P. Shanthakumari
Vellaala Subbamma (better known as Santhakumari) (17 May 1920 – 16 January 2006) was an Indian musical artist and actress. She was married to the Telugu film director and producer P. Pullaiah. Early years. Vellaala Subbamma was born in Proddatur town, (Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh) to Sreenivasa Rao and Pedda Narasamma. Her father was an actor and her mother was a classical music singer. Santhakumari learned classical music and violin under the guidance of Professor P. Sambamurthy and was a classmate of D. K. Pattammal. She joined a drama troupe and was an AIR artiste by the age of  sixteen. She came to Madras (now Chennai) to pursue a career in music. She found employment in Vidyodaya School for a remuneration of Rs 2 per month. She sang along with music director S. Rajeswara Rao for AIR. Film career. Santhakumari debuted in Telugu Cinema with "Mayabazar" (also known as "Sasirekhaa Parinayam") in 1936. In the following year she was a member of the cast of "Sarangadhara", a film that was directed by P. Pullaiah, whom she met and married in the same year. The couple used the name of PadmaSree Pictures, named after their daughter Padma, for some of  their movies and had success with films such as "Jayabheri" (1959), "Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam" (1960), and "Preminchi Choodu" (1965). Santhakumari acted in most of the movies that were made by her husband, including "Shavukaru" (1950), "Ardhangi" (1955), "Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam" (1960), "Shanti Nivasam" (1960), and "Ramudu Bheemudu" (1964). In 1947, the couple started the Ragini Pictures banner with Bheemavarapu Narasimha Rao and Bhakta Jana. They made 22 films on both PadmaSree and Ragini banners put together. She played many lead and supporting roles, with around 250 appearances in total. Awards and recognition. For her contributions to Telugu Cinema, Santha Kumari  was awarded the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 1998. Filmography. This is partial filmography of Santha Kumari. Kindly help expanding it.