Long before Bollywood diva Hema Malini was dubbed ‘Dream Girl’ by the media, South India had already got their own dream girl. Prior to independence, movies were mythological and epic tales with male leads giving long monologues, and women were typically restricted to playing mothers who sacrificed for their children. However, the face of cinema was soon to change with the emergence of South cinema’s first dream girl in the form of TR Rajakumari.
The 1922-born Rajakumari, who was hailed as the first female superstar of the 1940s, enchanted audiences with her performances in a number of Tamil movies, including Haridas and Chandralekha, and astounded them with her masterful fusion of talent, beauty, and charm. She was soon dubbed ‘Dream Girl’. She made her film debut in Kumara Kulothungan which was produced in 1938–39 but was released in 1941 after Kacha Devayani.
Initially listed as T R Rajayee in the advertisements, she was eventually given the T R Rajalakshmi credit in the movie. Mandharavathi, her second film, was also released in 1941 and was directed by DS Marconi. Her 1941 successful film Kacha Devayani served as a springboard for a career in cinema. Kacha Devayani was very positively reviewed by renowned film historian Randor Guy who said that Rajakumari’s looks stunned filmgoers who were bowled by her dusky beauty.
Rajakumari’s flying kiss, which was intended for the lead actor but was misinterpreted by the majority of the male audience as being intended for them, is what most people remember about her dance in the popular song Manmadha Leelaiyai Ve Nraar Undo from the movie Haridas. She also soon started a film production company along with her brother TR Ramachandran, RR Pictures. It is known for producing the notable film Koondukkili, the only project in which MGR and Sivaji Ganesan appeared together.
She soon added another big feather to her cap when she became the first female Tamil actress to build a theatre of her own at Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar. It was one of the very few theatres in those days to have air conditioning and also screen Western films, distinguishing it from others. She died on September 20, 1999, at the age of 77.
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