A doyen of Tamil Cinema- Demise of a great actress

With the demise of Padmini (Papimma as she was called) Tamil film industry has lost one of its greatest female actresses of the last 50 years. She had acted in 250+ films in various languages and her special talent was of course her phenomenal dancing talent coupled with great expressive eyes which could convey 100 stories at a time and a sublime beautiful own voice which used to transcend all language barriers.

Jaya TV had a 1 hour tribute to Padmini yesterday night and it was worth its weight in gold. Some of the memorable songs from vanjikottai valibhan, manamagal, thenum paalum and of course Thillana Mohanambal were simply class acts from the actress, her facial expressions a delight to watch. But the final song which was from Vietnam Veedu"enn kannil neer Vazhindhal' where both Sivaji and Padmini are at their very best was indeed memorable.

Veteran Nagesh’s comment ' her body which had been the very definition of skillful movements during her career now lies still in a coffin' conveyed the very essence of life when the final hour arrives

RK