kapoor stars as a criminal who exchanges identity with a dead man in order to start over.
A classical bharatanatyam dancer and a nathaswaram player fall in love against the wishes of her family.
A young man goes on a quest to find his mother and to restore justice in a kingdom that has fallen into the han...
1966 Tamil remake of "Ballad of a Soldier".
Chinnathambi is a well-respected pillar of his village, dedicating his life to public welfare—but his devotion...
Time is running out for Khushbu, Ravi Sharma(Sunil Dutt)'s daughter. Her leukemia can be cured only if someone'...
Binda, an old musician in a village near Bombay, has brought up his son Rajan, in the hope that one day Rajan w...
Kumara Sambhavam is based on the epic poem of the poet Kalidasa of the same name.
Penn Deivam is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by M. A. Thirumugam and produced by Sandow M....
Sage Narada instigates Goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvathi against each other. The trio set out to answer...
The story revolves around Selvam, an easygoing youngster who befriends many girls without the intention of marr...
Film starring Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala and Padmini
Nirmala (Padmini) is a poor but talented young dancer who falls in love with a rich man's son Sekar (Gemini Gan...
Rangan is a servant at the house of Nagalingam, a rich and ruthless man. While he strives to fight against his...
Children are exchanged by greedy aunt and uncle in childhood and they live undeserved lives.
'Maruthanaatu Ilavarasi' is a well-woven story about a king (Veerappa) with two wives (one played by Saraswathi...
Govind, Nazir and Joseph decide to give up the world of crime when a little girl enters their life.