B. Saroja Devi | |
|---|---|
 Saroja Devi in 2008 | |
| Born | B. Saroja Devi (1938-01-07)7 January 1938 |
| Died | 14 July 2025(2025-07-14) (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1954–2025 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Honours |
|
B. Saroja Devi (7 January 1938– 14 July 2025) was an Indian actress who appeared in 200Kannada,Tamil,Telugu andHindi films over seven decades. She was one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema. She is regarded as the first lady superstar of Kannada cinema. Posthumously, Saroja Devi became the first women to be awarded theKarnataka Ratna, state's highest civilian award.[1]
Saroja Devi was fondly called asKannadathu Painkili (Kannada's parrot) in Tamil cinema andAbhinaya Saraswathi (Goddess of Acting) in Kannada cinema.[2]
Aged 17, Saroja Devi got her first big break with the Kannada filmMahakavi Kalidasa (1955).[3] In Telugu cinema, she made her debut withPanduranga Mahatyam (1957), and starred in a number of successful films until the late 1970s. The Tamil filmNadodi Mannan (1958) made her one of the top actresses in Tamil cinema. After her marriage in 1967, she continued to be in demand, acting in Tamil films until 1974 and in Telugu and Kannada films until the 1980s. She also starred in Hindi films until the mid-1960s, starting withPaigham (1959).[4]
In 1969, Saroja Devi received thePadma Sri, the fourth-highest civilian honour, and in 1992 thePadma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, from the government of India. She received an honorary doctorate degree fromBangalore University and theKalaimamani award from the state of Tamil Nadu.[5] She also received theDr. Rajkumar Award Lifetime Achievement by theGovernment of Karnataka and theNTR National Award from theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh.[6]
In 2025,Government of Karnataka announced to constitute the 'Abhinaya Saraswathi B. Saroja Devi Lifetime Achievement Award' in her honour.[7]
Saroja Devi was born in Bangalore on January 7, 1938, into aVokkaliga family. The family was native to Dashavara,Channapatna Taluk,Kingdom of Mysore (nowKarnataka).[8] Her father, Bhairappa, was a police officer in Mysore. Her mother, Rudramma, was a homemaker. She was the fourth daughter in the family. She studied at St. Teresa's Girls' High School in Chamrajpet, Bangalore.[9]
Bhairappa asked Saroja to learn dancing and had encouraged her to take up acting as a career. Young Saroja Devi was often accompanied by her father to studios, and he would patiently tie on her salangais and massage her swollen feet after her dancing stints.[10] Her mother gave her a strict dress code of no swimsuits and no sleeveless blouses, which she followed for the rest of her career.[11] She was first spotted at the age of 13 by B.R. Krishnamurthy when she was singing at a function, but she declined his film offer.[12]
Saroja Devi's debut movie and also her first major success wasK. R. Seetharama Sastry's Kannada filmMahakavi Kalidasa (1955), in which she played the heroine role 'Vidyadhare'. The film won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada. Next, she acted in B. R. Panthulu's Tamil filmThangamalai Ragasiyam (1957), in which she performed a dance sequence.[13] She was one of the very few actresses who starred in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi in the 1950s.
Subsequently, she was noted byM. G. Ramachandran (MGR), who cast her as thefemale lead inNadodi Mannan (1958), the movie that made her one of the most popular actresses inTamil Nadu. She was then signed up for the Hindi filmPaigham (1959), in which her co-stars includedDilip Kumar. She went on to work with other leading Hindi actors, includingRajendra Kumar inSasural (1961),Sunil Dutt inBeti Bete (1964) andShammi Kapoor inPyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1963). She also shot a few scenes withRaj Kapoor forNazrana (1961), but was replaced byVyjayanthimala after a conflict with the directorC. V. Sridhar.[14]
Following the success ofNadodi Mannan, she was also cast opposite the leading Tamil actors of that time: withGemini Ganesan inKalyana Parisu (1959), withSivaji Ganesan inBhaaga Pirivinai (1959) and again with MGR inThirudadhe (1961).[15] Her involvement in Tamil films also continued with superhits likePalum Pazhamum (1961),Vazhkai Vazhvatharke (1964),Aalayamani (1962),Periya Idathu Penn (1963),Puthiya Paravai (1964),Panakkara Kudumbam (1964),Enga Veetu Pillai (1965) andAnbe Vaa (1966).[16] The women adored her dressing sense and her saris and blouses, ornaments, hairstyles were copied by girls and women.[17] She came to be known as a "lucky mascot" for MGR films and acted with him in 26 films.[18]The pairing of Sivaji Ganesan and Saroja Devi gave 22 back-to-back hit movies and with Gemini Ganesan in 17 movies.[19][20] The women adored her dressing sense and her saris and blouses, ornaments, hairstyles were copied by girls and women.[21]
Her early successes in Kannada cinema includedChintamani (1957),School Master (1958) andJagajyothi Basveshwara (1959). Her performance as a patriotic anti-British queen in the KannadaKittooru Rani Chennamma (1961) was widely acclaimed. In 1964, she andKalyan Kumar acted in the first full-fledged Kannada colour movieAmarashilpi Jakanachari (1964).
Saroja Devi also achieved success in Telugu films, starring oppositeN. T. Rama Rao inSeetarama Kalyanam (1961),Jagadeka Veeruni Katha (1961) andDagudu Moothalu (1964).Amara Shilpi Jakkanna (1964),Sakunthala (1966) andRahasyam (1967).
