Aarathi (Kannada: ಆರತಿ ; born 1954)[1] is an Indian actress turned director who works predominantly in Kannada language films. She is best known for her acting prowess in many author backed female centric roles during the 1970s and 1980s. After her self-declared retirement from films in the late 1980s, she returned as director with Mithayi Mane (2005) which met with critical appreciation and also won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Children's Film. As a lead actress in more than 125 feature films, Aarathi was considered to be among the top league of actresses of her time, having won the Filmfare awards and the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress four times each. She was also nominated as the Member of Legislative Council at the Vidhana parishad making her only the second actress after B. Jayamma.
Aarathi has 55 screen credits in a career dating back to 1969. Signature works include Maava Sose Savaal, Pedda Gedda, Ranganayaki. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.