B Jayashree

B. Jayashree is a Kannada actress, singer, and a director. She was born on June 9, 1950, in Bengaluru, India. Her father was Basavaraj, who was also an actor. Her mother was Malathamma. Her grandfather, Gubbi Veeranna Gubbi Veeranna was a veteran theater personality w >> Read More... was also an actor and a director. Her grandfather started the Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company.

Jayashree started acting when she was only four years old. She appeared in movies like ‘Veera’, ‘Vikrama’, and ‘Mamatheya Bandhana’. After she had completed her high school, she moved to Delhi in 1973, to pursue a degree from National school of Drama, Delhi. In the National School of Drama, she was trained under Ebrahim Alkazi, who was also a well-known theater director. After completing her graduation, B. Jayashree dubbed various movies, which include ‘Roadu’, ‘Ghatashraddha’, ‘Phaniyamma’.

Jayashree started a career in playback singing with the movie ‘Bara’, in the year 1980. Later, she dubbed movies like ‘Olave Baduku’, ‘Bevu Bella’. She also acted in the movies including‘Kotreshi Kanasu’, ‘Deveeri’, ‘Ee Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Melide’, etc. In 1996, she garnered the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for acting, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. She directed movies like Kokila and Kona Edaithe.

B. Jayashree did playback singing for various other movies like ‘Nanna Preetiya Hudugi’, ‘Preethi Prema Pranaya’, ‘Bhagawan’, ‘Jogi’, ‘Mata’, and ‘Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige’. She has also briefly remained the director of Mysore-based theatre institute, Rangoyana. B. Jayashree has received various coveted awards including The Safdar Hashmi award, The Sandesh award, B. V. Karanth Smriti Puraskaar, and The Rajyatsava award.

In the year 2009, she received the honorary degree of D. Litt from the Karnataka state Open University. She was nominated to the Upper House of Indian Parliament, Rajya Sabha, in 2010. In the year 2013, she was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian honor, by the government of India. She is married to K. Ananda Raju. The couple has a daughter.