Thanjavur Ranganayaki Rajayee , popularly known by her screen name T. R. Rajakumari was a Tamil film actress, Carnatic

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

 singer and dancer. She has been called the first "dream girl" of Tamil cinema.

Early life

Rajayee was born in 1922 in a family of carnatic musicians. Both her mother and her grandmother wanted Rajayee to become a singer and trained her in Carnatic music.

Film career

Rajayee made her film debut as "T. R. Rajakumari" in the 1939 Tamil film Kumara Kulothungan which was an average grosser. Her second film Kacha Devayani (1941) was a hit and helped launch her career in movies. There is some confusion about in which film she actually made her debut as Kacha Devayani's director K. Subramaniam

K. Subramaniam

Krishnaswami Subramaniam was a renowned Tamil film director of the 30s and 40s. He is the father of popular Indian danseuse Padma Subramanyam.-Biography:...

 later insisted that he was the one who introduced her to films. In 1944, Rajakumari starred in the record-breaking film Haridas

Haridas (1944 film)

Haridas is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. It holds the record of being the first film to run continuously for 110 weeks at a single theatre.-Production:...

alongside M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar

M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar

Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....

 and gained recognition for her glamorous portrayal.

In her Tamil film career, Rajakumari acted as the female lead to many major film stars including Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, T. R. Mahalingam

T. R. Mahalingam (actor)

Thenkarai Ramakrishna Mahalingam was a Tamil film actor, singer and music composer of the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his melodious songs mostly based on romantic or devotional themes.-Early days:...

, K. R. Ramaswamy, P. U. Chinnappa

P. U. Chinnappa

Pudukkottai Ulaganathan Pillai Chinnappa , also popularly known as P.U.Chinnappa, was a popular singer and Tamil movie actor during 1930's and 1940s from Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is also credited to be one of the first major influential actors of South Cinema...

, M. G. Ramachandran

M. G. Ramachandran

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....

 and Sivaji Ganesan

Sivaji Ganesan

Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...

. She also started a film production company (with her brother T. R. Ramanna) called "R. R. Pictures" and produced films like Vaazhapirandhavan (1953), Koondukkili

Koondukkili

Koondukkili is a Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan in the lead roles. This is the only film where both of them had acted together. The screenplay and dialogues were by Vindhan, a popular social acivitist and reformist writer who in the path of the acivitist and...

(1954), Gul-E-Bagaavali (1955), Paasam

Paasam

Paasam is a Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran in the lead role. The film was released in the 1960s.-Cast:...

(1962), Periya Idathu Penn

Periya Idathu Penn

Periya Idathu Penn is a Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran in the lead role. The film was released in 1963. It crossed 150 days and became a super hit film for M.G.R.-Plot:...

(1963), Panam Padaithavan

Panam Padaithavan

Panam Padaithavan is a Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran in the lead role. The film was released in 1965. The film ran successfully at many centres for more than 100 days and declared a box office hit.-Plot:...

(1965) and Parakkum Paavai (1966). Her last film as an actress was Vaanampadi (1963).

Partial filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1939	Kumara Kulothungan
1941	Kacha Devayani
1941	Manthaaravathi
1942	Manonmani
1943	Sivakavi Sivakavi Sivakavi was a 1943 Tamil-language film directed, initially, by Raja Sandow and later, S. M. Sreeramulu Naidu. It starred M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, S. Jayalakshmi, Serukalathur Sama, Thripuramba, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
1944	Haridas Haridas (1944 film) Haridas is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. It holds the record of being the first film to run continuously for 110 weeks at a single theatre.-Production:...	Haridas' mistress
1948	Chandralekha Chandralekha (1948 film) Chandralekha is a 1948 Tamil epic film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan. It features an ensemble cast consisting of M.K.Radha, Ranjan, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
1952	Amarakavi
1954	Manohara	Vasanthasenai
1955	Rajakumari

External links