Aarathi (born as Bharathi in 1954)[3][4] is a former Indian actress and director who prominently worked in Kannada films during the 1970s and 1980s. Her accolades include four Karnataka State Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. Besides Kannada, Aarathi has appeared in few Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films.
Her first breakthrough came when Puttanna Kanagal cast her as Alamelu in the action drama Naagarahaavu (1972). She gained widespread recognition and accolades for playing a soft spoken girl who ends up living a tragic life post her marriage. Actor Vishnuvardhan made his debut with this film and gained instant popularity and the pair went on to star in several films together in future. Aarathi won her first Karnataka State Film Award for her portrayal of the character. The film ran for over 20 weeks across theaters in Karnataka and was remade in several other languages.[7]
Collaboration with Puttanna Kanagal
Kanagal introduced and brought Aarathi to the limelight by offering her to star in his films back to back right from Gejje Pooje in 1970 up until their final association in Ranganayaki in 1981. During the making of Bili Hendthi (1975), the duo secretly married even though Kanagal was already married.[8]Kanagal wrote several author-backed character roles for Aarathi and cast her in female-centric films throughout the 1970s. Their combination produced successful films such as Naagarahaavu (1972), Edakallu Guddada Mele (1973), Upasane (1974), Bili Hendthi (1975), Shubhamangala (1975), Paduvaaralli Pandavaru (1978), Dharmasere (1979) and Ranganayaki (1981). After Ranganayaki, they both fell apart and their divorce ended any more future collaborations. She won all her eight awards (four Karnataka State awards and four Filmfare South awards) for her projects collaborated with Kanagal.
Aarathi featured in several female-centered critically acclaimed films such as Manini (1979), Vasantha Lakshmi (1978), Shubhamangala (1975), Anurakthe (1980), Archana (1982), Kannu Theresida Hennu (1982) and Sati Sakkubai (1985). She retired from acting after her second marriage in 1986 and Tiger was her last film to release.
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