Sriranjani

Who was Sriranjani?

Mangalagiri Sriranjani, better known as Sriranjani senior was a Telugu theater and film actress and singer. She is the elder sister of actress Sriranjani and mother of director M. Mallikharjuna Rao.

She was born in Narasaraopet Taluk, Andhra Pradesh in 1906. She was a major singing star in 1930's. She became famous by her record albums and audio releases of plays by the Gramophone Company of India. She was a stage actress in Krishna Vilasa Nataka Samajam that produced mythological plays. She is known for her portrayal of male roles, e.g. Krishna, Abhimanyu, Satyavan.

She made her debut to Telugu cinema in 1934 with Lava Kusha directed by C. Pullayya. Thereafter she appeared in Shri Krishna Leelalu and Mayabazaar. She died four years later from Cancer in 1939 at the young age of 34 years. She has acted in eight films only.