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Sita (also spelled Seeta or Seetha Hindustani pronunciation: [Sītā],  listen (help·info) meaning "furrow") is the principle female character in the epic Ramayana.^[1] She is the consort of the Hindu god Rama (avatar of Vishnu) and is an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of Vishnu.^[2][3] She is esteemed as a standard-setter for wifely and womanly virtues for all Hindu women. Sita is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage and purity.

Sita is described as the daughter of the earth goddess Bhūmi and the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. In her youth, she marries Rama, the prince of Ayodhya. Soon after her marriage, she is forced into exile with her husband and brother-in-law Lakshmana. While in exile, the trio settle in the Dandaka forest, from where she is kidnapped by the Ravana, Rakshasa King of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the Ashoka Vatika of Lanka by Ravana. Sita is finally rescued by Rama in the climatic war where Rama slays Ravana. Sita proves her chastity by undergoing a trial by fire. Thereafter, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, where they are crowned as king and queen. However, Rama abandons a pregnant Sita, when one of his subjects casts doubt over her chastity. Sita gives birth to twins Lava and Kusha, in the refuge of Sage Valmiki's hermitage. After her sons grow up and unite with their father, Sita returns to her mother, the Earth's womb.

Etymology and other names[link]

Deities of Sita (far right), Rama (center), Lakshmana (far left) and Hanuman (below seated) at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford England

She is best known by the name Sita, derived from the Sanskrit word sīta, which means furrow. It is believed that her father Janaka found her while ploughing as a part of a yagna.The word was a poetic term in ancient India, its imagery redolent of fecundity and the many blessings coming from settled agriculture. The Sita of the Ramayana may have been named after a more ancient Vedic goddess Sita, who is mentioned once in the Rigveda as an earth goddess who blesses the land with good crops. In the Vedic era, She was one of the goddesses associated with fertility. A Vedic hymn (Rig Veda 4:57) recites:

The Kausik-sutra and the Paraskara-sutra associate her repeatedly as the wife of Parjanya (a god associated with rains) and Indra.
Sita is known by many epithets. She is called Jānaki as the daughter of Janaka; Maithili as the princess of Mithila'; as the wife of Rāma, she is called Ramā. Her father Janaka had earned the sobriquet "Videha" due to his ability to transcend body consciousness; Sita is therefore also known as Vaidehi (Sanskrit: वैदेही)).

Life[link]

Birth and youth[link]

Sita was a foundling, discovered in a furrow in a ploughed field, and for that reason is regarded as a daughter of Bhūmi Devi^[4] (the goddess earth). She was discovered and adopted by Janaka, king of Mithila, and his wife Sunayana. Upon her coming of age, a swayamwara was held to select a suitable husband for her. She wed Rama, prince of Ayodhya, an avatar of Vishnu on Vivaha Panchami.

Exile and abduction[link]

Ravana cuts off Jatayu's wing while abducting Sita, by Ravi Varma

Some time after the wedding, circumstances forced Rama to leave Ayodhya and spend a period of exile in the forests of Dandaka and later Panchavati. Sita willingly renounced the comforts of the palace and joined her husband in braving exile, even living in the Dandaka and Panchavati forests. The Panchavati forest became the scene for her abduction by Ravana, King of Lanka. Ravana kidnapped Sita, disguising himself as a brahmana mendicant, or begging holy-man, while her husband was away fetching a magnificent golden deer to please her(Panchavati Near Thapiyamaan Puliyur(Tamil Nadu). Jatayu, the vulture-king, who was a friend of Dasratha (Rama's father), tried to protect Sita but Ravana chopped off his wings. Jatayu survived long enough to inform Rama of what had happened.

