Actress, Dancer. Born in Poojappura in Thiruvanthapuram, India, she acted and danced in over 250 films within a forty year career. She made here debut in the 1949, Hindi film ‘Kalpana’. As the primary star of the Malayalam and Tamil cinema, she also was in the Bollywood films, “Payal” [1957], Babubhai Mistry’s “Mahabharat” [1965], Raj Kapoor’s “Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai” [1961] and “Mera Naam Joker” [1971]. In 1977, she relocated to America and opened a classical dance school in New Jersey. Her Padmini School of Fine Arts, is today one of the largest Indian Classical Dance institutions in America. Her awards include, Best actress award of the Film Fans Association in 1954,’59,’61 and 1966, the Kalai Mamany Award from Tamil Nadu Government in 1958, Best Classical Dancer Award from Moscow Youth Festival in 1957, The Filmfare Award in 1985 and the erstwhile Soviet Union released a postal stamp in her honor. She died of a heart attack. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)