Maddela Nagaraja Kumari (1921 – 3 March 2008), better known as Kumari, was famous South Indian Actress and playback singer. She is the first Indian actress to play duel-role in the films. ,

She was born in Tenali

Tenali

Tenali , is a town and a mandal in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It has a population of 149,839 . It is located 16 miles east of Guntur City. Three canals of the Krishna River flow through Tenali making it a part of the rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh. One of the canals is...

 in 1921. She has been very much interested in Acting since childhood. Her parents did not agree for this. Her relative Puvvula Anjaiah pursuited her parents and booked her for acting in Dasavataram in 1936. This was her debut film, wherein she has acted in three roles as Lakshmi, Seetha and Yashodhara.

She got a chance to play the role of heroine in the second film in Amma (1939) directed by Niranjan Pal

Niranjan Pal

Niranjan Pal was a playwright, screenwriter and director in the Indian film industry in the silent and early talkie days...

. She portrayed the role of Chitralekha in Usha in the same year. Both the films did not do well.

She was booked for 3 films with Vauhini Studios

Vauhini Studios

Vauhini Studios, was a predecessor to Vijaya Vauhini Studios, was the largest cine studio in Asia in the 1940s, based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India....

. She got a major break in Sumangali

Sumangali

Sumangali is a 1940 Telugu film directed by B. N. Reddi. The main concept of the film Widow remarriage is inspired by Kandukuri Veeresalingam. The protagonist role was played by Chittor V. Nagaiah and A. S. Giri.-The plot:...

in 1940. Since then she was known as Kumari. She played as an innocent housemaid in Devatha in 1941. She has competed with Chittor V. Nagaiah

Chittor V. Nagaiah

Chitturu Nagayya or Chittor V. Nagaiah birth name - Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya was an Indian actor, composer, director, producer, writer and playback singer of Telugu film industry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Indian film journalist and the editor of Film India, Baburao Patel, described Nagiah as ‘The...

 and Tanguturi Suryakumari

Tanguturi Suryakumari

Surya Kumari was a singer, actor and dancer....

 and got good name. She played with K. S. Prakash Rao in Tulasidas. She used to voice her own songs.

After a gap of 5 years, she has acted in the successful film Mugguru Maratilu

Mugguru Maratilu

Mugguru Maratilu is a 1946 Telugu film produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramaiah. It ran for more than 100 days and established Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Kasturi Shiva Rao in the Telugu cinema field.It is a Musical film with some memorable songs....

in 1946. She has acted the duel role very bravely in Maayapilla in 1951. She portrayed as Asha and Roopa. However this was a failure. She subsequently acted in the classic film Malliswari

Malliswari (1951 film)

-Soundtrack:There are 15 songs in Malliswari.-External links:* * * *...

(1951) as Maharani, Akasharaju (1951), based on the story by Vishwanatha Satyanarayana, Pempudu Koduku (1953) and Sri Kalahastiswara Mahatyam

Sri Kalahastiswara Mahatyam

Kalahasti Mahatyam or Sri Kalahastiswara Mahatyam is a 1954 Telugu film directed by H. L. N. Simha starring Kannada Kantheerava Rajkumar....

(1954).

She has shifted to Vijayawada

Vijayawada

Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...

in 1958. She died on 3 March 2008 at the age of 87 years.