Veteran Kannada actor Kishori Ballal, who had acted in over 75 movies and left an indelible mark with her role in Shah Rukh Khan's 2004 film Swades, died on Tuesday at the age of 82. The actor died due to age-related ailments at a private hospital in Bengaluru, family sources said, reported news agency PTI. Born in Dakshina Kannada district, Kishori Ballal made acting debut with 1960's Ivalentha Hendathi and in her five-decade-long career, she worked in over 75 movies across different languages such as Kahi, Hani Hani, Suryakanthi, Carry On Maratha and Quick Gun Murugun.
In the Hindi film industry, Kishori Ballal is best known for playing Kaveri Amma, a motherly figure to Shah Rukh Khan's character Mohan Bhargava in Ashutosh Gowariker's 2004 critically-acclaimed feature Swades.
She also appeared in Rani Mukerji's Aiyyaa and Deepika Padukone's Lafangey Parindey. She was married to Bharatanatyam dancer N Sripathi Ballal. Soon after her demise, Ashutosh Gowariker posted a tribute to the veteran actor on Twitter. "Heartbroken! Terribly sad about the passing away of Kishori Ballal ji. Kishori ji... you will be remembered for your generously kind, warm and affable persona! And your unforgettable performance as #Kaveriamma in #Swades! You will surely be missed," the director tweeted.
HEARTBROKEN!
— Ashutosh Gowariker (@AshGowariker) February 18, 2020
Terribly sad about the passing away of #KishoriBallal ji!!
Kishori ji... you will be remembered for your generously kind, warm and affable persona!
And your unforgettable performance as #Kaveriamma in #Swades !!
You will surely be missed!! pic.twitter.com/DIAlnhLOgu
Popular Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar tweeted, "Veteran artist Kishori Ballal amma is no more, RIP."
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