Biography

Sumalatha (born August 27, 1963), also known as Sumalatha Ambareesh, is an Indian actress and politician who works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema, alongside appearances in Tamil and Hindi films. She made her acting debut in the Tamil feature *Thisai Maariya Paravaigal* (1979) and entered Telugu cinema that same year with *Samajaniki Saval*. During the 1980s, Sumalatha established a prolific career across South Indian film industries. In Telugu cinema, she starred in *Subhalekha* (1982), *Khaidi* (1983), and won the Nandi Special Jury Award for *Sruthilayalu* (1987). In Malayalam cinema, her notable credits included *Nirakkoottu* (1985), *New Delhi* (1987), the romantic drama *Thoovanathumbikal* (1987), and *Isabella* (1988), the latter of which earned her the Kerala Film Critics Award for Best Actress. In Kannada cinema, she made her debut with *Ravichandra* (1980), followed by films such as *Thayiya Kanasu* (1985), *Aahuti* (1985), and *Karna* (1986). She also appeared in Hindi productions, including *New Delhi* (1988), *Pratibandh* (1990), and *Aaj Ka Goonda Raj* (1992). In her later career, Sumalatha transitioned to supporting and maternal roles, appearing in the bilingual devotional feature *Sri Manjunatha* (2001), *Kallarali Hoovagi* (2006), *Kandahar* (2010), *Doddmane Hudga* (2016), *Thayige Thakka Maga* (2018), *D/O Parvathamma* (2019), and *Kranti* (2023).