Krishna Kumari, the Telugu cine actress who was a leading member of the film fraternity in the '50s and '60s, has on Wednesday morning passed away at her Bengaluru residence.

Born in 1933, it was with 'Navvithe Navaratnalu' that she debuted in 1951. She bagged this film rather accidentally when she went to watch a film along with her mother. As luck would have it, the wife of this film's director spotted her there and felt that Krishna Kumari is the innocent-looking face 'NN' needed.

Hailing from an orthodox Brahmin family, Kumari thought that she would have a tough time securing the permission of her father to act in films. However, much to her surprise, he asked her to go ahead if she feels that she is disciplined in her mind to stay away from the negativity associated with the glamour industry.

She went on to act opposite the likes of NTR, ANR, Kantha Rao, Jaggayya and Haranath. "These were such great actors. I feel blessed to have acted with them. I did 25 films with NTR garu, 18 with ANR garu," she once said in an interview.

110 movies in Telugu and 15 in Kannada were to her credit. 'Sathi Sukanya', 'Bandhipotu', 'Aggi Pidugu', 'Ila Velupu' and 'Kula Gotralu' are some of her well-known entertainers.

During the making of 'Lakshadhikari', she and her co-star ANR had a close shave with death while shooting on a beach. "As I and Akkineni garu were walking toward the ocean, a wave suddenly engulfed us. It swept us further into the ocean. Luckily, Akkineni garu continued to hold me firmly. We managed to walk out," she once recounted in an interview.

She won the National Award thrice and was feted with the Nandi awards a few times. She retired happily in the mid-'70s after doing 'Jyothi'.

After her retirement, Kumari spent a happy life for several years in Bengaluru. She owned an estate spread over five acres. She would spend happy time with her grandson, the child of her one and only daughter.

IndiaGlitz condoles the death of the talented woman. May her soul attain 'Sadgati'.