Ravana took her back to his kingdom in Lanka, and Sita was held as a prisoner in one of his palaces. During her captivity for a year in Lanka, Ravana expressed his desire for her; however, Sita refused his advances and struggled to maintain her chastity. Hanuman was sent by Rama to seek Sita and eventually succeeded in discovering Sita's whereabouts. Sita gave Hanuman her jewelry and asked him to give it to her husband. However, Hanuman was caught by Lankan forces. Hanuman was about to be executed and burnt in a bonfire when he managed to escape and in return burned down the Lanka capital city.

Sita was finally rescued by Rama, who waged a famous battle to defeat Ravana. Upon rescue, Rama worried about the future of human society — that any man or women may not use this as an excuse to live with each other without marriage.^{[citation needed]}

The Thailand version of the Ramayana, however, tells of Sita walking on the fire, of her own accord, to feel clean, as opposed to jumping in it. She is not burnt, the coals turn to lotuses. Walking on live coals is still a common custom in the south of India.^{[citation needed]}

In Hindu dharma, every action has results irrespective of the stature of the person. A school of thought^[which?] states that Rama questioned Sita on her integrity as a punishment for her questioning the integrity of Lakshmana, who had left all his comfort and served Rama and Sita for 14 years.^{[citation needed]}

Later life[link]

Sita's fire ordeal

The couple came back to Ayodhya, where Rama was crowned king with Sita by his side. While Rama's trust and affection for Sita never wavered, it soon became evident that some people in Ayodhya could not accept Sita's long captivity under the power of Ravana.

Sita returns to the Earth's womb with her mother as Rama, her sons and sages watch in astonishment.

During Rama's period of rule, an intemperate washer man, while berating his wayward wife, declared that he was "no pusillanimous Rama who would take his wife back after she had lived in the house of another man". This statement was reported back to Rama, who knew that the accusation of Sita was baseless. Nevertheless, he would not let slander undermine his rule, so he drove Sita out.

Sita was thus forced into exile a second time; she was not only alone this time but also pregnant. She was rescued by the sage Valmiki. He gave her refuge in his hermitage, where she delivered twin sons named Kusha and Lava.

In the hermitage, Sita raised her sons alone, as a single mother.^[5] They grew up to be valiant and intelligent, and were eventually united with their father. Once she had witnessed the acceptance of her children by Rama, Sita sought final refuge in the arms of her mother Bhūmi. Hearing her plea for release from an unjust world and from a life that had rarely been happy, the earth dramatically split open; Bhūmi appeared and took Sita away to a better world.

Speeches in the Ramayana[link]

Janaki Mandir, Janakpur

While the Ramayana mostly concentrates on Rama's actions, Sita also speaks many times during the exile. The first time is in the town of Chitrakuta where she narrates an ancient story to Rama, whereby Rama promises to Sita that he will never kill anybody without provocation.

The second time Sita is shown talking prominently is when she speaks to Ravana. Ravana has come to her in the form of a Brahmin and Sita tells him that he doesn't look like one.

Some of her most prominent speeches are with Hanuman when he reaches Lanka. Hanuman wants an immediate meeting of Rama and Sita, and thus he proposes to Sita to ride on his back. Sita refuses as she does not want to run away like a thief; instead she wants her husband Rama to come and defeat Ravana to save her.

Symbolism[link]

A female deity of agricultural fertility by the name Sita was known before Valmiki's Ramayana, but was overshadowed by more well-known goddesses associated with fertility. According to the Ramayana, Sita was discovered in a furrow when Janaka was ploughing. Since Janaka was a king, it is likely that plowing was part of a royal ritual to ensure fertility of the land. Sita is considered to be the child of the Mother Earth, produced by the union between the king and the land. Sita is a personification of the Earth's fertility, abundance, and well-being.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag; see the help page

The actions, reactions and instincts manifested by Sita at every juncture in a long and arduous life are deemed exemplary; Her story has been portrayed in the book Sitayanam.^[6] The values that She enshrined and adhered to at every point in the course of a demanding life are the values of womanly virtue held sacred by countless generations of Indians.

