Paravai Muniyamma, Tamil folk singer and actress dies at 83
Tamil folk singer and actress Paravai Muniyamma passed away on Sunday Morning, March 29, at her residence in Madurai at the age of 83. For several years, she has been battling with age-related ailments. She is survived by her son and two grandchildren. In 2015, she was struggling to meet her basic needs and former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha provided her monitory assistance of Rs 6 lakh when the actor was hospitalised. Actors Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan also donated money to take care of her medical expenses. Her last rites will take place today evening at Madurai.
Paravai Muniyamma's death has left Kollywood buffs in shock. Among those who expressed their grief is Nasser, who has co-starred with her in films like Kovil. The actor, in a press note, said, "Paravai Muniyama's demise is a big loss not only to the film fraternity, but to the entire folk artistes society. She debuted with Dhool, and has acted in almost 84 films. Even though she was active in the film industry for only a few years, she would enquire after everyone with so much love and care.
Expressing his condolence, Nasser said, "Her loss is a cause of immense grief to her family and those who know her. On behalf of all the actors and the film fraternity, I pray for her soul to rest in peace."
Last year, her death rumour surfaced the internet but she rubbished them as speculations by sharing a video from hospital. She rose to fame with her song ‘Pola’ from Chiyaan Vikram’s Dhool and was known for her folk songs. Hailing from Paravai in Madurai, she started her career as a singer by performing at temple functions and eventually made her name with local and international concerts under the music troupe Lakshman Shruti. She made her playback singing debut with composer Vidyasagar.
She has acted in over 50 films and mostly portrayed the role of a grandmother. Apart from acting and singing, she also hosted a cooking show on a popular television channel. She has worked in several films such as Kovil, Thoranai, Thamizh Padam, Venghai, Veeram, Maan Karate, among others. She has also performed in more than 200 stage shows worldwide.
