Prema (Kannada actress)

Neravanda Chetticha Prema is an Indian actress known for her work predominantly in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and a few Tamil language films. She ruled Kannada industry in the 90s and early 2000s and she has appeared in many commercially successful feature films. She was a leading Kannada actress at the turn of the century and has received the Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Best Actress awards for her performances in Kannada films. She has featured in Om and Yajamana, which are the two major blockbuster and highest-grossing films of their time in Kannada cinema. After an eight-year hiatus, she returned to films with Upendra Matte Baa in 2017.[1]

Prema
Prema in the 1997 Kannada film Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda
Born
Neravanda Chetticha Prema

Bangalore, India
OccupationActress
Years active1994–2009
2017–present
RelativesNeravanda Aiyappa (brother)

Personal life

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Prema was born into Neravanda family, of the Kodava community to Chetticha and Kavery, in military hospital, Bangalore. She received high school education in Mahila Seva Samaja High School and completed her Pre-university course in Murnad junior college, Kodagu. As a student she was involved actively in sports and represented her school and college in high jump and volleyball events at the national level.[citation needed] Her younger brother Neravanda Aiyappa was a cricket player who represented Karnataka in Ranji Trophy. Her younger sister Indu NC lives in Dubai.[2]

Prema was married to Jeevan Appacchu. She filed a divorce petition in the Family Court, Bangalore in March 2016.[2][3]

Career

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S. Narayan, Prema in 2000 film ′Nannavalu Nannavalu′
 
Vishnuvardhan with Prema in 1997 Kannada film Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda

Prema began her career in the Rajkumar camp in 1995 starring opposite Shivarajkumar in Savyasachi and Raghavendra Rajkumar with Aata Hudugaata respectively. Though both films did not perform well at the box-office, she was given the lead role in another Shivarajkumar starrer Om directed by Upendra. The film turned out to be a blockbuster and also got her the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress.

In 1996 she acted in the Sunil Kumar Desai directed Nammoora Mandara Hoove co-starring Shivarajkumar and Ramesh Aravind. She also made her Malayalam debut with The Prince opposite Mohanlal, directed by Tamil director Suresh Krissna fresh from the success of Baashha. The same year, she made her Telugu debut with Dharma Chakram. In 1999 the super success of her films had catapulted her to the top spot in Kannada movies. Chandramuki Pranasakhi, Upendra and V. Ravichandran's Naanu Nanna Hendthiru in Kannada and the Telugu language film, Devi which collected Rs. 18 crores at the box-office and was dubbed into Hindi as well.

In 2000 she saw 6 releases of which Yajamana opposite Vishnuvardhan was a runaway hit. 2001 proved lucky with the female-centric Kanasugara, the remake of Tamil film Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, which fetched her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and many other awards for her portrayal of a simple girl who becomes a famous singer. Her main release in 2002 was Sunil Kumar Desai's musical Parva co-starring Vishnuvardhan and Roja Selvamani. In 2003, she was praised by critics for her complex role in Singaaravva. In 2004, Prema played Vishnuvardhan's leading lady in Apthamitra, the Kannada remake of Malayalam Manichitrathazhu by P. Vasu.

She has shared screen space with Vishnuvardhan in seven films - Yajamana, Apthamitra, Jamindaru, Kshana Kshana, Ekadantha, Parva, and Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda.

Post her marriage in 2006, Prema cut down on her film assignments. Her last release was Shishira in 2009 before taking a hiatus. In 2017 she made her comeback with Upendra Matte Baa. She has, thus far, acted in more than 70 movies in Kannada and more than 28 movies in Telugu.

