Veteran actress Geetanjali passes away

veteran actress Geetanjali breathed her last late on Wednesday night while undergoing treatment for a cardiac arrest. She was 72. Her passing has left her family and loved ones from the film industry in shock. In an illustrious career that spanned over six decades, Geetanjali featured in over 200 films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Introduced to the silver screen by NTR with Seetharama Kalyanam in 1961, some of her noted films include Dr Chakravarthy, Gudachari 116, Bobbili Yuddham and more. Born as Mani in Kakinada, the actress was re-christened Geetanjali by Lakshmikant-Pyarelal who helmed her film Parasmani. Hailing from a family of four girls and one boy, she first performed on stage as a four-year-old, when she did a classical dance with her sister. There was no looking back after that. Geethanjali’s performance as Sita in her debut film became her calling card. She went on to act alongside major matinee idols of the time, including NTR, ANR, Sivaji Ganesan, and Rajkumar. She married her co-star Ramakrishna, with whom she worked in many films. Tamannaah-starrer That is Mahalakshmi, that is yet to release, will be Geethanjali’s last film. remembering his mother as a happy soul who never let her illness take control of her life, her son and actor Adith Srinivas, got emotional. Several Tollywood stars too poured in their tributes. “She was introduced to the silver screen as Sita and she had all the qualities of the goddess. She was like a mother to everyone here, sticking with us through thick and thin,” said Naresh. Breaking down, Hema, who couldn’t control her tears said, “I used to be very close to her. She was so motherly; she would always ensure I was in a good frame of mind.” A shocked Uttej added, “We are all in deep shock because we all loved Geetanjali garu. She was the embodiment of film industry for me. I used to tease her by calling her Geetha... I spoke to her just yesterday.” Manchu Manoj tweeted, “Sad to hear #Geetanjali garus sudden demise. My condolences-to the family ... she was very close to our family and it’s really heartbreaking.... u will always live through Cinema andi. Rest in peace...” (sic) The mortal remains of the actress were kept at her home in Nandinagar. The last rites were performed on Thursday evening.