Talk:Soundarya

This does not meet the requirements for an RfC, failing WP:RFCNEUTRAL --Guy Macon (talk) 22:10, 31 August 2026 (UTC) The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

[Not an RfC:] Soundarya's date of birth — correction of the protected article

Soundarya's article currently has a protected/locked date of birth of 1972. The article cannot presently be corrected through normal editing, despite published sources giving 18 July 1976.

The discrepancy has been discussed repeatedly on the article's Talk page and subsequently at the Reliable Sources Noticeboard (RSN). Those discussions have not resulted in a resolution, while the article continues to display 1972.

The purpose of this RFC is therefore to obtain a clear consensus from uninvolved editors on whether the protected birth date should be corrected in light of the published evidence supporting 18 July 1976.

RFC question: Should the protected date of birth currently stated as 1972 be removed and replaced with 18 July 1976, based on the published evidence presented below?

Published sources supporting 18 July 1976

1. The Times of India

The Times of India published an article on 18 July 2020 titled "Soundarya's 44th Birth Anniversary: Remembering the evergreen actress of Telugu cinema." The article explicitly states that Soundarya was born on 18 July 1976 and identifies 18 July 2020 as her 44th birth anniversary.

This is particularly relevant because the article explicitly connects 18 July 1976 with Soundarya's 44th birth anniversary in 2020.

2. The Indian Express

The Indian Express lists Soundarya's date of birth as 18 July 1976.

3. Moviebuff

Moviebuff's published profile lists Soundarya's date of birth as 18 July 1976.

4. TeluguColours

TeluguColours' published profile also lists Soundarya's date of birth as 18 July 1976.

These publications provide published evidence supporting 18 July 1976. The proposed correction therefore does not depend solely on statements made by Soundarya or members of her family.

Additional pre-death corroborative evidence: A May 7, 2001 India Today article about Soundarya becoming a producer describes her as 24 years old. This provides additional contemporaneous, pre-death evidence consistent with 18 July 1976. This source was inadvertently omitted from the original RfC and is added here for completeness. India Today, 7 May 2001 — Preceding unsigned comment added by ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 18:28, 31 August 2026 (UTC)

References

Additional corroborative material

There is also first-hand interview material consistent with the 1976 date. These sources are presented as supplementary corroboration rather than the primary basis for the proposed correction.

Soundarya's sister Sudha states in a media interview that Soundarya was born on 18 July 1976 in Bangalore:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gACCMt0m0Ec

Soundarya herself discussed entering films after completing her 10th examinations and beginning her acting career in 1992:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=H1qPkolEQpI

(approximately 4:17)

A second interview contains a similar account of Soundarya entering films immediately after completing her 10th examinations:

https://youtube.com/shorts/bErNz8TGW1g

These interviews are included only as supplementary corroboration. The primary evidence presented for the proposed correction consists of the published sources above.

Previous discussions

This issue has already been raised repeatedly on the article's Talk page and discussed at RSN. The purpose of this RFC is not to restart the same discussion without context, but to seek a clear, uninvolved consensus on the specific unresolved question of whether the protected 1972 entry should be corrected to 18 July 1976 in light of the published evidence.

The existence of conflicting sources is acknowledged. The question for this RFC is whether the sources supporting 18 July 1976 are sufficiently reliable and persuasive, when considered under Wikipedia's sourcing policies, to justify removing the current 1972 entry.

Requested resolution

If consensus determines that the published evidence supports 18 July 1976, the requested action is to remove the current 1972 birth date and update the protected article to 18 July 1976.

Untitled

What is the point of having the picture so big? On other articles the pictures are of a reasonable size. (Shakirfan 22:55, 20 March 2006 (UTC))

I've removed the following section, which needs rewriting, referencing, and integrating with the rest of the article. It doesn't need a section of its own.

