Jamuna was a well-known actress, director and politician who appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films from 1953 to 1990. She marked her acting debut at the age of 16 in the Telugu film Puttillu (1953). She got her big break in director L. V. Prasad's Missamma (1955). She made her Bollywood debut in 1957 with Miss Mary and went on to feature in popular films like Hamrahi (1963), Beti Bete (1964), Rishte Naate (1965), Milan (1967) for which she won Filmfare’s Best Supporting Actress award, Dulhan (1975) and Naukar Biwi Ka (1983). She was a Member of Parliament in the 9th Lok Sabha (1989–1991) representing the Rajahmundry constituency. She breathed her last on 27 January 2023 at Hyderabad, Telangana.