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Jamuna Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 August 1936

Age86 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceHampi, Madras Presidency, British India (now Karnataka, India)

ProfessionActress, Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseJuluri Ramana Rao (died 10 November 2014)

FamilyChildren: Vamsee Juluri (son), Sravanthi Juluri (daughter); Parents: Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kowsalya Devi; had a sister

Jamuna Biography

Jamuna (born Jana Bai; 30 August 1936 – 27 January 2023) was an Indian actress and politician best known for her work in Telugu cinema, with significant st

Early life and background

Jamuna was born Jana Bai on 30 August 1936 in Hampi, then part of the Madras Presidency under British India. Her family moved to Duggirala in Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, when she was a child. She completed her high school education through private tuition in Duggirala. Music and stage were important parts of her upbringing: her mother taught her singing and harmonium, and she participated in school drama productions. A young Jamuna was noticed on stage by director Garikipati Raja Rao, who cast her in her first film.

Career

Jamuna began acting as a teenager. Her screen debut came in the Telugu film Puttillu (1952), and she went on to perform across multiple Indian film industries. She worked extensively in Telugu cinema—appearing in more than 80 Telugu-language films—and also acted in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. Her early notable Telugu roles included Rekha in Vaddante Dabbu (1954) and Subhadra in Bobbili Yuddham (1964).

In Tamil cinema she appeared in Missiamma (1955) as Sita and played roles in films such as Thiruttu Raman (1955), Nichaya Thamboolam (1962) and, later, Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey (1983). She entered Kannada films in 1955, with parts including Mandodari in Bhookailasa (1956) and the lead role of Uma in Sakshatkara (1971). Her work in Hindi included Beti Bete (1963), Raaj Tilak (1984) and the 1990 action-adventure Lady Tarzan.

Jamuna received several honors across her career. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the 1967 Hindi film Milan. In 1972 she received a Special Jury Award at the Filmfare Awards South for the Telugu film Pandanti Kapuram. State and industry recognitions followed: the MGR Award at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in 1999, the NTR National Award in 2008 from the government of Andhra Pradesh, a Lifetime Achievement recognition alongside the Padma Bhushan B. Saroja Devi National Award in 2010, and the Santosham Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Politics

Jamuna entered politics in the 1980s by joining the Indian National Congress. She was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Rajahmundry constituency in 1989. She contested the Lok Sabha elections again in 1991 but was not successful, and she then stepped away from the Congress party. In the late 1990s she campaigned briefly for BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya.

Public profile

Jamuna cultivated a public image as a glamorous screen star and later chose to withdraw from acting when offered predominantly elder or maternal roles, explaining she preferred to be remembered for her earlier glamorous image. Her career included collaborations and occasional disputes with contemporaries; at one point she cited differences over pay and respect with leading actors that affected casting. She owned a movie theatre in Guntur district and, alongside fellow actress Savitri, organised cultural displays for the festival tradition of Bommala Koluvu.

Personal life

Jamuna married Juluri Ramana Rao, a zoology professor at SV University in Tirupati, in 1965. The couple had two children: a son, Vamsee Juluri, who became a professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco, and a daughter, Sravanthi Juluri, a painter. Her husband died of cardiac arrest on 10 November 2014. Her parents were Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kowsalya Devi, and she had at least one sister. Telugu was her native language.

Latest updates

Jamuna died in Hyderabad on 27 January 2023 at the age of 86. The reported cause of death was age-related ailments.

Legacy

Over a multi-decade career that spanned regional film industries and public life, Jamuna was recognized for both her acting and contributions beyond cinema through awards and public service. She is remembered for her body of work in Telugu cinema, her cinematic versatility across languages, and her period of involvement in national politics.
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Recent Work

Lady Tarzan

Hindi action-adventure film in which she appeared in 1990

1990
Raaj Tilak

Multi-starrer Hindi film in which she played Rajmata

1984
Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey

Tamil film in which she played the role of Anu

1983
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted in Telugu cinema with Puttillu (1952)
  2. Acted in more than 80 Telugu films and numerous Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films
  3. Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Milan (1967)
  4. Special Jury Award at Filmfare Awards South for Pandanti Kapuram (1972)
  5. Recipient of MGR Award (1999), NTR National Award (2008), and multiple lifetime achievement awards
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Jamuna born?

30 August 1936

What is Jamuna known for?

Actress, Politician

What is Jamuna’s marital status?

Married

Who is Jamuna married to?

Juluri Ramana Rao (died 10 November 2014)