What is ambiguous is her portrayal as an ideal queen. Was she a good states person? Was she a warrior? Her sacrifices and actions are most often portrayed in her personal capacity and not as a governance figure. Sita was abducted because she had to step out of the safety line to give alms to Ravan disguised as a Brahmin. The giving of alms to Brahmin in those times was more of a duty to be performed, rather than an optional charitable act. This held true more so for the royals and they were to lead by example. Also, the incident of Sita's refusal to come back with Hanuman like a common thief, her renunciation of queen-hood and exile from Ayodhya after her return. All her key aspects are shown in a favourable light, but not as a head of state, but as an ideal woman. This is in stark contrast to Rama, who is always portrayed also as an ideal king who was just and fair and always thought of his people before all else in addition to being depicted as an ideal husband and an ideal son.

Popular culture sees Sita as an abla nari or a helpless woman. She is portrayed as someone who needs support and assistance of the male folk in the myth.

As a feminist issue[link]

Sita endures the trial by fire (Agni Pariksha) to prove her chastity.

From a feminist perspective, Sita's story is illustrative of subjugation of women in Hindu culture especially in comparison to Durga who is a symbol of female raw force:

• She fits the classic damsel in distress stereotype, waiting to be rescued by a man. Indeed she takes it a step further and refuses to be rescued by anyone other than her man.

• She alone is suspected of adultery by Rama and her subjects, and forced to prove her innocence. Rama is never asked to undergo the trial by fire to prove he was faithful to her, and neither is he doubted by his subjects or by Sita.

• Rama banishes Sita to the forest for merely having been accused of adultery by citizens of Ayodhya.

• Years later, when Rama meets her again through coincidence, he hesitates to take her back, causing Sita to call up her mother Bhūmi and be subsumed into the earth (which may arguably be a metaphor for suicide).

Thus from a feminist perspective, to hold Sita up as an example of the ideal woman and wife is to endorse male supremacy and female subservience; and to endorse Rama as the ideal husband is to endorse misogyny. There is evidence that this "Sita Syndrome" encourages domestic violence and subjugation of women in the subcontinent and diaspora communities.^[7]

Other legends[link]

Two other legends obtaining in certain versions of the Ramayana may be mentioned in connection with Sita. These legends are significant in that they do not endorse the mainstream view of Sita having been an avatara of the goddess Lakshmi.

Vedavati[link]

Some versions of the Ramayana suggest that Sita was a reincarnation of Vedavati^[1] (an avatar of Lakshmi), an orphan lady. The legend goes thus:

The sage Kushadhwaja was a learned and pious scholar residing in a remote hermitage. His daughter Vedavati grows up in her father's hermitage to become an ardent devotee of Vishnu, and resolves early in life to wed no one other than Vishnu. Her father refrains from stifling her aspirations, and even rejects proposals from many powerful kings and celestial beings who seek his daughter's hand in marriage. Among those rejected is Sambhu, a powerful Daitya king. Smarting under his humiliation, Shambhu seizes an opportunity and murders Vedavati's parents on a moonless night.

Vedavati continues to reside at the hermitage of her parents, meditating upon Vishnu. She is described as being inexpressibly beautiful, dressed in the hide of a black antelope, her hair matted, the bloom of her youth enhanced by her austerities. Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, once finds Vedavati seated in meditation and is captivated by her beauty. He propositions her and is rejected. Ravana mocks her austerities and her devotion to Vishnu; finding himself firmly rejected at every turn, out of anger, he tries to force Vedavati by pulling her hair. This greatly incensed her, and she forthwith cut off her hair till there, and cursed him that his ten heads shall be broken into One Thousand pieces (which means he shall be killed), if he touches any other woman without her will. She also added "Since I have been touched by thee and being insulted in the forest by thee who are wicked-hearted, I lost my purity in devotion. I'll burn myself and shall become pure. I shall be born again for thy destruction." So she entered the blazing fire, and celestial flowers fell all around. It was she who was born again as Sita, and was the moving cause of Ravana's death, though Rama was the agent. Also due to this curse, Ravana never even touched any other girl, in fact he abducted Sita, by slicing Land around her, but didn't touch her.^[8]

Her chastity thus sullied beyond redemption, Vedavati immolates herself on a pyre, vowing to return in another age and be the cause of Ravana's destruction. She is duly reborn as Sita, wife of Rama, and became the direct cause of Ravana's destruction at his hands. In the process, Vedavati also receives the boon she so single-mindedly sought: Vishnu, in his avatara as Rama, becomes her husband. In some versions of the Ramayana, Agastya relates this entire story to Rama.

