The Biography

Ragini (1937–1976) was a South Indian danseuse and actress. She was the youngest of the famed Travancore Sisters; Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini. She started her acting career in the mid-1950s along with her sister Padmini and has acted in movies of different Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. The era of dance in Hindi cinema is considered to have begun with the entrance of Ragini and other South Indian actresses. Ragini died of breast cancer in 1976. She had acted in many dramas also. She was married to Madhavan Thampi. The couple had two daughters, Lakshmi and Priya. Actress Sukumari was the trio's maternal first cousin. Malayalam actors Shobana, Ambika Sukumaran, Vineeth and Krishna are her relatives. Her husband left her for the USA in 1972, but returned after his wife became ill from cancer.