Jamuna Age, Death, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Birth name	Jana Bai
Real name	Jamuna Ramana Rao [1]YouTube - 9sTV India
Profession(s)	• Actress • Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 75 kg in pounds- 165 lbs
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career (acting)
Debut	Film (Telugu): Puttillu (1952) as 'Susheela' Film (Tamil): Panam Paduthum Padu (1954) Film (Kannada): Aadarsha Sathi (1955) Film (Hindi): Miss Mary (1957) as 'Sita'
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• 1968: Won Best Supporting Actress Award at Filmfare Awards for the 1967 Hindi film Milan • 1972: Won Special Jury Award at Filmfare Awards South for the 1972 Telugu film ‘Pandanti Kapuram’ • 1999: Honoured with MGR Award at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards • 2008: Honoured with NTR National Award by the government of Andhra Pradesh • 2010: Received Lifetime Achievement Award with Padma Bhushan B. Saroja Devi National Award • 2019: Received Santosham Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th Santosham Film Awards
Politics
Party	• Indian National Congress Note: She joined Indian National Congress in 1980s and quit politics in 1991.
Political Journey	• In the 1980s, she joined the Indian National Congress. • In 1989, she became a member of the Lok Sabha from the Rajahmundry constituency. • In 1991, she contested Lok Sabha elections; however, she lost. • Later, she quit the Congress party. • In the late 1990s, she campaigned for BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya for a brief period of time.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	30 August 1936 (Sunday)
Birthplace	Hampi, Madras Presidency, British India (now Karnataka, India)
Date of Death	27 January 2023 (Friday)
Place of Death	Hyderabad
Age (at the time of death)	86 Years
Death Cause	Age-related ailments [2]The Indian Express
Zodiac sign	Virgo
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Duggirala, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India
School	Completed high school through private tuition in Duggirala, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh [3]YouTube - Friday Poster Channel
Controversy	Jamuna Kicked N. T. Rama Rao In 1965, Jamuna was cast in a lead role opposite actor NTR in the Telugu film 'Sri Krishna Tulabharam' in which she kicked NTR. This scene in the film raised controversy among NTR's fans. Later, she explained that she had to act like that because she had to play that kind of role in the film. [4]The Times of India Later, she felt bad for kicking him and apologised to him. In an interview, she talked about the incident and said, "I had a soft corner for both Lord Krishna and NTR. I had prayed to Krishna to make me a star, and NTR was one of the few actors who respected women a lot. In the song O Cheli Kopama from Sri Krishna Tulabharam, I had to kick him, and I felt so bad that I apologised profusely after the scene. “Aaha em paravaledu (it’s all right), after all, it’s acting,” he replied in his baritone, making me feel better." [5]The Times of India
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year, 1965
Family
Husband/Spouse	Juluri Ramana Rao (a zoology professor at SV University in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh) (died of cardiac arrest on 10 November 2014)
Children	Son- Vamsee Juluri (a professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California, United States) Daughter- Sravanthi Juluri (painter)
Parents	Father- Nippani Srinivasa Rao (Exporter of turmeric and tobacco) Mother- Kowsalya Devi
Siblings	She had a sister.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jamuna

• Jamuna (1936-2023) was an Indian actress and politician, who was known for acting predominantly in the Telugu film industry. She has also worked in the Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi film industries.

• When she was seven years old, her parents moved from Hampi, Karnataka to Duggirala, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.
  

  Jamuna in her youth

• While studying in Duggirala in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, she took part in school drama skits.

• Her mother was her music teacher, who trained her in singing and playing the harmonium.

• Kongara Jaggaiah, a veteran Indian actor, lyricist, and politician, was her school teacher in Duggirala.

• Savitri, an Indian actress, was once in Duggirala for her drama performance, where she stayed at Jamuna’s house. Later, she introduced Jamuna to the film industry and invite her to work in films. She used to call Savitri her Akka (elder sister). The two were very close to each other; Savitri even braided her hair to make the traditional hairstyle on Jamuna’s wedding day called ‘Pellikuthuru Jada.’ ^[6]The Times of India
  

  Savitri braiding Jamuna’s hair on her wedding day

• In 1952, when she was performing in the stage show ‘Maa Bhoomi,’ the director and member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association, Garikipati Raja Rao, watched her acting on stage and offered her a role in his Telugu film ‘Puttillu,’ which turned out to be her debut film.

