Travancore sisters
Encyclopedia
Travancore Sisters refers to the trio of Padmini
, Lalitha
and Ragini
who were actors, dancers and performers in Malayalam
, Tamil
and Hindi films.
The trio were born into a nair family in Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum).Their ancestors originally hailed from nagercoil, now in Tamil Nadu. Lalitha is the eldest and Ragini the yougest. Padmini gained the maximum success and has acted in more than 250 films. They have one brother, Chandrakumar, who is the father of the Malayali
actress Shobana. Vineeth
is also a nephew of the Travancore sisters. Their mother Saraswaty's niece is the famed Sukumari
, who is presumed to have acted in about 2,000 movies.
The Travancore sisters learned dancing under Guru Gopinath
and Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai. Ragini died young and Padmini is the only surviving member of the trio. Padmini recently came to stay in the Bay Area, but has maintained a low profile. Few documents relating to them survive except for dozens of films and articles in Indian newspapers. The Travancore Sisters grew up in a joint family tharavadu 'Malaya Cottage' in Poojappura - Trivandrum. The matriarchial head of the family was Karthiyayini Amma whose husband was PK Pillai (Palakunnathu Krishna Pillai of Cherthala) alias 'Penang Padmanabha Pillai'. PK Pillai had six sons of whom Satyapalan Nair (Baby) was a leading producer of many early Malayalam films. Another son, Raveendran Nair's daughter Latika Suresh is a leading producer of Malayalam TV programs. They also have performed at the 1955 Filmfare Awards
.
Padmini (actress)
Padmini was an Indian actress and trained Bharathanatyam dancer who has acted in over 250 Indian films. She has acted in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi language films...
, Lalitha
Lalitha (actress)
Lalitha was a South Indian actress and danseuse. She was the eldest of the "Travancore Sisters" - Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini. She started her acting career in the 1938 Tamil film Adithan Kanavu and has acted in movies of different Indian languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.She...
and Ragini
Ragini (actress)
Ragini was a South Indian danseuse and actress. She was the youngest of the famed Travancore Sisters: Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini. With sister Padmini, she started her acting career in the mid 1950s and has acted in movies of different Indian languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu...
who were actors, dancers and performers in Malayalam
Malayalam cinema
The Cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered more realistic than films from other parts of India. Malayalam cinema has...
, Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
and Hindi films.
The trio were born into a nair family in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(Trivandrum).Their ancestors originally hailed from nagercoil, now in Tamil Nadu. Lalitha is the eldest and Ragini the yougest. Padmini gained the maximum success and has acted in more than 250 films. They have one brother, Chandrakumar, who is the father of the Malayali
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
actress Shobana. Vineeth
Vineeth
Vineeth is an Indian film actor and classical dancer who has acted in several well received films in his native Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. He studied in Good Shepherd Public School, Ooty, and at St. Joseph's Boys' High School, Thalassery.Vineeth is nephew of the famous Travancore...
is also a nephew of the Travancore sisters. Their mother Saraswaty's niece is the famed Sukumari
Sukumari
Sukumari is an Indian film actress who has primarily acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has been acting since she was 10 years old and has acted in various roles. The total number of her films is presumed to be about two-thousand. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of...
, who is presumed to have acted in about 2,000 movies.
The Travancore sisters learned dancing under Guru Gopinath
Guru Gopinath
Guru Gopinath was an Indian classical dancer, Kathakali master and mentor of a relatively new creative modern dancing style called Kerala Natanam. - Significance :...
and Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai. Ragini died young and Padmini is the only surviving member of the trio. Padmini recently came to stay in the Bay Area, but has maintained a low profile. Few documents relating to them survive except for dozens of films and articles in Indian newspapers. The Travancore Sisters grew up in a joint family tharavadu 'Malaya Cottage' in Poojappura - Trivandrum. The matriarchial head of the family was Karthiyayini Amma whose husband was PK Pillai (Palakunnathu Krishna Pillai of Cherthala) alias 'Penang Padmanabha Pillai'. PK Pillai had six sons of whom Satyapalan Nair (Baby) was a leading producer of many early Malayalam films. Another son, Raveendran Nair's daughter Latika Suresh is a leading producer of Malayalam TV programs. They also have performed at the 1955 Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
.