Awards

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Filmography

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Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Role Language Notes
1995 Savyasachi Raadha Kannada
Om Madhuri Kannada Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress
Aata Hudugaata Prema Kannada
Police Power Kannada
1996 Nammoora Mandara Hoove Suma Kannada Udaya Film Award for Best Actress
The Prince Swarna Malayalam
Dharma Chakram Surekha Telugu
Jagadeka Veerudu Telugu
Adirindi Guru Telugu
1997 Atta Nee Koduku Jagratta Telugu
Korukunna Priyudu Priya Telugu
Chelikaadu Likhita Telugu
Omkaram Madhu Telugu
Ellaranthalla Nanna Ganda Nethra Kannada
1998 Thutta Mutta Pooja Kannada
Kowrava Kannada
Shanti Shanti Shanti Suzy Kannada
Maa Aavida Collector Meena Telugu
Dheerga Sumangali Bhava Telugu
Kangalin Vaarthaigal Janaki Tamil
1999 Chandramukhi Pranasakhi Sahana Kannada Cinema Express Award for Best Actress
Chandrodaya Divya Kannada
Naanu Nanna Hendthiru Manisha Kannada
Upendra Swathi Kannada
Z Prema Kannada
Devi Devi Telugu Gemini Film award for Best Actress
Raghavayya Gari Abbayi Telugu
2000 Naga Devathe Nagalakshmi Kannada
Maya Bazaar Kannada
Nuvve Kavali Cameo Telugu
Ammo! Okato Tareekhu Dhanalaakshmi Telugu
Ee Tharam Nehru Sumanjali Telugu
Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary Nagasulochana Telugu
Nannavalu Nannavalu Chandu Kannada Asianet Kaveri Film Award for Best Actress
(also for Yajamana and Chandramuki Pranasakhi)[6]
Chiru Navvutho Aruna Telugu
Uttara Dhruvadim Dakshina Dhruvaku Nandini Kannada
Yajamana Sangeetha Kannada ETV Film Award for Best Actress
Daivathinte Makan Anjali Malayalam
Gajina Mane Kannada
2001 Anjali Geethanjali Anjali Kannada
Kanasugara Sangeetha Kannada Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada
Premi No.1 Kannada
Kothigalu Saar Kothigalu Lalitha Kannada
Grama Devathe Kaveri Kannada
Neelambari Kannada
Prematho Raa Sandhya Telugu
Devi Putrudu Goddess Telugu
2002 Parva Suma Kannada
Mutthu Saraswathi Kannada [7]
Chelvi Chelvi Kannada
Tapori Kannada
Jamindaru Kannada
Balarama Sevanthi Kannada
Prema Prema Kannada
Kambalahalli Kannada
Singaaravva Singaravva Kannada
Marma Sudha Kannada
2003 Mooru Manasu Nooru Kanasu Kannada
Ai Naan Bhishma Kano Kannada
Sri Renuka Devi Kannada
Ananda Nilaya Kannada
Vijayadashami Kannada
Lavve Pasagali Kannada
Janaki Weds Sriram Prema Telugu
2004 Apthamitra Soumya Kannada
Azhagesan Nandhini Tamil
2005 Inspector Jhansi Jhansi Kannada
Pandu Ranga Vittala Prema Kannada
Devi Abhayam Naag Devi Telugu
Ayodhya Jyothi Telugu
2006 A Aa E Ee Kannada
2007 Ekadantha Bhakti Kannada
Kshana Kshana Phalguni Kannada
Dhee Shankar's wife Telugu
2008 Sundarakanda Seetha Telugu
Krishnarjuna Telugu
Navashakthi Vaibhava Chamundeshwari Kannada
2009 Anjani Putrudu Telugu
Shishira Kannada
2017 Upendra Matte Baa Sathyabhama Kannada [8]
2022 Anukoni Prayanam Telugu
Wedding Gift Prema Kannada
2023 My Name Is Shruthi Telugu

References

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  1. ^ "Upendra, Prema combination back after 17 years". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Prema weds Jeevan!". Sify. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Actress Prema files for divorce". ManoramaOnline. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Shivarajkumar sets a new record!". The Times of India. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Nuvvu Nenu wins 4 Filmfare awards". The Times of India. 6 April 2002. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Lifetime Achievement award for Rajkumar". The Times of India. 14 May 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  7. ^ Moviebiz. "Review: Muthu". Sify. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ Sharadhaa, A. (23 May 2016). "Upendra, Prema combination back after 17 years". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
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