One of the best dancers who graced the silver screen, Padmini was not only beautiful; she was also an accomplished actress. With her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, she was known as teh legendary “Travancore sisters.” Some of Padmini’s most famous roles came in films like “Veerapandiya Kattabomman,” “Vanji Kottai Valipan,” “Thillaanaa Mohanambal,” “Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai,” “Kaajal,” “Mera Naam Joker,” and many more.
Early Life and Career
Called Natya Peroli for her expertise in Bharatnatyam, Padmini Ramachandran is widely known simply as Padmini. She was born on June 12, 1932, in Thiruvananthapuram, then part of the princely state of Travancore, into the Malayali Nair family of Sree Thankappan Pillai and Saraswathi Amma.
Padmini, with her sisters Lalitha and Ragini start their training in Bharatnatyam from a young age under “Thiruvidaimarudur Mahalingam Pillai.” They were also trained by the legendary actor-dancer Guru Gopinath in Kathakali and Kerala Natanam. Soon, the sisters gained immense fame and popularity as the Travancore Sisters.
Her journey into the limelight began at the tender age of 16, when she debuted as a dancer in Uday Shankar’s “Kalpana” (1948) and the Tamil film Kannika (1947). This marked the start of an illustrious career that spanned over four decades, during which she graced over 250 Indian films across various languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, and even Russian.
Padmini On Screen
Her first Tamil film, “Manamagal (1950),” directed by N.S. Krishnan, became a massive hit. She starred alongside her sisters in “Thooku Thooki (1954),” which was a massive hit. Some of her other memorable films include Panam (1950), Uttama Puthran (1950), Thanga Padhumai (1953), Anbu (1953), Ethirparadhadu (1954), Mangayar Thilakam (1955), Amara Deepam (1956), Madhurai Veeran (1956), Vanjikottai Valiban (1958), Sampoorna Ramayanam (1958), Rajarajan (1958), and many more.
She made her Malayalam film debut with S. M. Sriramulu Naidu’s “Prasanna (1950).” The film also had Lalitha and Ragini. She followed it by films that include Rakthabandham (1951), Kanchana (1951), Aashadeepam (1953), Snehaseema (1954), Sakunthala (1957), Minnalpadayali (1958), Chathurangam (1958), Ummini Thanka (1961), etc.
Some of her other Malayalam films include “Prasanna,” “Snehaseema,” “Vivaahitha,” “Adhyaapika,” “Kumara Sambhavam,” and many more.
The Star
“Journey Beyond Three Seas (1957),” an Indian-Soviet co-production, saw her act in Hindi and Russian, playing a character based on the travelogues of Afanasy Nikitin. The famed dance competition between Padmini and Vyjayanthimala in “Vanji Kottai Valipan (1958)” is a treat to watch to this day. The dance-off to the song “Kannum Kannum Kalanthu,” highlighting their professional rivalry as well as their unmatched craft. The film was later remade in Hindi as “Raj Tilak,” with the same cast. Padmini’s most iconic role came in “Thillana Mohanambal (1968), “a Tamil film where she played a dancer competing with a musician, portrayed by Sivaji Ganesan. Her performance, blending Bharatanatyam with emotional depth, earned her widespread acclaim. “Vietnam Veedu (1970)” featured her as a middle-class wife of Sivaji Ganeshan.
Some of her notable films in Tamil include “Theiva Peravi (1960),” “Mannadhi Mannan (1960),” “Arasilankumari (1961),” “Punarjanmam (1961),” “Sri Valli (1961), Kaattu Roja (1963),” “Saraswathi Sabatham (1966),” “Thillana Mohanambal (1968),” “Edhir Paradhathu (1955),” “Vietnam Veedu (1970),” “Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu (1984),” Poove Poochudava (1985), “Thaikku Oru Thalattu (1986),” “Lakshmi Vandhachu (1986),” and “Aayiram Kannudayaal (1986)” among others.
Padmini In Hindi Films
After making her hindi film debut in 1948, Padmini went on to do many hindi films in the 1960s, like Mr. Sampat (1952) with Moti Lal, Shiv Bhakta (1955) with Shahu Modak, Indo Russian bilungual Pardesi (1957), Payal (1957), Raagini (1958) with Ashok Kumar and Kisore Kumar, Amardeep (1958) with Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala, Raj Tilak (1959) with Gemini Ganeshan and Vyjayanthimala, Bindya (1960) with Balraj Sahni and Kalpana (1960) with Ashok Kumar and
Ragini.
In 1960, she starred in Raj Kapoor’s dacoit drama “Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai,” a big hit at the time. For the film Padmini, gets nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She again paired with Kapoor in “Aashiq (1962)” and in Raj Kapoor’s dream project Mera Naam Joker (1970). Her role in “Chanda Aur Bijli (1969)” with Sanjeev Kumar earned her critical acclaim. Some of her other Hindi films include Babubhai Mistry‘s Mahabharat (1965), Kaajal (1965) with Dharmendra Afsana (1966), Aurat (1967), Vaasna (1968), Madhavi (1969), Bhai Bahen (1969), Chanda Aur Bijli (1969), Mastana (1970), and Dard Ka Rishta (1982).
Her versatility as an actress was evident through her work with some of the most revered actors in Indian cinema, such as Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Rajkumar, Gemini Ganesan, and S. S. Rajendran.
The Legend
In 1957, Padmini won the Best Classical Dancer Award at the Moscow Youth Festival for her Bharatanatyam performance. The Tamil Nadu government honored her with the Kalaimamani Award in 1958. Padmini performed for soldiers during the 1962 Indo-China War, earning praise from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for her dance-drama act. She received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (South) in 1990 for her contributions to cinema. After retiring in 1970, she founded the Padmini School of Fine Arts in New Jersey in 1977, starting with four students and expanding to five branches.
Padmini spoke six languages—Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and English—dubbing her own roles. She contributed to the Ganesha Temple in North America in 1970, donating proceeds from a sold-out performance at Hunter College. Her dance school in New Jersey became one of the oldest Indian dance academies in the U.S. P Si Ganesan once remarked, “I know only one dancer, and that is Padmini.”
She made a brief comeback with Malayalam films like Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu (1984) and Vasthuhara (1991). She also made a cameo in the U.S. TV series American Dreams (2002) as Parvathyamma. Padmini’s last film, Dollar (1994), was produced by U.S.-based Raju Patel.
Personal Life and Later Years
Padmini married Dr. K.T. Ramachandran, a U.S.-based physician, in 1961. They had one son, Prem Ramachandran, born in 1962, who later worked with Warner Brothers and resided in Hillsdale, New Jersey. After marriage, Padmini retired from acting in 1970 and settled in New Jersey, focusing on family life.
Padmini’s ties extended into the industry with her niece Shobana, a renowned actress and dancer, and her cousin Sukumari, a celebrated actress. She is also related to actor Vineeth and actress Ambika Sukumaran.
In 2006, she planned to relocate to Chennai, expressing interest in character roles. She owned a house in Chennai and intended to return to the U.S. occasionally. Padmini died of a heart attack on September 24, 2006, in Chennai, aged 74, leaving behind a legacy in cinema and dance.
Padmini on IMDB
