Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Aug 27: Veteran theatre artiste Chandraprabha Sudhakar Udyavar (81), who earned a lasting place in the hearts of Tulu, Kannada and Marathi-speaking audiences in Mumbai, died of age-related ailments at her residence in Parinee Essence Apartments, Babrekar Nagar, Kandivali West, on Tuesday, August 25.
The daughter of renowned theatre personality K K Suvarna, Chandraprabha began her theatrical journey by acting in her father's plays. She later made her mark in Marathi theatre before becoming a familiar and much-loved face on the Tulu and Kannada theatre circuit through her powerful performances.
Chandraprabha shot to prominence with Prabhakar Panshikar's Marathi play ‘To Mee Navhech’, after which she performed with several Marathi theatre groups. She went on to enrich Tulu and Kannada theatre through performances under the direction of several prominent theatre personalities and cultural organisations.
Among them were Vijay Kumar Shetty of Kala Jagathu, Karunakar Kapu of Abhinaya Mantapa, Jayaram Alva of Abhinaya Samrajya, Ramesh Shivapura of Veera Kesari Kalavrinda, Srinath Mulki of Navodaya, Devudas Salyan of Udayaranga, Jagadish Kenchanakere of Rangadhwani and S. Daya of Jagajyothi Kalavrinda.
She also worked under the direction of S S Karkal and B M Vasanth, besides lending her talent to several other Tulu and Kannada cultural organisations.
A seasoned performer on Mumbai's theatre stage, Chandraprabha shared the spotlight with several noted artistes, including Vaman Raj, Sadashiva Salyan, Bhavani Shankar Shetty, Mohan Marnad, Dr Surendra Kumar Hegde, Umesh Shetty, Ashok Karnad, Kunda Rege, Anasuya, Helen Montero, Sarojadevi, Chandravathi Devadiga and Juliet Pereira, among others.
Her performances and contribution to theatre earned her a special place among Mumbai's theatre artistes. In veteran journalist Shridhar Uchchil's compilation Kala Kshetra Kalapratibhegalu, Chandraprabha summed up her belief in the importance of audiences, saying, 'the audience is the lifeblood of an artiste'.
Her deep love for theatre, unwavering commitment, natural acting style and warm relationship with fellow artistes will remain cherished memories. Her death has been described as an irreparable loss to the theatre fraternity, cultural organisations and audiences.
Artistes, audiences and cultural organisations across Mumbai have offered heartfelt tributes, praying for eternal peace and salvation for her soul and strength for her children and family to cope with the loss.
Uttara Kriya on Sept 6
The uttara kriya of Chandraprabha Udyavar will be held on Sunday, September 6, at 11.30 am at Billava Bhavan, Santacruz East, Mumbai.
Her daughter Dhanushree and family have requested relatives, fellow artistes and well-wishers to participate in the ceremony.
Theatre personality Ramesh Shivapura has appealed to art lovers and members of the theatre fraternity to attend the ceremony, pay their final respects and offer tributes to Chandraprabha Udyavar, fondly remembered as an elder sister of Mumbai's theatre community.