Who was Aparna Vastarey: Five lesser-known facts about the late actress, anchor

Aparna Vastarey passed away at 57 after a battle with lung cancer. Here are some facts about her dynamic career as an actress, a presenter and a voice artist.

Aparna Vastarey, a cherished Kannada actress and the familiar voice behind Namma Metro’s announcements, has passed away at the age of 57. She succumbed to lung cancer on Thursday, with her husband breaking the news to her fans via social media. He disclosed that Aparna was in the advanced fourth stage of cancer at the time of her death.

Aparna was suffering from advanced fourth stage of lung cancer at the time of her death.

Here are five lesser-known facts about the actress and presenter:

1. Aparna started off her career as an actress, making her film debut in 1984 with Puttanna Kanagal’s final movie, ‘Masanada Hoovu’, which featured a stellar cast including Jayanthi and Ambareesh. Following this, she appeared in a variety of Kannada films such as ‘Sangrama’, ‘Nammoora Raja’, ‘Sahasa Veera’, ‘Mathru Vathsalya’, ‘Olavina Asare’, ‘Inspector Vikram’, ‘Ondaagi Balu’, and ‘Doctor Krishna’. She also worked in hit TV shows like ‘Moodala Mane’ and ‘Mukta’.
2. In 1990, Aparna transitioned to a successful career as a television presenter on DD Chandana, becoming a prominent figure in the industry until 2000. She also set a remarkable record in 1998 by hosting an eight-hour Diwali special broadcast.
3. Aparna also ventured into radio broadcasting in 1993 with All India Radio, where she became the first presenter for AIR FM Rainbow. Her distinctive voice and dynamic presentation skills led to her selection as the voice for Bengaluru Metro announcements.
4. In 2013, she participated in the inaugural season of the Kannada reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’ on ETV Kannada, and her role as ‘Varalakshmi’ in the popular comedy series ‘Majaa Talkies’ was well-received by audiences.
5. Aparna lived in Banashankari, Bengaluru, with her husband, Nagaraj Vastarey, a noted Kannada writer and architect.