• In her last interview, she talked about how she debuted as an actor and revealed that she was cast in the Telugu film ‘Puttillu’ as she used to look like veteran Indian actress Nargis. She said,
  

  I was only a teenager when Raja Rao came to Duggirala from Rajahmundry looking for me because he had heard I was a good actress. He saw me perform and asked a photographer to take pictures of me with no make-up on. I was signed for ‘Puttilu’ because they thought I looked like Nargis. I earned Rs 500 per month for the project. The film didn’t work because Raja Rao was much older than me, but I clicked.” ^[7]The Times of India

• She began acting in films at the age of 16.

• In 1954, she played the role of Rekha in the Telugu comedy film ‘Vaddante Dabbu.’ In the same year, she worked in another Telugu film titled ‘Iddaru Pellalu.’ In 1964, she played the role of Subhadra in the Telugu film ‘Bobbili Yuddham,’ which was based on the Battle of Bobbili.
  

  Poster of the film ‘Bobbili Yuddham’

• She worked in more than 80 Telugu language films.

• In 1955, she appeared as Sita in the Tamil romantic comedy film ‘Missiamma.’ In the same year, she played the role of Lakshmi in the Tamil drama film ‘Thiruttu Raman.’ She worked in the 1962 Tamil film ‘Nichaya Thamboolam’ in which she played the role of Seetha. In 1983, she played the role of Anu in the Tamil film ‘Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey.’
  

  Poster of the film ‘Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey’

• She worked in many Kannada films. After debuting in the Kannada film industry in 1955, she played the role of Mandodari in the 1956 Kannada film ‘Bhookailasa.’ In 1971, she was cast in a lead role as Uma in the Kannada film ‘Sakshatkara.’ She worked as a supporting character in the 1991 Kannada film ‘Police Matthu Dada.’
  

  Poster of the film ‘Police Matthu Dada’

• In 1963, she appeared as Lakshmi in the Hindi film ‘Beti Bete.’ In 1990, she appeared in the Hindi action-adventure film ‘Lady Tarzan.’ She played the role of Rajmata in the 1984 multi-starrer Hindi film ‘Raaj Tilak.’
  

  Poster of the film ‘Raaj Tilak’

• Her native language was Telugu.

• She was the owner of a movie theatre located in the Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.

• Jamuna and Savithri, an Indian actress, organised a display of dolls and figurines on the occasion of ‘Bommala Koluvu.’
  

  Jamuna celebrating Bommala Koluvu

• Reportedly, Jamuna’s parents published a matrimony advertisement in newspapers, when they were searching for an eligible partner for Jamuna, especially IAS, IPS, professors, and highly educated professionals.

• According to sources, Jamuna was prohibited from working with Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) and Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) for around 3 years due to some disputes related to equal pay and respect. Later, she worked in several films opposite Harnath as a lead actor. In an interview, she revealed the reason why she was boycotted from working with ANR and NTR and said,
  

  ANR was always playful and never took anything too seriously. But he once unofficially boycotted me for three years because I demanded the same respect and pay he and NTR got. It was a difference of opinion. I went on to act with younger heroes like Ramanamurthy and Sridhar. But my pairing with ANR was such a hit; Nagi Reddy, Chakrapani and KV Reddy brought me back into the fold for ‘Gundamma Katha.'” ^[8]The Times of India

  

  Jamuna with ANR (left) and NTR (right) in a still from a film

• In an interview, she revealed that she never wanted to play the role of an elderly woman in films and when she began to receive offers for such roles, she stopped acting. She wanted to be remembered for her glamour as an andala tara (beautiful star). She said,
  

  My contemporaries today play ammama and nanamma roles; I never wanted to do that. I stopped acting when the kind of roles being offered to me began to change. I want to be remembered for my glamour as an andala tara (beautiful star). I have looked glamorous on-screen through the years, and apart from my acting, aa image, ala undipote bavuntundi.” ^[9]The Times of India