M. Jayashree

{{Infobox person

| name = M. Jayashree

| image = M. Jayashree in Mutthaide Bhagya.jpg

| image_size = 280px

| caption = Jayashree in Mutthaide Bhagya (1956)

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1921

| birth_place = Mysore, Mysore state, British India (in present-day Karnataka, India)

| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|10|29|1921|df=y}}{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

| death_place = Mysore, Karnataka, India

| death_cause =

| occupation = {{hlist|Actress}}

| spouse =

| children =

| relatives =

| years_active = 1948–1996

| height =

}}

M. Jayashree (1921 – 2006), was an Indian actress who worked mainly in Kannada films. She is known for her supporting roles in such movies including Rayara Sose (1957), Naagarahaavu (1972), Eradu Kanasu and Sri Srinivasa Kalyana.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

She was fondly referred to as 'Amma of Silvar screen'. She received Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie Amara Bharathi in 1970.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Career

Jayashree was brought to Pakshiraj Studio of Tamil Nadu by Devi, the sister of the studio owner who allowed her to cast in Tamil film Vazhivil Thirunal. Offers were poured in for Jayashree in Tamil movies. This was noticed by Kannada film maker Honnappa Bhagavathar and he made her to debut in Kannada films with the 1948 movie Bhakta Kumbara.{{cite web|url=http://www.nthwall.com/ka/movie/Bhakta-Kumbara-1949/9219800742|title=Bhakta Kumbara|accessdate=21 September 2020|publisher=nthwall.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209214323/http://www.nthwall.com/ka/movie/Bhakta-Kumbara-1949/9219800742|archivedate=9 February 2015}}

Her next project in Kannada as heroine was Nagakannika in 1949, a blockbuster movie directed by G. Vishwanath.{{cite news |title= Sepia stories at 60 |url= http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/16/stories/2007031601760100.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130509033718/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/16/stories/2007031601760100.htm |url-status= dead |author=B V Shiva Shankar|date= 16 March 2007 |work= The Hindu |archivedate= 9 May 2013}} This film considered to be the first Kannada movie based on a folk tale.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} She played the title role in her next movie Thilotthame in 1951. Gradually she got shifted to supporting roles playing mother, mother-in-law, aunt for stalwarts like Dr. Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Tiger Prabhakar, Rajesh, Gangadhar, Srinath and many. In her five decades acting career, Jayashree starred more than 450 films.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Last days and death

Jayashree did only two movies in the 1990s. Her last released movie was Savira Mettilu, an unfinished film of Puttanna Kanagal and finished by K. S. L. Swamy.

Jayashree spent last years of her life in Sri Vasavi Shantidhama, an old age home in Mysore. She died of heart attack early morning on 29 October 2006.{{ cite news | url= http://kannada.thenewsism.com/m-jayashri/ |title=ಬೆಳ್ಳಿತೆರೆಯ ಅಜರಾಮರ ಅಭಿನೇತ್ರಿ ಎಂ. ಜಯಶ್ರೀ | language=Kannada |trans-title=Immortal actress of silver screen M. Jayashree |website=The Newsism.com | date= 12 July 2017 | accessdate=21 September 2020}}