Chupulu Kalisina Subavela and Vivahabojanambu, passed away in the
early hours of Sunday in Chennai, after suffering from a lung ailment.
She was 43. The last rites were conducted in Nellore, her home town.
Making her debut as a child artiste in Bhakta Dhruva Markandeya and
growing up to share screen space with Telugu stars, Balakrishna (Bhale
Thamudu), Venkatesh (Kaliyuga Pandavulu), Dr Rajasekar (Station
Master), Rajendraprasad and Mohan Babu, she was a much sought after
actress in the '80s and '90s.
Though on the plumper side, it was her acting talent and varied roles
that won her acclaim. She had acted in 40 Telugu films, besides Tamil,
Kannada and Malayalam ones.
Veteran producer Ramanaidu, who produced Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986)
which also happened to be his son Venkatesh's debut film, said,
"Ashwini was a bubbly actress, and although she was playing the second
lead in our film, she grabbed the attention of viewers."
Parthiepan remembers Ashwini
When I started the film Pondatti Thevai, more than two decades back,
it was a leading actress who was to do the heroine along my side. As
she could not keep up the schedule, I started looking for a
replacement.
That was when I met Ashwini, acting in Telugu films then. She was a
little plump, but suited the role I had conceived. The next day, she
was on board.
I lost touch with her for a few years after Pondatti Thevai's release.
Later, I received Ashwini's wedding invite and came to know that she
was marrying the grandson of poet Puviyarasu. As I was shooting in an
outdoor locale, I could not attend her marriage.
After my son Radhakrishnan got admitted to Loyola College last year,
he told me that Ashwini's son Karthik was his classmate and that they
were friends.
More recently, Rakki (that's how Parthiepan calls his son) came and
said Karthik's mom was suffering from lung cancer and hospitalised in
Chennai. As his friends were contributing for her treatment, he wanted
me also to help her.
I felt very sad and immediately added my bit. But, it was too late and
I heard that she was battling for life. On Sunday early morning, she
suffered a heart attack and breathed her last.
I arranged for an ambulance to take her body to her native place
Nellore, where her mother resides, for cremation.
There is no doubt that it is a big loss for her family. Apart from
consoling them, I wanted to help them in some way.
I called Karthik and told him that I would support his future studies.
That one word brought a glow to my son's and Karthik's face!
The '80s heroine
* Telugu actress Ashwini was one of the leading actresses in 1980s
* Acted in more than 150 films in various languages like Telugu,
Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. Anaadiga Adadi, Chupulu Kalisini
Subhavela, Station Master, Vivaha Bojanambu, and Kaliyuga
Pandavulu are some of her noted films.
* Actress is survived by a son
* Recently, Aswini announced her comeback into films and television
serials and had given her nod to couple of films
* Died at at a hospital in Chennai
DC