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Actresses

Lakshmi (Actress) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

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

Quick Info

Date of birth13 December 1952

Age72 Years

BirthplaceMadras, Madras State (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu), India

ProfessionActor, Director

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseK. S. Sivachandran

FamilyMother: Kumari Rukmani; Father: Yaragudipati Varada Rao; Daughter: Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran; Adopted daughter: Sivachandran Samyuktha

Lakshmi (Actress) Biography

Lakshmi, born Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi on 13 December 1952 in Madras (now Chennai), is an Indian actress and director whose career across Tamil,Tel

Early life and background

Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, was born on 13 December 1952 in Madras, Madras State (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu. Raised in a film-oriented family—her father Yaragudipati Varada Rao was a filmmaker and her mother Kumari Rukmani an actress—Lakshmi grew up with close ties to South Indian cinema. She completed her schooling in Chennai and participated in school acting competitions, where she won awards that encouraged her interest in performance.

Career

Lakshmi’s screen journey began as a child artist in the early 1960s. Her first recorded film appearance was as the young Valli in the Tamil film Sri Valli (1961). Through the late 1960s she took roles across South Indian industries, appearing in Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films and earning small fees that she used to buy personal items as a teenager.

Her profile rose sharply in the 1970s with a string of acclaimed performances. Lakshmi’s work in Malayalam cinema brought her widespread recognition when she played the title role in Chattakkari (1974), a film that enjoyed strong box-office runs and secured her both state and Filmfare honours. That decade also brought national attention: her role in Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1977) earned the National Film Award for Best Actress, and she won a Filmfare Best Actress trophy for the Hindi film Julie (1975).

Lakshmi has worked across the five major Indian film languages—Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi—and has been honoured repeatedly for her performances. The mid-1970s and 1980s were particularly fruitful, with awards for films including Dikkatra Parvathi, Chalanum, Mohiniyaattam, Unmaigal and Sravana Meghalu. In 1980 she moved into direction, helming the Tamil film Mazhalai Pattalam, an adaptation of the American family comedy-drama Yours, Mine and Ours, which she also made in a Kannada version.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Lakshmi continued to take important character roles in multiple languages. She formed a celebrated on-screen partnership with Kannada star Anant Nag, appearing together in over 25 films that often explored the lives of ordinary middle-class couples. Her notable later work includes roles in Samsaram Adhu Minsaram (1986), Hoovu Hannu (1993), Padayappa (1999), Murari (2001) and Vamshi (2008), with state and Filmfare recognitions continuing into the 2000s and beyond.

Television and later work

Alongside films, Lakshmi has been active on television. She appeared in Tamil serials such as Adutha Veetu Kavithai, Nallathor Veenai and Mahalakshmi, and has participated in several reality and talk shows as both a contestant and a judge. Her screen presence continued into the 2010s and 2020s, including a supporting role that won a SIIMA award in 2021 for her performance in Oh! Baby.

Public profile

Lakshmi is known for the breadth of her work across regional cinemas and for the versatility that allowed her to move between leading and character roles. Her performances have been recognised with numerous awards, including multiple Filmfare Awards across languages, state film awards, a National Film Award and later lifetime and special honours acknowledging her long contribution to South Indian cinema.

Personal life

Lakshmi’s family background is rooted in the film industry. She is the daughter of filmmaker Yaragudipati Varada Rao and actress Kumari Rukmani; her maternal grandmother, Nungambakkam Janaki, was also an actress. Lakshmi has been married and is the mother of two daughters. Actress Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran is her daughter from her first marriage. Lakshmi and her third husband, actor-director K. S. Sivachandran, adopted a daughter, Samyuktha, in 2000.

Latest updates

Into the 21st century Lakshmi has remained active in cinema and television, with award-winning supporting roles and continued recognition from regional film bodies. Her career has spanned child roles to lead performances, direction, and prominent character work across five Indian languages, maintaining her status as a respected figure in South Indian film.
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Recent Work

Oh! Baby

Supporting role that earned a SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

2019
Vamshi

Played the protagonist's mother; performance won a Karnataka State Film Award

2008
Murari

Role of Gopakka, earned a Nandi Award for Best Character Actress

2001
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Career Highlights

  1. National Film Award for Best Actress for Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1977)
  2. Multiple Filmfare Awards across Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi
  3. Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for Chattakkari (1974)
  4. Directed the Tamil film Mazhalai Pattalam (1980)
  5. Dr. Rajkumar Award, highest honour in the Kannada film industry (2017)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Lakshmi (Actress) born?

13 December 1952

What is Lakshmi (Actress) known for?

Actor, Director

What is Lakshmi (Actress)’s marital status?

Married

Who is Lakshmi (Actress) married to?

K. S. Sivachandran