Manjula (Kannada actress)

Manjula (Kannada: ಮಂಜುಳ) (5 April 1951 – 12 September 1986) was an Indian film actress who acted in Kannada language films and also few Tamil and Telugu films. She was one of the most successful and prominent actresses of Kannada films in the 1980s. She acted in more than 100 films and won several awards including the Filmfare Award for her performances. Beginning as a theater artist Manjula switched over to feature films with the 1966 film Mane Katti Nodu . Her portrayal of "bubbly" characters earned a great deal of celebrity and she is considered one of the most bubbly actress in Kannada cinema to date.

Manjula was born to M. H. Shivanna and Deveramma on April 5, 1951 in Honnenahalli, a village in Tumkur District. She belonged to a prominent lingayat family, her father Shivanna was a police sub inspector. She was married to film director Amritham who worked with her in films such as: Hudugaatada Hudugi. The couple had a son, Abhishek, who married Sushma Srinivas, in 2009; and an adopted daughter, Abhinaya.

Manjula started her acting career in 1965 with a drama troupe Prabhat Kalavidaru. She then entered the Kannada film industry in a small role through the film Mane Katti Nodu in 1966. The film was directed by Sri Sadguru. Her lead actress debut was in the 1972 film Yaara Saakshi, which was directed by veteran director M. R. Vittal. She has shared screen with south super stars like Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan and also other prominent actors like Srinath and Shankar Nag and others, but most successful is with Srinath. They acted together in about 35 films. She starred in over one hundred films during her film career. She has played a variety of roles and most of her films became successful. Some of her notable films include Sampathige Savaal, Durgi, Yeradu Kanasu, Besuge and Seetha Ramu.

Manjula suffered from weight related problems during the early 1980s, while she was at the top of her career, and that ended her career as a romantic actress. She had a hurried marriage with Amritam. The film offers dried up and she had financial difficulties. Depressed, she died due to a kitchen stove-burst.