Personal life

Soundarya (known as Soumya to close family members) was born in the Ashtagrama villages and was a Tamil Iyer Brahmin. She married her maternal uncle and childhood friend, software engineer G. S. Raghu on 27,April, 2003. She had great dreams of promoting public welfare during her lifetime. At the time of her death, she was about to produce and act in a film titled 'Kamli', directed by K.N.T Sastry. Her wishes of funding welfare activities are being fulfilled by her husband and sister-in-law through the Amara Soundarya Social and Educational Trust [ASSET]. She has developed the entire village of Gangigunte [her native village], Mulabagal Taluk, in the Kolar district of Karnataka. Soundarya maintained an orphanage. Presently, it is being maintained by her relatives. In addition, the school, AMARA SOUNDARYA VIDYALAYA, is maintained by her trust and her own home is now being used as a school. There are many ideas and concepts that were dreamt and thought by Soundarya and her brother Amarnath for the welfare of the society, being fulfilled by Soundarya's husband and Soundarya's sister-in-law Nirmala using ASSET. She had adopted some educational institutions and given funding for so many educational institutions and their family is continuing funding for educational institutions.

I've moved the following section here. See the list of nominees and winners of Filfare awards here Filmfare Nominees and Winners - it doesn't bear out the claims for Filmfare.

Pl change her dob its wrong, actual dob is 18 july 1976...pl change this immediately...amautomatically big fan of her... Mooninj (talk) 17:23, 23 May 2019 (UTC)

No Correct DOB is 18 July 1972

Wikipedia is locked ~2025-37237-48 (talk) 21:22, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

Awards

She received 6 Filmfare awards for: Ammoru (1994), Anthapuram (1998), Raja (1999), Dweepa (2002) (2 awards as best actress and best producer), Aaptamitra (2004). Karnataka State Award in 1998-99 (Doni Saagali). Nandi Award given by Andra Pradesh Government (Ammoru, Pavitra Bandhanam and Antahpuram). Not just as an actress but was also a producer for Dweepa directed by Girish Kasaravalli bagged the Swarna Kamal award. After the death of her father, her brother Amarnath looked after all her assignments Unfortunately both sister and brother died in this accident.

Semi-protected edit request on 21 July 2019

Ramsou8 (talk) 19:55, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

Soundarya's date of borth is wrong

I would like to ask someone to change her date of birth. Her DOB is 1976 July 18th, but in wikipedia its showing July 18th 1971.. I am unable to edit it... Ramsou8 (talk) 19:59, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

 Partly done: Changed to July 18, 1972 per IMDB and India Times sources(). Highway 89 (talk) 20:26, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

DOB is wrong

Correct dob is 18th july 1989...so, pl chnge this...its my humble request to u Mooninj (talk) 16:55, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Well, the sources here clarifies that she was born in 1989. If you have different sources which states her dob as 1976 you are free to add request or make change to the article. Tolly4bolly 03:23, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

Yes 100% Correct Soundhrya Date of birth 18 July 1989 Correct ~2025-37237-48 (talk) 21:21, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

Soundhrya DOB 18 July 1989~2025-37237-48 (talk) 21:24, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

About the image

@Mohammad Liyaqat: Kindly do not undo the recent edit regarding the image replacement. You should consider the reasons for that. The file was there in the article for about 8 years and too large to be under fair use policy. So it was replaced by the new image considering the size and providing some change to the readers to see the other image of the actress in Wiki article. Hope it's conveyed. RegardsNinadMysuru (talk) 14:18, 4 December 2020 (UTC)

Birth year 1972 or 1976

Sources that support birth year as 1972

• The Economic Times (updated 18 Apr 2004)
• The Guardian obituary (10 May 2004)
• BBC report (7 Apr 2004)
• The New Indian Express (9 April 2009)
• The Hans India (13 Oct 2020)
• Sakshi (21 Jun 2021)

Only, The Times of India's slideshow seems to be an outlier here. @Johnnie Bob and DaxServer: Thoughts? -- Ab207 (talk) 06:08, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

I found some more sources, primarily searching in the List of newspapers in India which are published in English.

