Her debut as a heroine was in the 1972 film Yaara Saakshi, directed by veteran director M. She entered the Kannada film industry in a small role in Mane Katti Nodu in 1966. Manjula started her acting career in 1965 with a drama troupe Prabhat Kalavidaru. She was married to film director Amrutham who worked with her in films such as Hudugaatada Hudugi and Kanasu Nanasu. Her father Shivanna was a police sub inspector. Shivanna and Deveramma in Honnenahalli, a village in Tumkur District.
She acted in more than 100 films and won several awards for her performances, including a Filmfare Award. She was one of the most successful and prominent actresses of Kannada films in 1970s and 1980s. Manjula (8 November 1954 – 12 September 1986) was an Indian actress who acted in predominantly Kannada language films in addition to Tamil (credited as Kumari Manjula) and Telugu films (credited as Kannada Manjula).
