Suryakantham

Suryakantham (28 October 1924 – 18 December 1994) was an Indian actress in Tollywood. She was popular for playing the role of a cruel mother-in-law in most of her movies. Early life Suryakantham was born and brought up in a Telugu Brahmin family residing at Venkata Krishnaraya Puram near Kakinada of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. She was the 14th child to her parents, ten of whose children had died. She learnt dance and singing at the age of six. She married Peddibhotla Chalapati Rao, a High Court Judge, in 1950. Career Suryakantham started as a dancer in Chandralekha, produced by the Gemini Studios, for which she had been paid Rs 75 in remuneration. She got her first role as character artiste in Narada Naradi, but eventually quit her job at Gemini Studios.