Sources that support 1972

• The Telegraph (17 April 2004)
• The Hindu (18 April 2004)
• The Indian Express (18 April 2004)
• The Tribune (17/18 April 2004)
• Hindustan Times (11 May 2005)
• Rediff (16 May 2012)
• Business Standard (4 December 2013)
• The New Indian Express (4 December 2013)
• The Free Press Journal (2 December 2017)
• Deccan Herald (12 June 2020)
• News 18 Telugu (17 April 2021)

Sources that support 1976

• Rediff (3 September 2009)

Notes: For some reason, Rediff wrote two conflicting dates. Calculating DoB from age is always tricky, or is it 1971? The Organiser (magazine) is blacklisted and hence I couldn't post that link. -- DaxServer (talk) 14:25, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

Another note to @Yamaguchi先生, is it possible to ask the IP, who claimed to be a relative, to email OTRS about the proof of 1976 birth? Also, would that OTRS ticket number serve as citation? -- DaxServer (talk) 14:30, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

I knew that there were some sources that conflicted with the Times of India information, but it's usually a very reliable source, and when the IP posted and her post agreed with TOI I just figured that the other sources were getting their information from Wikipedia. I didn't think there were that many that had the 1972 date. Clearly, some of those sources are WP:TERTIARY and possibly should be removed.

Regardless, I think the best thing to do for now would be to remove the birth date altogether until this can be sorted out. I'm a little hesitant to contact the IP because I've found that in most cases when they say they are a relative or a friend or something like that, it's usually "wishful thinking" on their part. Also, we don't really know if the subject of the article had her own version of her birthdate that she used for publicity purposes. Is there any old archived social media where we can see what the subject herself has said her birthdate is? — Johnnie Bob (talk) 16:45, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

I wouldn't call The Times of India a "very reliable source" (WP:TOI); infact, we have deprecated the use of TOI bio pages at WP:ICTF where they publish fake and fabricated information. Since many of the sources that say 1972 (or 1971) are published before the wikipedia article was created, they can't be disregarded. I think we can accomodate both the years in the article per WP:NPOV instead of removing them, until there's any conclusive evidence one way or the other. -- Ab207 (talk) 14:05, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

Ab207, I guess I would have no objection to including both dates, as long as the explanation is clear why there are two dates listed.

BUT, getting back to the reliability concern regarding TOI, the latest guidance posted the main WP:ICTF project page says they are reliable (see WP:ICTF#Guidelines on sources). I would have never found that discussion thread you refer to and I would venture that most other editors probably wouldn't either. Perhaps the guideline on the main discussion page regarding TOI should be revised. Johnnie Bob (talk) 20:01, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

@Johnnie Bob and DaxServer: Added both the years per the above discussion, please review the edit and make any changes if needed. -- Ab207 (talk) 20:38, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

We should also include The Indian Express, for the 1976 date, which seems to be a proper biography article.

I think the information reported at the time of her death can't be considered very reliable, because of the newswire phenomenon in India, which can circulate some inaccurate information to all the media in one shot. Even AFP circulated it to international media. (Note that BBC even claimed that she was a medical doctor!) All those sources cannot be considered indeendent. The phrase "32-year-old" is what appears to have been circulated and it appeared everywhere. We can't find the original newswire now because it was too long ago. And, if a newspaper were to cover the topic again, they would go back to their own archives and repeat the same misinformation.

As I commented at WP:RSN, she started acting in a small role in Gandharva in the summer of 1991. According to her testimony, she had just completed 10th grade at that time. The following year, in the first year of her Pre-University, she took on more roles and quit her studies. A 1972 birthdate would make her 19 years old in 1991, which is too high for a 10th grade student. I think 1976 is consistent with the available information. -- Kautilya3 (talk) 22:10, 31 August 2026 (UTC)

I appreciate that you now acknowledge that 1976 is consistent with the available information and that the “32-year-old” reports may have originated from a circulated news wire error. However, I also noticed that 1972 has again been added to the Personal life section by you.

