Many a times supporting stars steal the show even if they’re surrounded by top leading actors on the silver screen. Right from Nirupa Roy to Sridevi, many actresses have portrayed mother’s role with sheer elegance and grace. We just can’t stop watching them laugh and crying along when they are in tears. Such is the power of playing the role of a mother. We look at the 7 most adorable moms of South cinema.

Saranya Ponvannan

This terrific actor with incredible potential has proved that she can pull off any given role with such ease. She made her debut into the Tamil film industry with the evergreen film, Nayagan opposite Kamal Haasan. This leading lady of the 80’s returned to the film industry as the supporting actor (as mom) after an 8 year sabbatical since her marriage and has still continued to catch the attention of people. Her spontaneous dialogue delivery and natural acting has made us laugh and cry over the years. This onscreen mom’s comic sense in Em Maganand her caring tendency in Ram are some of the undeniably best roles she has ever done.

Nadia

This 80’s beauty who shared screen space with some of the big names in Kollywood such as Rajnikanth and Prabhu took everyone by surprise when she vanished after her marriage to an investment banker in Maharashtra. However, this bubbly actress came back with a bang as a 21st century mom in M Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi. The chemistry between the mother-son duo was beautifully portrayed in the film and her daring performance in it was an added treat to her audience. She was last seen in Pattalam as a caring school teacher after which she had kept herself busy with Telugu and Malayalam projects.

Revathi

This talented actress stole millions of hearts in 80’s and 90’s as the leading lady in almost 5 languages (Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi). Although she had done quite some interesting characters, her role as a mother to a mentally unstable kid in Anjali was one of the most remembered performances of all time. The scene where she begs her dying daughter to call her “Amma” (mom) once in her life definitely brings tears every time one watches it. Her other stunning performances as a mother includes her role in the award winning film “Margarita with a straw” and 2 States .

Sudha

Supporting actress Sudha is the most popular actress who only did mother roles in her movies. While she was younger, Sudha played the role of a sister to many actors and in 1991 she debuted as the sister-in-law to Megastar Chiranjeevi. In over 20 years, she has acted in more than 100 films, mostly Telugu and has also acted in Tamil as Prabhu’s step mother in Duet. The actress has to her credit many supporting role awards and has won over the Tollywood audience with her brilliant performances and strong screen presence.

Jayasudha

By far, Jayasudha Kapoor has been one of those actresses who has been onscreen for over four decades and has won numerous awards. Born and brought up in a family of historian, Jayasudha opted to be an actress as a teenager. She was one of the top most actresses in the industry and for the past few years she has been acting as a mother to many top actors including Mahesh Babu and Karthi. She is also a former MLA from Secunderabad and continues to act in supporting roles. She’s one of the few actors whose emotional performances can bring tears to you eyes!

Sridevi

One of the most successful actors in the Tamil film industry returned after her long break in 2012 with a bilingual, English Vinglish where she essayed the role of a home-maker and mother of two. This film is evidence to the fact that the 80’s heroine always has it in her to impress and entertain her audience irrespective of the role. The fashion icon made millions of naïve homemakers realize that it is never too late to create a mark for oneself. It is also said that this mother of two in real life is all set to rock the film industry as an on-screen mother once again in her yet to be released film.

Radikaa

How can we forget the Bold and Beautiful Radikaa in this list. This woman with her brave and confident character has inspired millions both on and off screen. Her performance as a bold and friendly mother in Thanga Magan and Theriare some of her most remembered and appreciated roles in recent times. Her performance as a cute and naïve mother in Kanna moochi Yennada has undeniably been in our list of favorites. Her characters in each film as a mother had definitely made people wish for such a confident and bold mother in real life as well.