She was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth-highest civilian honour by Government of India in 2013.

She graduated from the National School of Drama, Delhi in 1973,[5] where she trained under noted theatre director and teacher Ebrahim Alkazi.

[4][citation needed] She was also briefly the director of Mysore-based theatre institute, Rangayana.

[8] She was a voice-over artist for top actresses Madhavi, Gayathri, Jaya Prada, Ambika, Sumalatha and others in Rajkumar movies.

[4] In 1996, she was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for acting, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, and the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists,[9] and later she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2010.