Veteran South Indian film actor and director Vijaya Nirmala passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad on June 26 night.
She is survived by her husband and hero of yesteryears Krishna. She was 73.
Nirmala, born in Tamil Nadu, made her debut at the age of seven as a child artiste in a Tamil movie Machcha Rekhai (1950).
She entered the Telugu film industry through the film Rangula Ratnam and acted in over 200 films in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
Though she began her career as an actor, later she took many roles in her career as producer and director.
In 2002, she entered the Guinness Book of Records as the female director of the most number of films. In 2008, she received the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for her contribution to Telugu cinema.
Nirmala went on to play the lead roles in films like Alluri Seetharama Raju, Meena, Poola Rangadu, Asadhyudu, Bangaru Gajulu, Mosagallaku Mosagadu, Thatha Manuvadu, Engaveettu Penn, Panama Paasama, En Annan, Gnanaoli, Uyira Maanama, Bhargavi Nilayam and Udhyogastha among more.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao condoled her demise and conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family while remembering her contribution to cinema.