Daughter of Ravana[link]

Some South Indian myths state that Sita was the daughter of Ravana born of Mandodari. It is said that Ravana was told that the first child is not auspicious for him by Astrology and Ravana send his trusted advisor to kill the new born. However, the person could not come upon himself to kill her and therefore buries her alive in the field where Janak was going to plough. It is said that Hanuman thought the Mandodari was Sita when he first saw her.^{[citation needed]}

Temples[link]

• Janaki Mandir
• Sita Māī Temple

See also[link]

Hinduism portal

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Sita". http://www.mahavidya.ca.+pp.1. http://www.mahavidya.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Kundrik-Sara-Sita-Yes.pdf. Retrieved 5 April 2012. 
2. ^ "Sita – The Symbol of Tolerance". http://religion-faith.com. http://religion-faith.com/hindu-and-hinduism/hindu-gods-goddesses/goddess-sita.html. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 
3. ^ "http://www.swadharma.org/2009/02/17/causes-for-debate-in-the-ramayana/". http://www.swadharma.org/. http://www.swadharma.org/2009/02/17/causes-for-debate-in-the-ramayana/. Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
4. ^ "The Story of Mother Sita the consort of Lord Rama.". http://www.salagram.net/. http://www.salagram.net/parishad131.html. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 
5. ^ "Contemporary Influence of Sita" by Anju Bhargava [1];
6. ^ "Sitayanam - A Woman's Journey of Strength" by Anju P. Bhargava;
7. ^ Archana Pathak Bhatt. "The Sita Syndrome". http://www.bridgew.edu/soas/jiws/May08/Sita.pdf. Retrieved 2011-12-06. 
8. ^ Vedavati, The Encyclopaedia for Epics of Ancient India

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sita

• Sita Kalyanam in the Valmiki Ramayana
• Lady Siidaa and Phra Ram in Thai Ramayana

v t e Hindu deities and texts Gods Deva Ganesha Brahma Vishnu Shiva Rama Krishna Murugan Hanuman Indra Surya more Goddesses Adi parashakti Devi Saraswati Lakshmi Sati Parvati Durga Shakti Kali Sita Radha Mahavidya Navadurga Matrikas more Texts Vedas Upanishads Puranas Ramayana Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita more Hinduism Hindu mythology

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2007)

Marco Borsato
Background information
Birth name	Marco Roberto Borsato
Born	(1966-12-21) December 21, 1966 (age 45) Alkmaar, Netherlands
Genres	Pop, Nederpop
Occupations	Singer, actor
Years active	1990–present
Website	official website (Dutch)

Marco Borsato (born December 21, 1966) is a Dutch singer. He started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He is married to Leontine Ruiters and has three children.

Biography[link]

Marco was born in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Alkmaar as the son of Roberto Borsato and Mary de Graaf. He has a brother, Armando, and a sister, Sylvana. The family moved to Italy, where the father started up a restaurant in Garda. Marco spent a significant amount of time in Italy and speaks fluent Italian. In fact, Marco admitted that his Italian is much better than his Dutch.

When Marco was 12 years old he decided he wanted to be a sushi chef. Marco, though brought up with Italian cuisine, had a great love for raw fish bound in seaweed. When he was older he went to school during the week and he worked in a restaurant during the weekends. During his conscription he was bound to the cavalery, where he was conscripted as a NCO. Success stayed out after Marco Borsato won the Dutch Soundmixshow on April 6, 1990 with his rendition of Billy Vera's song "At This Moment." During that time he was indeed working as a chef.

