Lakshmi Narayan

Lakshmi was fifteen when she started acting in films. Her first film was Jeevanamsam, a Tamil film released in 1968. The same year she entered Telugu cinema through Bandhavyalu.
She established herself as a successful and popular actress in South India in the 1970s acting in all four South Indian languages: Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. Her Malayalam film Chattakari (1974) was remade in Hindi as Julie (1975) and in Telugu as Miss Julie Prema Katha (1975). In addition to a Filmfare Best Actress Award,she also won the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards for the "most outstanding work of the year", for her work in Julie. She is a versatile actress with a glamorous touch. In the Telugu film Panthulamma, she is credited with giving one of her best performances.
She acted with almost all the leading actors and Stars of South India, but it was her combination with popular actor Anant Nag in 70s and 80s that really struck a chord with the audience. Ananth Nag and Lakshmi are considered one of the all-time greatest pairs in South Indian cinema. They acted together in more than 25 films. Most of the films based on TaRaSu novels based on the life of middle class young couples. The films like Chandanada Gombe, Naa Ninna Bidaalare (1979), Benkiya Bale, Ibbani Karagitu, Makkaliralavva Mane Thumba, Mududida Taavare Aralitu, Nodi Swamy Naavirodu Heege (1983), Amma and others in their combination were blockbuster hits that made Ananth Nag and Lakshmi household names in Karnataka.
After her success in Julie, however, she didn't star in many Hindi films and instead concentrated on doing more South Indian films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1977), becoming one of the first South Indian actresses to win in that category for a Tamil film. When her career as a leading lady ended in the 1980s, she started playing supporting roles as a mother and later as grandmother. She played Aishwarya Rai's grandmother in Jeans (1998) and Kareena Kapoor's grandmother in Hulchul (2004). She has performed in more than 400 films and has also been involved in politics.
Lakshmi took a break from acting to host two talk shows, including the Tamil talk show Achamillai, Achamillai. After the talk shows ended, she returned to acting in films. She is fluent in all four South Indian languages. She hosted a talk show in Kannada for Suvarna channel called Idu Kathe alla Jeevana. She also hosts a talk show in Tamil for Vijay TV called Kadhai Alla Nijam. She also directed a Kannada film Makkala Sainya. Currently she is hosting a talk show in Kannada for Suvarna channel called Neena? Naana?

Lakshmi was married three times. Her first marriage was to Bhaskar, who worked with an insurance company. It was arranged by her parents when she was seventeen. Her only biological child, Aishwarya, was born in 1971. Her marriage ended in a divorce, and she gained custody of her daughter, who later became an actress in the 1990s, making her a fourth generation actress. Lakshmi fell in love with her Chattakari leading man Mohan, but that relationship ended. While she was shooting En Uyir Kannamma, she and actor-director Sivachandran fell in love and got married. She was long associated with Kannada actor Anant Nag in the 80s.
Her daughter Aishwarya, gave birth to a baby girl in the mid 1990s, making Lakshmi a grandmother. Lakshmi adopted a baby girl in 2001.