Could you please explain why 1972 was reinserted despite the concerns you have outlined above and your conclusion that 1976 is consistent with the available evidence? ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 08:43, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Could someone who understands the Telugu language please confirm the claim that at approximately 4:17 in video https://youtube.com/watch?v=H1qPkolEQpI&si=IqvjUAtwyQQynnVj Sowmya Sathyanarayana says that she filmed Gandharva right after she finished her 10th grade examinations?

We know that the film Gandharva was released in theaters on July 14, 1992. We also know that Kannada film production cycles in the early 1990s typically lasted 2 to 4 months from the first clapboard to post-production. --Guy Macon (talk) 09:17, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

I understand Telugu, and at ( from 3:45 whole story of entering ento cinema starts) approximately 4:17, Soundarya explains that she used to accompany her father to film shoots, re-recording sessions, and dubbing sessions. During one such visit, music director Hamsalekha noticed her and, while producing Gandharva in 1992, asked her father to allow her to appear in a small role that would require approximately 10 days of filming. As she had recently completed her 10th-standard examinations and was on holiday, she agreed after being persuaded by her father. She further states that she had no intention of pursuing a career as an actress at that time and initially regarded the opportunity simply as a short holiday role. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 09:37, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Wow. What a shock. The person who made the claim "confirms" that the claim is true. I did not see that one coming! Have you read WP:BLUDGEON yet? --Guy Macon (talk) 10:10, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Guy Macon, yes it is correct. It was also mentioned in a news article:

• Short span, remarkable achievement, The Hindu, 23 April 2004. ProQuest 286328784

-- Kautilya3 (talk) 11:03, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Thanks! --Guy Macon (talk) 13:55, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

DOY Is incorrect in present wikipedia

Hi admin, Please be informed, Soundarya mam correct DOY is 1976 not 1972. Even her mom and relatives confirmed the same. ~2026-14563-41 (talk) 03:57, 7 March 2026 (UTC)

Debut film in Telugu

Actress soundarya's debut film in Telugu is raithubharatham. Release of the film happened in 1994 but that was the movie she debuted in. Tripuraneni sriprasad alias tripuraneni varaprasad alias tripuraneni chittibabu introduced her to the telugu movie industry. ~2026-17204-72 (talk) 20:27, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

Wrong credit

her first film.in telugu is not manavarali telling. It is raithubharatham. Please check her own interviews. Kindly correct this mistake. ~2026-17204-72 (talk) 20:29, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

Kindly update her date of birth to 1976

Soundarya was born in the year 1976 and she herself told in her maa tv telugu interview stating she got gandharva movie offer when she was doing her10th standard (1992). Her family members also confirmed regarding her real dob. Despite of this still her wikipedia records shows her wrong birth year 1972. Kindly update it to 1976 it's a humble request. ~2026-44199-07 (talk) 17:41, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

This request is for whole wikipedia team to update her real DOB.

Kindly understand soundarya is one of the most famous and respected actress of Indian cinema and she has achieved a lot at her young age and she passed away at the very young age. Despite of being the most famous actress of Indian cinema and having such wrong information on her wikipedia page doesn't feel good and it's a huge disrespect for her legacy where even after receiving these many requests to update her correct dob, wikipedia team still relies on old internet articles where her dob was wrongly published as 1972.

This request is to whole team who handles the updation of the records on Wikipedia page. kindly correct her dob to 1976 and show the respect to legendary actress who is not with us. This generation people still like and respect her and when they want to know more about her first thing they do is visiting her wikipedia page and what is the use of such page when the basic information mentioned in the page is incorrect? Kindly understand the request and update it accordingly as 1976. ~2026-44199-07 (talk) 17:51, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 11 August 2026

Change the date of birth in the infobox from 18 July 1972 to 18 July 1976.

Reason: The Indian Express lists Soundarya's date of birth as 18 July 1976: https://indianexpress.com/about/soundarya/

There is conflicting information regarding Soundarya's year of birth, and I respectfully request that the available reliable sources be reviewed and that the date be corrected to 18 July 1976 if the evidence supports it.

