Rumours spread like wildfire when top South actress Rambha – dominant in all four centres for many years – was rushed to a private clinic a few days ago. Many believed it was a suicide attempt, but this has been strongly denied by the classy actress. “I was uneasy after food poisoning and was kept in hospital for observation,” she explains, “Some mischievous elements spread a canard that I attempted suicide with ulterior motives. I am attached to my family and a happy-go-lucky person. My co-stars, producers and fans telephoned from all over the country, demanding I disclosed the identity of the imaginary man who is supposed to have jilted me to force him to marry me,” she says with embarrassment. Some fans had even offered to kill the man in question for upsetting her.
Rambha, born Vijaya Lakshmi, has starred in over 100 films throughout the South, including such cult movies as Three Roses, Sukran, Alex and Chronic Bachelor. In Bollywood, she has also appeared in movies such as Beti No.1, Qahar and Jung. She has had her ups and downs in her career. She invested large sums of money in Three Roses – a Charley’s Angels type movie – and when it bombed at the box office, she was even forced to sell her home to pay off her debts. More recently, she enraptured her fans by appearing as blonde Mango Dolly in the movie version of the popular spoof TV western Quick Gun Murugan.
Her most recent release is Kabadi Kabadi, a comedy based around the game, in which Rambha plays a dual role and by all accounts is the best thing about a rather disappointing movie.
