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Pavitra Lokesh

Pavitra Lokesh is an Indian film and television actress. She appears primarily in Kannada and Telugu films playing supporting roles. The daughter of stage and film actor Mysore Lokesh, she made her film debut at the age of 16 and has since appeared in over 150 Kannada films. At 5 feet 10 inches she was the tallest actress at that time, but managing to do several noteworthy roles even acting along side shorter leading men. For her performance in the Kannada film Naayi Neralu (2006), she was awarded the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress. Her husband Naresh is also an actor.

Personal life

Pavitra was born in Mysore. Her father, Mysore Lokesh, was an actor and her mother, a teacher. She has a younger brother, Adi Lokesh. Her father died when Pavitra was in Class nine. Upon securing 80 per cent in her matriculation examination, she aspired to become a civil servant. However, following her father's death, she decided to help her mother who she said was "overburdened with family responsibilities". Initially reluctant to follow her father's footsteps towards a career in acting, she completed her bachelor's degree in commerce from SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore, and appeared for the Civil Services Examination. After failing to clear the examination in her first attempt, she took to acting before moving to Bangalore.

Pavitra got divorced from her first husband who was a software engineer. She was later in a live-in-relationship with actor Suchendra Prasad before they separated in 2018. It was reported that she had started dating Telugu actor Naresh. They both worked in the film Malli Pelli. The two married in 2023.

Career

Films

Pavitra took to acting in 1994 on the advice of actor Ambareesh. She made her debut in Mister Abhishek (1995) that saw the latter play the lead role. In the same year, she appeared in Bangarada Kalasha. Having not gained recognition from these films, Pavitra completed her graduation and began working for a human resource consulting company. During the time, T. S. Nagabharana offered her a role in his film Janumada Jodi that released in 1996. Speaking about this phase in a 2006 interview with The Hindu, she said, "I never felt comfortable. I felt lonely. But when Nagabharana insisted, I had to take a decision. I resolved to make films my career - no preparation. The only reason to take a plunge was my circumstances. It has been tough to keep it going without a godfather or a guide. So I just accepted every film that came my way." Not being offered lead roles due to her height, she continued playing supporting roles. In the comedy Ulta Palta (1997), she played a vamp.

Pavitra received critical acclaim for her performance in Girish Kasaravalli's period drama Naayi Neralu (2006), a film based on S. L. Bhyrappa's novel of the same name. Impressed by her performance in the television soap Guptagamini, Kasaravalli cast her as a widowed Venkatalakshmi, daughter-in-law and mother of two other characters; the film revolving around these three characters living under one roof, and projecting their own perspectives exposing generation gap in a conflict-ridden society. Her portrayal of a woman caught between tradition and desire won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress.

Television

In Nagabharana's television soap Jeevanmukhi, she was cast as a middle-aged widow, a role that was received well. She received recognition for her role in the soap Guptagamini that was aired in the early 2000s. "She played a wife, a mother and a sister caught in the web of human emotions". During the time, she also appeared in other soaps such as Gelathi, Neethi Chakra, Dharitri, Punarjanma and Eshwari.