Soundarya was one of the most beloved and respected actresses of Indian cinema. She achieved remarkable success at a very young age and left an unforgettable legacy despite her life being tragically cut short. For many admirers, her Wikipedia page is one of the first places they visit to learn about her life and career.

I am making this request with sincere respect for her memory and legacy. If 18 July 1976 is supported by the strongest available evidence, I kindly request that her date of birth be updated so that future readers can find accurate information about the actress they continue to admire and remember.

Thank you to the editors for taking the time to review this request and the available sources. ~2026-44199-07 (talk) 18:28, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: See the discussion above on the talk page ("Birth year 1972 or 1976"), where editors point out that the overwhelming preponderance of sources give a 1972 birthdate. Day Creature (talk) 15:20, 12 August 2026 (UTC)

I can share interview links featuring her sister and close family members who have confirmed that her actual year of birth was 1976 instead of using wrong birth year as 1972.

Apart from this, I would also like to understand why Wikipedia continues to rely on older internet articles that may contain an incorrect birth year for a well-known celebrity like Soundarya.

Please let me know how this matter can be escalated. Even after having confirmation from her family members regarding her actual year of birth, the editor handling Soundarya's Wikipedia information has not accepted the correction or updated the information.

Kindly let me know what further steps can be taken in this regard.

Yes, I have read all the discussions on the Talk page, and I believe it should also be taken into consideration that, at the time of her death, many internet articles and newspapers reported her birth year as 1972, which may have resulted in the incorrect information being repeatedly published.

Kindly let me know if I can share the interview links of her sister and close family members confirming her correct year of birth as 1976 for further Consideration can I share you the interview link of her sister and close family members confirming her real date of birth as 1976. ~2026-44313-00 (talk) 19:14, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

Are these interviews something that was published somewhere? We can only use published sources. Day Creature (talk) 19:16, 14 August 2026 (UTC)

yes, they are available on YouTube.

I will also share the two interview of soundarya where she herself stated that she started her career at the age of 16 in 1992 when she was studying 10th standard which is the strongest proof of her date of birth 1976.

Including her sister Sudha who used to accompany her in her career and shootings who confirmed her dob in an YouTube interview and requested not to use any incorrect dob available on internet platform such as 1972.

Here is the interview of soundarya:

Interview 1 of soundarya: ( please watch at 4:17)

URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=H1qPkolEQpI&si=IqvjUAtwyQQynnVj

Interview 2 of soundarya:

URL: https://youtube.com/shorts/bErNz8TGW1g?si=7qdLPcC4-RMCiCZk

Below is the Interview URL of sister Sudha who gave clarity on her incorrect data published on internet such as her basic information like dob. She clearly requested not to use incorrect dob on any platforms. She was born on 1976 July 18th in Bangalore : (Please watch at 1:35- 1:45)

URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gACCMt0m0Ec&si=afckPgiDV8jqrO6K

These are the clear evidence I have submitted to the editor of the wikipedia handling soundarya's wikipedia page and this is the humble request to correct her DOB on the page and update it to 1976 and fix the error. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 19:20, 15 August 2026 (UTC)

Unfortunately I don't speak Telugu, but I'll reopen your edit request in the hopes that another editor may be able to assist. Day Creature (talk) 20:33, 15 August 2026 (UTC)

Thank you. However, the evidence provided includes direct statements from Soundarya and her blood relatives confirming her year of birth as 1976. I kindly request that the evidence be reviewed and the incorrect DOB be corrected at the earliest. I would also request that this concern be escalated to an editor who can properly review the evidence and assist with the correction. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 08:51, 16 August 2026 (UTC)

There's no process by which things are escalated to specific editors: Wikipedia is a collaborative, volunteer project, not a customer service department. Your edit request is open for review by any editor who comes across it. Day Creature (talk) 17:30, 16 August 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for clarifying. I understand that the edit request is open for review by any editor through the normal collaborative process.

I have provided the available evidence, including confirmation regarding her date of birth from her blood relatives.

