T. G. Kamala Devi

T. G. Kamala Devi
Born	Thota Govindamma 29 December 1930[1] Karvetinagaram, Chittoor district, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	16 August 2012(2012-08-16) (aged 81) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names	Kamala Devi, Kamala Chandra Babu, A. Kamala Chandra Babu
Children	1

T. G. Kamala Devi (born Thota Govindamma; 29 December 1930 – 16 August 2012), also known as Kamala Chandra Babu, was an Indian dubbing artist, playback singer and actor who primarily contributed to Telugu cinema as well as a few Tamil films.^[2] She was also a former professional level billiards player who won the Indian Women Billiards title twice.^[3] She died of a brief illness at Chennai on 16 August 2012.^[4]

Biography

She was born in Karvetinagaram, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. Her original birth name was Thota Govindamma and she later changed her name to T. G. Kamala Devi after entering the film industry. The initials "T. G." in her name represent her birth name.^[2] She married Avula Chandra Babu in 1946 and had a son named Avula Jaychander with him.^[5]

Film career

Acting

She was in a drama company and acted in some male and female roles in her early days. She received many medals for her performances. She then shifted to the cinema field and acted in about 30 films, most of them being minor supporting roles.

Singer

She has sung several songs In Telugu and Tamil films like the Telugu-Tamil Film Pathala Bhairavi wher in Telugu she sang 'Ithihasam Vinaara' or the tamil version Ithikasam Kaetarra

Dubbing artist

She also was a popular dubbing artist and has lent her voice to actors such as Padmini, B. Saroja Devi, Lalitha and many more.^[2]

Cue sports

Kamala was one of the earliest women cue sport players in India.^[1] When the then reigning snooker world champion Horace Lindrum visited Chennai at the invitation of the Andhra Maha Sabha in 1954, circumstances led Kamala to pick up the cue and provide Mrs. Lindrum a woman opponent to play against.^[6] Soon enough, she made her way to state and national-level tournaments. Since then, she played in various open tournaments in Billiards & Snooker as the only woman player at that time, competing with men at Chennai, Vijayawada and Bangalore. She won the Indian National Billiards Women titles in 1991 and 1995.^[7] She had the unique opportunity of playing exhibition matches at Bangalore and Mysore with the then World Billiards Champion Bob Marshall. She won both her billiards national titles at the age of 62 and 66 representing the Tamil Nadu state.^[7]

Awards

• Nataka Kala Prapoorna was awarded to her by the Andhra Pradesh Nataka Academy.

Titles

• National Billiards Champion: 1991,^[8] 1995

Filmography

Year	Film	Language	Character
1941	Dakshayagnam	Telugu
1942	Bala Nagamma	Telugu
1946	Mugguru Maratilu	Telugu
1947	Kanjan	Tamil	Amaravathi
1949	Gunasundari Katha	Telugu
1951	Malliswari	Telugu	Jalaja
1951	Patala Bhairavi	Telugu	Veera Katha Performer
1951	Patala Bhairavi	Tamil	Veera Katha Performer
1952	Palletooru	Telugu
1954	Thodu Dongalu	Telugu
1954	Chakrapani	Telugu
1959	Illarikam	Telugu
1961	Velugu Needalu	Telugu
1961	Thoolya Ullam	Tamil
1964	Bhakta Ramadasu	Telugu
1965	Bangaru Panjaram	Telugu
1967	Kanchu Kota	Telugu
1968	Asadhyudu	Telugu
1968	Bangaru Sankellu	Telugu
1969	Kathanayakudu	Telugu
1969	Bhale Abbayilu[9]	Telugu	Seetha, wife of Judge Madhava Rao
1969	Gandikota Rahasyam	Telugu
1970	Pettandarlu	Telugu
1975	Abhimanavathi	Telugu
1976	Neram Nadi Kadu Akalidhi[10]	Telugu	Rukimini, Punyakoti's wife
1984	Kutumba Gowravam	Telugu
1986	Ide Naa Samadhanam[11]	Telugu	Bhuvanagiri Bhavani Prasad's mother

References

1. "Cue artist Kamala Chandra Babu dies at age 82 | GantDaily.com". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
2. "T G Kamala Devi". Gurthukostunayyi. Maa TV. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
3. "A. Kamala Chandra Babu passed away". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
4. "Actor, singer Kamala Devi passes away". Deccan Chronicle. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
5. "Actress cum playback singer T G Kamala Devi dies at 83".
6. Ninan, Susan (12 November 2011). "A champion lost in her own world". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
7. "Former cue sport player Kamala Chandra Babu passes away". The Times of India. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
8. M. L. Narasimham (18 August 2012). "A woman of many talents". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
9. "Bhale Abbailu (1969)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
10. "Neram Nadikadu Akalidi (1976)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
11. FilmiClub. "Ide Naa Samadhanam (1986) Complete Cast & Crew". FilmiClub. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

External links

• T. G. Kamala Devi at IMDb
• Idhihaasam Keteera on YouTube - T. G. Kamala Devi sings and dances in Pathala Bhairavi