Last Updated: September 08, 2022, 18:11 IST
Leelavathi, a native of Mangaluru, was raised as Leela Kiran.
The news of Leelavathi’s ill health was given out by her son, actor Vinod Raj.
Veteran actress Leelavathi, who made a career appearing in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films for nearly six decades is not doing well as of late. The 85-year-old yesteryear actress has reportedly been suffering from age-related health issues for quite some time and is currently confined to her bed. She has been away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is residing in a farmhouse just outside Bengaluru for the last few years.
However, now her age has caught up and she cannot leave her bed. Her doctor has been visiting her farmhouse near Nelamangala frequently and providing her with treatment. Upon getting to know of her illness, recently the Chairman of the Karnataka Board of Film Commerce Bama Harish visited Leelavathi’s residence and inquired about her health. Photos of their meeting have been circulating the internet. The news of Leelavathi’s ill health was given out by her son, actor Vinod Raj.
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Leelavathi, a native of Mangaluru, was raised as Leela Kiran. Only after giving herself a screen identity did she take on the name Leelavathi. Leelavathi, an only child, lost her parents when she was a little child and has few recollections of that period. She grew up in her aunt’s home.
The actress made her screen debut in 1949 playing the role of Sakhi in Shankar Singh’s Nagakannika. She followed it up with movies like Bhakta Prahlada and Dharma Vijaya and soon went on to appear in almost 600 films across all South Indian languages.
The Karnataka government honoured Leelavathi with Dr Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and she was also conferred with an honorary doctorate from the Tumkur University in the year 2008 for her contribution to cinema.
Her son Vinod Raj is also a noted actor who works in Kannada cinema.
