Jayasudha

Jayasudha, born December 17, 1958, in Madras, started out as Subadra before her family switched it up to Sujatha, only to have to pick another name later because of film industry confusion. Her mom dabbled in movies as a kid but bailed out fast, and her dad? Not into cinema at all, though his cousin Vijaya Nirmala was a big deal in South Indian films. Jayasudha grew up watching her famous aunt and wanted in, but her dad wasn’t thrilled. It took some family negotiations before she finally landed a tiny role in Pandanti Kaapuram at twelve, but then it was right back to school. She kept pushing, and eventually, she got her way. Since there was already a Sujatha in the biz, writer-director V.C. Guhanathan gave her the name Jayasudha. She started with supporting roles in Tamil movies, but it was K. Balachander’s “Arangetram” and “Apporva Rangangal” that really set things off. After that, she got lead roles in Telugu films, and by the time she starred in “Jyothi,” she was a full-blown star. She racked up Nandi Awards and was known for taking on strong, feminist characters, even when her personal life was messy—strict dad, brutal schedules, and not-so-fun skin problems. While her friends Sridevi and Jayaprada made it in Bollywood, Jayasudha’s Hindi films flopped. Her first marriage didn’t stick, but she later married Nitin Kapoor and had two sons. Eventually, she moved into politics and converted to Christianity, but always stayed true to her roots.