I hope the available evidence can be reviewed and the correction can be considered at the earliest. Since these incorrect data are been reflected almost over the decade. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 08:07, 17 August 2026 (UTC)

Kindly review my request regarding the correction of Soundarya’s date of birth and make the necessary correction at the earliest as possible. The supporting sources and confirmation from her blood relatives have already been provided. Thank you ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 13:51, 18 August 2026 (UTC)

Hello, just following up on this edit request as it remains open and hasn’t received a review yet. I understand that Wikipedia requests are reviewed by volunteers when they have time. I’d be grateful if an editor could review the request when possible, particularly the sources and the confirmation from Soundarya’s blood relatives regarding her date of birth. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 18:41, 20 August 2026 (UTC)

If this request is closed or left unresolved despite the documented evidence, I will seek review at the appropriate Wikipedia noticeboards, including BLPN and RSN, so that the sourcing and factual discrepancy can be independently assessed.

The evidence provided includes multiple video interviews, including statements from Soundarya’s surviving family members as well as Soundarya herself, supporting the 18 July 1976 birth date. This should be considered alongside the conflicting older sources currently supporting 1972.

I am requesting that an uninvolved editor review the evidence and determine the correct birth year based on Wikipedia’s sourcing and verifiability policies, rather than simply relying on the existing page consensus. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 20:29, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

Evidence that needs be to reviewed by the editor

Below given are the published internet/ video proof by Soundarya herself and her sister sudha regarding the dob that needs to be reviewed and updated on the wikipedia page.

I have shared the two interview link of soundarya and her her sister sudha where she clarified the actual dob and incorrect data that is been published over the internet.

In this video soundarya herself stated that she started her career at the age of 16 in 1992 when she was studying 10th standard which is the strongest proof of her date of birth 1976. Including her sister Sudha who used to accompany her in her career and shootings who confirmed her dob in an YouTube interview and requested not to use any incorrect dob available on internet platform such as 1972. Here is the interview of soundarya:

Interview 1 of soundarya: ( please watch at 4:17)

URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=H1qPkolEQpI&si=IqvjUAtwyQQynnVj

Interview 2 of soundarya: URL: https://youtube.com/shorts/bErNz8TGW1g?si=7qdLPcC4-RMCiCZk

Below is the Interview URL of sister Sudha who gave clarity on her incorrect data published on internet such as her basic information like dob. She clearly requested not to use incorrect dob on any platforms. She was born on 1976 July 18th in Bangalore : (Please watch at 1:35- 1:45)

URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gACCMt0m0Ec&si=afckPgiDV8jqrO6K

These are the clear evidence I have submitted to the editor to review and this is the humble request to correct her DOB on the page and update it to 1976 and fix the error. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 15:57, 23 August 2026 (UTC)

Following up as there has been no response to the additional evidence provided above.

The evidence supporting 18 July 1976 includes Soundarya's own interview as well as the interview with her sister in addition to the previously cited sources. These provide direct evidence that should be evaluated against the secondary sources supporting 1972.

Could an uninvolved editor please review the cited evidence and make a determination on updating it to 18 July 1976.

Thank you. ~2026-44709-80 (talk) 19:56, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

Notice: Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Straw Poll

You are invited to participate at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Straw Poll --Guy Macon (talk) 21:59, 31 August 2026 (UTC)

Date of Birth: Final Decision

Per decision at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Straw Poll, and after extensive back and forth editing of this page and multiple discussions here and at the Reliable Sources Noticeboard, I have restored the stable date of birth that was on this page from 20:36, 1 August 2021 to 16:32, 27 January 2025 See WP:DOBCONFLICT.

Other than minor fixes such a correction typos or formatting DO NOT CHANGE THE DATE OF BIRTH without posting a Valid WP:RfC (ask for help if you don't know how) and waiting for it to close.

If anyone asks to have the DOB changed, use TEMPLATE:HAT to close the discussion, referring them here. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:20, 4 September 2026 (UTC)