Girija Lokesh

Girija Lokesh
Born
Girija

(1951-01-10) 10 January 1951 (age 73)[1]
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Actress, film producer
Years active1973–present
SpouseLokesh (1975–2004)
ChildrenSrujan Lokesh (son)
Pooja Lokesh (daughter)

Girija Lokesh is an Indian theatre and film actress and occasional film producer who works in Kannada cinema.[2] She is wife of actor Lokesh, and is the mother of actor and television presenter Srujan Lokesh and Pooja Lokesh.[3] In recognition of her contribution towards Kannada cinema, she was honoured with Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka in 2013.[4]

Early life

Girija Lokesh was born on January 10, 1951, to businessman S P Swamy and Poornima. She grew up in Bengaluru and completed her schooling at Janata High School. When she was in the eighth grade, her father faced a huge business loss from which he could not recover. Girija started her career at a young age as a dance instructor, having learned music and dance as a child.[5] Before making her acting debut in the film industry, Girija acted in hundreds of plays including those by Shishuvihara, Rangasampada, and Natarang. Besides Kannada plays, she also worked in Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam plays. Her acting debut in the Kannada film industry was with the 1973 movie Abachurina Post Office, which went to win the 21st National Film Award.[6] She later worked in films like Kakana Kote, Halli Meshtru and Bhoteyyana Mommaga Ayyu.[5] In 2022, she was roped in for the Kannada television series Jenugoodu that airs on Star Suvarna.[7]

Partial filmography

As actress

As producer

Television appearances

Title Year Channel Role Ref.
Jothe Jotheyali 2014 Zee Kannada Heroine mother
Chota Champion Participant [8]
Majaa Talkies 2015 Colors Kannada As guest [9]
Subbalakshmi Samsara 2017-2020 Zee Kannada
Ivalu Sujatha 2019-2020 Colors Kannada Vanamala [10]
Sathya 2020-present Zee Kannada Sathya's grandmother
Sundari 2022 Udaya TV Special Appearance
Jenugudu 2022 Star Suvarna Girijakka
Preetiya Arasi 2023-present Udaya TV

References

  1. ^ Shilpa (10 January 2021). "Girija Lokesh gives us a peek into her past". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Back on stage". The Hindu. 8 April 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  3. ^ Desai, Dhwani (15 May 2015). "What do Rajinikanth and Rajkumar have in common?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Ko Channabasappa among 58 Rajyotsava awardees". Deccan Herald. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b Anandraj, Shilpa (7 January 2021). "Girija Lokesh gives us a peek into her past". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  6. ^ "National Awards 1973 Winners". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Birthday Special: Did You Know Girija Lokesh Started Her Career As A Dance Instructor?". News18. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. ^ Joy, Prathibha (18 May 2014). "Girja Lokesh, Dilip Raj and Roopashri on Chota Champion". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Srujan to celebrate his birthday on Majaa Talkies". The Times of India. 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Ivalu Sujatha to premiere today; Actress Meghashri to play the lead role". The Times of India. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.