Biography

Thanjavur Ranganayaki Rajayee popularly known by her screen name T. R. Rajakumari, was an Indian film actress, Carnatic singer and dancer. She has been called the first "dream girl" of Tamil cinema

Rajayee was born in 1922 in a family of carnatic musicians. Both her mother and her grandmother wanted Rajayee to become a singer and trained her in Carnatic music. Rajayee made her film debut as "T. R. Rajakumari" in the 1939 Tamil film Kumara Kulothungan which was an average grosser. Her second film Kacha Devayani (1941) was a hit and helped launch her career in movies. Rajakumari died on September 20, 1999 after a prolonged illness