Biography

She is a Telugu Brahmin. Her family originally came from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and moved to Madras, Tamil Nadu, which was where she was born.

When her father suffered business losses, she left college to work as an air hostess to support her family in 1960. Her good-looks and fluency in several languages (Telugu, Tamil, English) kept her employed as a air hostess for several years before she became a movie star.

Director C.V. Sridhar discovered her on a plane, where he was a passenger and she was working as a air hostess. He cast her in her first major film role in "Kadalikka Neramillai" (1964), which made her a star. He also changed her name to Kanchana, since there was already another actress named Vasundhara Devi (mother of actress Vyjayanthimala).

She was in a lengthy legal battle with her parents over property. She disputed printed reports that she was left penniless but refused to sue publications, since her rift with her parents over property took all her time and attention. The court cases were finally resolved in her favor.

She has never married and retired from acting in 1980. She now lives next door to her sister and brother-in-law in Bangalore. A very spiritual woman, she spends all her time, meditating, praying, and visiting Hindu temples.