Marco brought out 3 albums with Italian songs, but it wasn't until 1994 that Marco gained popularity after his first Dutch single "Dromen Zijn Bedrog" which reached number one and remained number one for 12 weeks. His second single "Waarom Nou Jij" also reached the first place in the Dutch "Top 40." ^[1]

Many of his songs are actually Dutch covers or adaptations of Italian songs, (for example by Riccardo Fogli, Giorgia, Riccardo Cocciante, Claudio Baglioni, Marco Masini and Zucchero). In particular, he had quite a success with an adaptation of Margherita by Riccardo Cocciante. Because the majority of Marco's songs are originally written in Italian he has recently decided to compose songs in Dutch, after which he has become far more popular.

In 2009 Marco nearly went bankrupt when his company The Entertainment Group was caught up in a web of debt.

Marco married his wife Leontine Ruiters and they have 3 children together Luca (1998), Senna (2001 en Jada (2002).

Other functions[link]

Marco Borsato is an ambassador of the Dutch NGO War Child, which helps children in (post-)conflict areas to cope with their war experiences.

Awards and honours[link]

Honours[link]

• 2004: Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau, for services to Dutch music and his dedication for War Child Netherlands

Awards[link]

• 1996 - 2006: Won a TMF Award, 11 times for best Dutch singer (In 2006, he joined Anouk in announcing their withdrawal from future TMF Awards-nominations. "Every year the same faces can get boring".)
• 1997: Edison Award, 2 times (Best Singer, Best Single of the Year)
• 1999: Golden Harp (with John Ewbank)
• 2000: Hitkrant Award, for the song Binnen ("Inside")
• 2000: Honorary Award for Best Album (Luid en duidelijk ("Loud and Clear")) and Best Singer
• 2001: Edison Award (Best Singer)

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Note: In January 2006, the Dutch music association changed the status of Gold and Platinum. From 2006 on, a Platinum album is acquired with 70,000 sales (formerly 80,000).

Singles[link]

References[link]

1. ^ [1]

External links[link]

• Borsato.nl Official PC website (Dutch)
• Borsato.mobi Official Mobile website (Dutch)
• Borsatoweblog.nl Official Borsato weblog website (Dutch)
• War Child Netherlands website (Dutch)
• War Child International website (English)
• Works by or about Marco Borsato in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Sita Murt at The Brandery show, year 2010

Sita Murt (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsitə ˈmurt]; Igualada, Spain 1946) is a Catalan fashion designer and businesswoman. Her name Sita is a diminutive from Carmencita.^[1] As a fast-expanding women's label, Sita Murt is designed with the young, feminine, fun-loving woman in mind and has an emphasis on soft, sensual fabrics.^[2] The Sita Murt designs are marketed by the company Esteve Aguilera SA, that produces more than 200.000 jerseys and other pieces of clothing per year,^[1] serving more than 1.900 sales locations, including international department stores such as Galeries Lafayette or Tzum from Moscow.^[3] Some of her products have been used at the film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.^[4]

Biography[link]

Sita Murt was born as the daughter of the owner of a tannery in Igualada and now belongs to the third generation of a textile industry dynasty in Igualada. At an early age, she used to collect small pieces of leather at the family factory, which she tried to use for creating pieces of clothing. Sita studied at the Sarrià School of Textile Design, managed by Ramón Folch.^[5] She married Toni Esteve Enrich, manager of the Esteve Aguilera company founded in 1924 and incorporated as SA in 1965. After some years, when her kids had grown, Sita started being involved in the design of products, mainly knitted jerseys.^[6] Sita started to create her own designs. The early death of his husband Toni in 1984 changed all plans. Sita's father-in-law decided to appoint her as the company manager, despite the reluctance of some persons due to the fact she was young and a woman.^[1] Sita worked hard and her company is today a good example for other Catalan companies.

