Thillana Mohanambal in which she acted as a Bharatanatyam dancer by the same name and cast opposite the late thespian Sivaji Ganesan was a big hit for its dances and songs. Padmini, especially, won critical acclaim for gracefully and fluidly adapting to the film songs while maintaining classical movements.

Several of her films opposite MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Prem Nazir (popular Malayalam actor of yesteryears) and a few with Raj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, including Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Mera Naam Joker were very successful.

She quit acting after her marriage with Dr KT Ramachandran but remained devoted to dancing. After her husband’s death in 1981, she acted in a Tamil film, Poovey Poochoodava (Tamil), another big hit, and later a Hindi film with Sunil Dutt. She started the Padmini School of Fine Arts in New Jersey, which is today rated as the oldest and most popular school for Indian classical dances in the US. Her two sisters died a few years ago. Recently, her niece, actress Shobana won the National Award for Best Actress for Mitr.

“Her death is an irreparable loss not only to the film world but also to the entire field of fine arts,” former CM J Jayalalithaa said.