Latha Sethupathi, also known as Latha, is an Indian actress who starred in leading roles in South Indian films from 1973 to 1983. She is also known for her roles in various Tamil television series.

Early life

Latha Sethupathi was born into the Sethupathi clan, the royal family of Ramnad, in Tamil Nadu, India. She is the daughter of politician Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi; her mother was named Leelarani. As her mother was not her father's official wife, Latha's status within the family was considered illegitimate. She has a brother, actor Rajkumar Sethupathy, and half-brothers Dasarathan Sethupathi and Ramanatha Sethupathi. Latha's fluency in both Tamil and Telugu stemmed from her mother's origin in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. She started her career at the age of fifteen with encouragement from her aunt, actress Kamala Kotnis. Her first film was Ulagam Sutrum Valiban (1973), starring and produced by M. G. Ramachandran.

Personal life

She married Sabapathy, a businessman from Singapore, in 1983. She has two sons, Karthik and Srinivas.

Career

Sethupathi has acted in over a hundred films, spanning the Tamil-, Telugu-, and Malayalam-language cinemas. Her first film, in Tamil, was Ulagam Sutrum Valiban (1973), in which she starred alongside M. G. Ramachandran. It was shot exclusively outside of India in foreign locations including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan. M.G Ramachandran recommended her for the role alongside Akkineni Nageswara Rao for Andala Ramudu (1973), marking her debut in Telugu films. She specialized playing roles in Tamil and Telugu films. She played Zeenat Aman's role in the two remakes of Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973): the Telugu film, Annadammula Anubandham (1975) and the Tamil film Naalai Namadhe (1975). She played Jaya Bhaduri's role from Zanjeer (1973) in the Telugu remake Nippulanti Manishi (1974), and the Tamil remake, Sirithu Vazha Vendum (1974). She won a Filmfare Award for her performance in Vattathukkul Sadhuram. The Kalaimamani Award was bestowed upon her by the State Government of Tamil Nadu for her achievements in the film industry. She has also received awards from the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Government of Andhra Pradesh for her acting. She was also briefly involved in politics, following her father Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi, the Raja of Ramnad. She played a lead role in Rajinikanth's movie Shankar Salim Simon (1978). This role made her one of the only two actresses, along with Lakshmi, to be paired with MGR and Rajinikanth in the 1970s Tamil movies. After a hiatus of 14 years, she began acting again in Tamil and Telugu series. In 2002, she played a mother-in-law role in the Telugu television series Eenati Ramayanam, Pavithrabandham, and Matti Manishi.

Notable filmography

Television

Series

Shows