Since 1989 the company attends many fashion shows to present the new collections, including Salons Gaudí in Barcelona, Pasarela Cibeles in Madrid, Bread & Butter in Germany and Barcelona, The Brandery in Barcelona, Premium (Berlin), Gallery (Copenhagen), Coterie (New York) and Modefabriek, Who’s Next and Paris sur Mode (Paris).^[5] The company replaced the original brand Esteve, to Sita Murt, and has opened several direct stores and an outlet store in Igualada. Sita's descendants, Toni, Iago, Isabel and Albert, have worked at the company in different positions. In 2007 the company recruited a new CEO, Jordi Balsells, formerly Sales Manager of Desigual.^[1] In 2008 the company added a line of Fashion accessories and complements^[5] and in 2010 a collection of shoes. The first direct store outside Spain was open in Paris in May 2010 sponsored by the actress Victoria Abril. Miquel Ramis was appointed CEO in 2011.

Awards[link]

• Premio al Mérito Exportador (2002)^[7] from the Prince of Asturias.
• Award "Barcelona es moda" (2008)
• Calderera de honor de Montmaneu (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sita Murt official site

Jaya Pradha
Jayaprada during an audio-launch
MP
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004
Preceded by	Noor Bano
Constituency	Rampur
Personal details
Born	(1962-04-03) 3 April 1962 (age 50)
Political party	Rashtriya Lokmanch, Uttar Pradesh.
Occupation	Actress, Politician
Religion	Hindu

Jaya Prada (Telugu: జయప్రద born 3 April 1962)^[1] is an Indian film actress and politician. She has starred in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Marathi films, Satyajit Ray is said to have described Jaya Prada as the most beautiful face on the Indian screen^[2].

Early life[link]

Jaya Prada was born as Lalita Rani on 3 April 1962 in a middle-class family in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her father Krishna Rao was a Telugu film financier. Her mother Neelavani enrolled her in dance and music classes at an early age.

Film career[link]

1970s[link]

When she was fourteen years old, she performed a dance at her school's annual function. A film director was in the audience, and he offered her a three-minute dance number in the Telugu film Bhoomikosam. She was hesitant, but her family encouraged her to accept it. She was paid only 10 rupees for her work in the film, but she also received much greater opportunities, as the rushes of those three minutes of film was shown to the major figures of the Telugu film industry, and the floodgates opened. Major filmmakers offered her starring roles in quality films, and she accepted them. She became a major star in 1976 with big hits. Famous director K. Balachander's black-and-white film Anthuleni Katha (1976) showcased her dramatic skills; K. Viswanath's color film Siri Siri Muvva (1976) showed her playing a mute with excellent dancing skills; and her title role as Sita in the big-budget mythological film Seetha Kalyanam confirmed her versatility. In 1977, she starred in Adavi Ramudu, which broke box office records and which permanently cemented her star status.^[3] The song "Aaresukoboyi Paresukunnanu" picturized on her and co-star N.T. Rama Rao became a mass hit.^[4] In 1979, she acted in Ninaithale Inikkum opposite Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in which she played a terminally-ill patient. She continued to act in more films in Telugu opposite major actors throughout the 70s. K. Viswanath remade Siri Siri Muvva (1976) in Hindi as Sargam introducing Jayaprada to Bollywood in 1979. The film became a huge hit and she became an overnight star there as well. She earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress but couldn't capitalize on her success since she couldn't speak Hindi.^[5]

1980s[link]

In 1981, she starred in the critically acclaimed 47 Natkal. Director K. Vishwanath relaunched her again in Hindi films, with the hit film Kaamchor where she spoke Hindi fluently for the first time.^[6] She was now able to consistently work in Hindi films and earn two more Filmfare nominations as Best Actress for playing Amitabh Bachchan's endearing girlfriend in Prakash Mehra's Sharaabi (1984) and for her challenging double role in K. Vishwanath's Sanjog. Saagara Sangamam released in 1983 proved to be a milestone in her career, Starring Kamal Haasan, the film won her lot of accolades including Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu.

