This superstar left MBBS for acting, worked with Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi; died at 27 due to...

There are stars in the south and then there was an actress Soundaya, who was a sensation decades ago. Reportedly, her presence in the posters would pull the audience to cinemas. Soundarya started in Telugu cinema, but soon she became a star in Kannada, and Malayalam, and even became popular in Hindi as well. In a decade, Soundarya became a superstar. Sadly, her fans were heartbroken after her tragic death. 

Soundarya left her studies to become an actress

Soundarya was born on July 18, 1976, in Bengaluru into a Kannada-speaking family. Reportedly she was studying to be a doctor. However, she discontinued her MBBS one year after enrolment.

Soundarya's rising stardom in the south

Soundarya's first movie was the Kannada film Baa Nanna Preethisu (1992). In the same year, she made her Telugu debut with Raithu Bharatham, with Krishna. In the following years, Soundarya swiftly shifted from Kannada to Telugu movies and became one of the biggest stars. After the blockbuster Tamil film, Ponnumani (1993), Soundarya gained stardom in Tamil audiences. 

With the success of films like Arunachalam and Padyappa, she solidified her position in the Tamil film industry as well. Soon, Soundarya appeared in almost all South Indian languages. She even made her Bollywood debut with Amitabh Bachchan's Sooryavansham. Though the movie was a box office failure, it went on to become super successful on TV. Soundarya enjoyed superstardom from 1992 to 2003. 

Soundarya's stint in politics and her death

After becoming a superstar in the south, Soundarya joined the BJP in 2004. In the same year, on April 17, Soundarya passed away after a tragic death in a plane crash. Soundarya, along with her brother Amarnath while travelling to Karimnagar from Bengaluru during an election campaign. The aircraft, a Cessna 180 crashed on the campus of the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the University of Agricultural Sciences, and burnt into flames, killing Soundarya and her brother Amarnath. 

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