Not Sridevi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Or Priyanka Chopra Jonas, But THIS Was The Highest Paid Actress In India! (Details Inside)

Bhanumathi Ramakrishna was an actress, singer, director, producer, and composer who was born on September 7, 1925. She is recognized as India's highest-paid actress and is remembered as Telugu cinema's first female mega star.

According to sources, Bhanumathi used to charge Rs 25000 each film when the price of 10-gram gold in India was Rs 90 at the time, which would be over Rs 2 crore today, adjusted for inflation. Bhanumathi appeared in 97 Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films over her 60-year career.

(Also Read: Jawan: Anupam Kher PRAISES Shah Rukh Khan; Congratulates In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge STYLE (View Post))

Bhanumathi Ramakrishna was an actress, singer, director, producer, and composer who was born on September 7, 1925. She is recognized as India's highest-paid actress and is remembered as Telugu cinema's first female mega star.

Bhanumathi was also the first female director in Telugu cinema, with her debut film, ‘Chandirani’, released in 1953. In 2001, Bhanumathi was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her contributions to Indian cinema.

Bhanumathi was the third child of her parents and was born in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. Because Bhanumathi's parents were musicians, they began teaching her music at a young age. Bhanumathi, who was born into a middle-class household, grew up seeing her father perform on stage. Bhanumathi was 13 years old when she received the offer for her first film, ‘Vara Vikrayam’, in 1939. She made her Telugu film debut with ‘Vara Vikrayam’. Bhanumathi played Kalindi, a 13-year-old girl who is forced to marry an older man and then commits suicide in this film. Bhanumathi went on to star in films such as ‘Malathi Madhavam’, ‘Dharma Patni’, and ‘Bhaktimala’, but her most popular film was Krishna Prem.

Bhanumathi was at the pinnacle of her career in 1951, following the release of her musical superhit film ‘Malleshwari’. She collaborated with NT Rama Rao on this film. This film is regarded as a cult classic of South cinema. She collaborated with the famous Dilip Kumar in Hindi films. Bhanumathi's Tamil film Anne was released in 1962, and she earned a National Award for it. In addition, she received the National Award for ‘Antasthulu’ in 1964 and ‘Palnati Yuddham’ in 1966.

(Also Read: Pushpa 2 The Rule: Allu Arjun Starrer Film Ready To Arrive On Big Screens On 'THIS' Day! (View Post))

Bhanumathi met Ramakrishna Rao in 1943 while working as an assistant director on the film Krishna Prema. Ramakrishna Rao proposed to her, and the two married on August 8, 1943. Bhanumathi's father was opposed to the marriage; therefore, she ran away from home to marry Rao. Bhanumathi planned to stop performing after her marriage, but she returned after a few months and went on to star in several superhit films. Bhanumathi passed away on December 24, 2005