She earned fans, not just with the masses, but also with the great Indian director Satyajit Ray, who has said she was one of the prettiest women in the world.^[7] Although, she has acted in Bengali films, she has never worked for Ray. (She claimed that Ray had her in mind for a film, but his illness and subsequent death prevented their collaboration)^[8]

Jayaprada made a successful team, not just with Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra, but also with her immediate screen rival Sridevi, with whom she has acted in about a dozen films. Their hit Telugu film Devata (film) (1982) where they played sisters who made big sacrifices for each other, was remade into the hit Hindi film Tohfaa (1984). These films endeared Jayaprada to the traditional conservative section of filmgoers. It was an image that would serve her well when she started a new career as a politician.

In film Paatal Bhairavi, at the peak of her facial and physical beauty, Jayapradha plays the role of a princess in a magical kingdom. This performance became renowned as the supreme example of grand and classical beauty of South Indian women in Bollywood.

In 2002, she stepped into the Marathi film industry by being a guest in the movie Aadhaar.^[9] Thus far, she acted in eight languages and has completed 300 films during a 30-year film career. She started playing mature roles in 2004.

She also owns the Jaya Prada Theater in Chennai.^[10]

In 2011, she returned to Malayalam screens with a strong role in Pranayam, alongside Mohanlal and Anupam Kher.

Personal life[link]

In 1986, she married producer Srikant Nahata, who was already married to Chandra and had 3 children. This marriage stirred a lot of controversy, especially since Nahata did not divorce his current wife and had children with his first wife after marrying Jayaprada.^[11] Jayaprada and Srikanth have no children together, but she expressed desire to have children. Both Jaya Prada and her husband's first wife have cordially agreed to share a husband.^[12]

Political career[link]

Jayaprada was initiated into the Telugu Desam Party by her former co-star N.T.Rama Rao in 1994. She later broke away from him and joined the Chandrababu Naidu faction of the party. She was nominated to the Rajya Sabha representing Andhra Pradesh in 1996.

Following differences with party Supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, she left TDP to join Samajwadi Party and contested from Rampur parliamentary Constituency in UP during the last General election in 2004 and got elected. During her campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, she was issued a notice by the Election Commission for violating the code of conduct by distributing bindis to women in Rampur's Swar locality.^[13] On 11 May 2009, Jaya Prada alleged that senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was distributing nude pictures of her.^[14] She was re-elected with a margin of more than 30,000 votes.^[15]

Jayaprada was expelled from the party on February 2, 2010 on the charge of indulging in activities inimical to its political interests and damaging its image.Jayaprada was accused by Samajwadi party members for infiltration into the party of capitalist and communal forces, which threatened to derail it from its Samajwadi moorings and damage its secular character.^[16]

Filmfare Awards & Nominations[link]

Won

• Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress – Saagara Sangamam (1983)
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South (2007)^[17]

Nominated

• Best Actress – Sargam (1979)
• Best Actress – Sharaabi (1985)
• Best Actress – Sanjog (1986)

Other awards[link]

• Nandi Special Award for Anthuleni Katha (1976)
• Kala Saraswati Award
• Kinnera Savitri Award
• Rajiv Gandhi Award
• Nargis Dutt Gold Medal
• Shakuntala Kala Rathnam Award
• Uttam Kumar Award^[18]
• ANR Achievement Award (2008)^[19]
• Venus of Indian Cinema Award from TSR TV9 Film Awards (2011)^[20]
• Nana Film Award for Best Actress - Pranayam

References[link]

External links[link]

1. Jayaprada's biographical data

Other links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jaya Prada

• Jaya Prada at the Internet Movie Database
• Dasavatharam (Ten Reincarnations): Jaya Prada, the evergreen Indian Actress charms once again