Sooryavansham is regarded as one of the best family dramas that described a father-son relationship. From direction to acting, everything received applause from the audience. Lead pair Amitabh Bachchan and late Soundarya garnered immense praise for their on-screen chemistry. Little did viewers know that Soundarya couldn’t speak Hindi and hence Rekha stepped in and dubbed for her.
Sooryavansham was a box office failure. According to many, some comic scenes were unnecessary additions. Despite the failure, Soundarya’s acting was loved by many. Sooryavansham remains Soundarya’s first and only Hindi film. She essayed Radha Singh’s character and performed brilliantly.
Apart from Sooryavansham, she worked in a lot of popular films like Raja, Thavasi, Dweepa, Apthamitra and others. She was the recipient of the Filmfare Award South for these projects except Thavasi. She was nominated in the best actress category for this project.
Soundarya had a fine sense of characterisation. Due to this ability, she struck a chord with the Telugu audience despite being a Kannada actress. Her charismatic acting was seen in Telugu films like Pavitra Bandham and Anthahpuram. She was the recipient of the Nandi Awards for both movies.
Pavitra Bandham narrated the story of Vijay who doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage. Still, he is forced by his father to enter this institution. After Vijay marries, he realises the importance of this institution. Muthyala Subbaiah directed this project.
Anthahpuram narrates the story of how Bhanumathi falls in love with Prakash in Mauritius. They get married but have to return to India after a murder attempt is made on her father-in-law. She doesn’t realize that her husband’s family has a political background. They are also at loggerheads with another group. Bhanumathi loses Prakash in this fight. Bhanumathi’s in-laws now don’t want her to return to Mauritius. How she escapes forms the crux of the story.
Both films were extremely successful. Soundarya lost her life in an aeroplane crash on April 17, 2004. She was on her way to an election rally.
