Singer Jamuna Rani, who made a special mark in the world of music with her voice, was 88 years old and had been suffering from age-related ailments. She passed away on Thursday evening at her residence in Bengaluru. The news has plunged the South Indian film industry into mourning. Her funeral will be held in Kallahalli this afternoon.
Jamuna Rani was born in 1938 in Andhra Pradesh and entered the film industry at the age of seven.
Entry with the film Tyagayya
She made her debut as a playback singer with the film Tyagayya. During her career, she sang more than 6,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. Her distinctive voice set her apart from her contemporaries and was particularly suited to club dance songs, gypsy songs and folk songs. She entered the Tamil film industry with the 1952 film Kalyani.
Telugu songs sung by Jamuna Rani
In Telugu cinema, Jamuna Rani earned immense popularity with songs such as Sarda Sarada Sigarettu, Entha Takkari Vadu Naaraju, Mukkumidhu Nrikhi.. Nee Mukhanike Aada, Kotu Bootu Veeda Bava Vachadayya and Padapadave Vaiyari Galipatama. Her talent extended beyond Indian languages, with her songs in Sri Lankan Sinhala films also receiving widespread acclaim.
In particular, her duet Jeevana Mee Gamana Ramsaare with renowned singer A.M. Raja in the Sinhala film Sada Sulang became an all-time classic in Sri Lankan music and continues to enjoy lasting popularity.
Awards received by Jamuna Rani
Throughout her career, she sang alongside leading singers including T.M. Soundararajan, Sirkali Govindarajan, Tiruchi Loganathan, P.B. Srinivas, A.M. Raja, P. Susheela, P. Leela, L.R. Easwari, Jikki, S. Janaki, Shoolamangalam Rajalakshmi and M.S. Rajeshwari.
She also worked with celebrated composers such as Viswanathan Ramamurthy, K.V. Mahadevan, T.R. Papa, V. Kumar, G.K. Venkatesh and Ilaiyaraaja. The Tamil Nadu government honoured her with the Kalaimamani Award in 1998 and the Arignar Anna Award in 2002.
A huge loss to South Indian music
The recent passing of several prominent figures from the film industry has left fans deeply saddened. Jamuna Rani’s death, following the losses of Bharathiraja, Bhagyaraj and S Janaki, is being viewed as a major loss to the South Indian music industry.
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