Film actress Usharani dies

CHENNAI: South Indian film actress Usharani (62) passed away. She died at a private hospital in Chennai while undergoing treatment for kidney ailments. She was a lead actress during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She will be cremated in Chennai later today.

She started her career as a child artiste in Jail in 1966. She had acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She had acted in more than 200f films. She acted as a child artiste in more than 30 films. She has paired opposite Kamal Hassan in Arangettam. She later did films with Sivaji Ganeshan, MGR and Jayalalithaa.

Aham, Ekalavyan, Bharya, Thottavadi, Angathattu, Mazhayethum Munpe, Pathram and Panchami were some of her main films.

She was born as eldest among three children at Chennai to Tamilian Father Mothi and a Malayali mother Sudeshini. She hails from Varkkala in Kerala. Her father was a Saurashtra Oriental Arts cloth merchant. She has two younger sisters, Sangeetha Raman and Renjini. She studied at Church Park Presentation Convent, Chennai.

She was the wife of late director N Sankaran Nair. The couple has a son Vishnu Sankar.