SRIKAKULAM: 45-year-old woman has been continuing her parent’s legacy in folklore especially in mythological dramas like Sriramanjeneya Yuddaham, Kurukshetra, Satya Harichandra, and Sri Krishna Tulabharam.
Kilari Lakshmi, who hails from Ponduru mandal headquarters, has been mesmerizing the audience by playing lead characters like Chandramathi in Satya Harichandra, Sri Rama in Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham, Arjuna in Gayopakhyanam and Sri Krishna in Kurukshetra and Sri Krishna Tulabharam mythological dramas for the past 36 years.
She has given more than 5,000 stage performances in several mythological dramas across the nation so far. Though she was confined to the female Chandramathi character in Satya Harichandra’s drama till her marriage, she has been playing male characters with the support and encouragement from her husband Chantibabu, who is also an artiste.
Lakshmi's parents, Kilari Satyanarayana and Lalitha Devi of Chettu Podilam village in G Sigadam Mandal are renowned folk artists in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Satyanarayana’s third and younger daughter Lakshmi developed an interest in mythological dramas and played her first role as Lohithasya in Satya Harichandra along with her father at the age of nine.
Later, she played Lava-Kusa characters in her childhood and Chandramathi character in her teenage with her father Satyanarayana’s encouragement. She got the opportunity to share the stage along with popular stage actors Lolugu Achari, Venkatarao Guptha, Pedapadu Lakshmi, Molakareddy, Chimakurti Nageswararao, Kuridi Satyanarayana, DV Subbarao, Yedla Gopalarao and junior DV Subbarao. She was conferred with the Kandukuri Puraskar for her extemporary services in folklore in 2016.
She also acted as one of the judges for Nandi Natakostavalu in 2016. She also received Natagana Siromani, Abinava Chandramathi, and Abhinava Savitri titles, and hundreds of felicitations from various organisations.
“My father is my first teacher. I am the only daughter in my family to continue my parents’ legacy. I have been receiving tremendous responses from the audience. The increasing response to mythological dramas in recent years is an indication that it will regain its lost glory. With the support from the government, the theatre art will flourish in this State,” Kilari Lakshmi expressed.