MADURAI: Veteran actor-cum-folk singer Paravai Muniyamma breathed her last at her residence in Madurai in the early hours on Sunday. She was 83. Hailing from Paravai, a village in Madurai, Muniyamma was actively involved in singing folk songs in temples and other events. She began her acting career in the movie ‘Dhool’ in 2003 in which she played the role of the grandmother of actor Vikram. It was the song ‘Singam Pola’ in the movie that lifted her to stardom.
Later, she appeared in several movies including ‘Kadhal Sadugu’, ‘Kovil’, ‘Devathayai Kanden’, ‘Veeram’, ‘Tamizh Padam’, ‘Maan Karate’ among others.Her folk songs reached far and wide and she staged performances in several countries as well. To add more to her profile, the actor even hosted her own Sunday afternoon cooking show on village recipes in a television channel.
She received Kalaimamani award from the State government last year for her achievements. The actor had been in and out of hospital for the past several years due to age-related illnesses including kidney and lung problems and was unable to meet her medical expenses. Understanding her plight, the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had made a fixed deposit of RS 6 lakh under MGR welfare scheme in her name in 2016, and it helped her get a monthly interest of Rs 6,000. Several actors also gave financial assistance for her treatment.However, Muniyamma’s health continued to deteriorate and she succumbed to her illness on Sunday.