In subsequent years, however, Saroja Devi learnt the Telugu language. Her Hindi films includedSasural (1961),Opera House (1961),Hong Kong (1962) andPyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1963), which became successful. In 1962 she was crowned "Chaturbhaasha Taare", because of her popularity in these four languages.[22]
In 1958, Saroja Devi was booked byM. G. Ramachandran for his second directorial venturePonniyin Selvan.[23] One of the first screen adaptations ofKalki Krishnamurthy'sPonniyin Selvan, the film had a hugeensemble cast consisting ofVyjayanthimala,Savitri,Gemini Ganesan,Padmini,M. N. Rajam andNagesh. .[24] In the film, she was given the role ofManimekalai princess of Kadamboor and the sister ofKandanmaaran and daughter of Sambuvaraiyar.[24] However, in mid-1958 the film was shelved for unknown reasons.[23]
In the 1960s, Saroja Devi became a fashion icon among the South Indian women, who mimicked hersaris, blouses, jewellery, hairstyles and mannerisms. In particular, her saris and jewellery from the Tamil moviesEnga Veettu Pillai (1965) andAnbe Vaa (1966) were popularized widely in magazines.[25] Her last film with MGR wasArasa Kattalai (1967), which also starred Jayalalithaa.
With her marriage in 1967 and the rise of younger heroines likeK. R. Vijaya andJayalalithaa producers stopped pairing her opposite MGR.
After 1968, Saroja Devi's career in Tamil cinema gradually declined, and she became more active in Kannada movies.[26]
She continued to paired with Sivaji Ganesan inEn Thambi (1968),Anbalippu (1969),Anjal Petti 520 (1969),Arunodhayam (1971),Thenum Paalum (1971),Paarambariyam (1993) andOnce More (1997).
She also acted and paired withGemini Ganesan inPanama Pasama (1968),Thamarai Nenjam (1968),Aindhu Laksham (1969),Thanga Malar (1969),Kula Vilakku (1969),Malathi (1970) andKann Malar (1970) andPonmana Selvan (1989).
WithRavichandran Saroja Devi acted in the successful filmsOdum Nadhi (1969),Snegithi (1970),Malathi (1970), andPathu Matha Bandham (1974).
WithR. Muthuraman, Saroja Devi starred inArunodhayam (1971),Uyir (1971) andPathu Matha Bandham (1974), which was her last Tamil film as a lead actor until 1985.
Saroja Devi continued to be among the highest-paid actresses in Kannada and Telugu films. She was cast opposite the leading actorDr. Rajkumar in several Kannada films, includingMallammana Pavada (1969),Nyayave Devaru (1971),Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974),Babruvahana (1977) andBhagyavantharu (1977). Her other successful films from this period includeThande Makkalu (1971),Papa Punya (1971),Gunavanthudu (1975),Katha Sangama (1976),Sri Renukadevi Mahathme (1977), withChiranjeevi, then withVishnuvardhan inShani Prabhava (1977) andRudranaga (1984).
In Telugu cinema, Saroja Devi was cast oppositeN. T. Rama Rao in films likeBhagya Chakramu (1968),Uma Chandi Gowri Sankarula Katha (1968),Vijayam Manade (1970),Mayani Mamata (1970) andDaana Veera Soora Karna (1979).
In her long career Saroja Devi chiefly opted for romantic films only in the 1960s and later sentimental and socially relevant films right from the late 1960s to the 1980s.Sri Renukadevi Mahathme, a Kannada film released in 1977 was Saroja Devi's 150th film in her career and by 1984, she had completed 161 films as the main lead heroine, without ever playing supporting roles.Yarivanu (1984), in Kannada, was the 161st film, in which she played the main lead heroine.
Saroja Devi signed up for the Kannada filmLadies Hostel in 1985, but stopped shooting after her husband fell ill. He subsequently died in 1986, and she did not shoot or even meet non-family people for one year after his death. She resumed shooting only in 1987.Ladies Hostel proved a successful film, but Saroja Devi refused to sign up for any more films. She completed the eight films that she had accepted before 1986, and these were released during 1987–1990. These includedThaimel Aanai (1988) andDharma Devan (1989).
After completing her pending projects, Saroja Devi took a break of about five years from films. She returned to acting on the insistence of film producers and her fans, but, contrary to her previous record, she no longer accepted romantic roles. She starred opposite Sivaji Ganesan inParambariyam (1993) in a lead role as a matron, and then performed a few roles as a supporting actress. In Kannada films, her notable supporting performances included her roles inAnuraga Sangama (1995) andAgni IPS (1997). She and Sivaji Ganesan acted in the Tamil filmOnce More (1997), which also includes scenes from their 1963 filmIruvar Ullam.[27]
In 1998 and 2005, Saroja Devi chaired film juries: the45th National Film Awards and the53rd National Film Awards jury.[28][29] She served as the vice-president of Kannada Chalanchitra Sangha, and as a member ofTirumala Tirupati Devasthanams's local advisory committee. She ran a successful business.[30] She also served as the Chairperson of the Karnataka Film Development Corporation,[31] which had been set up as a private limited company by her and a few other film personalities in 1972.[32]
Saroja Devi was settled in Bengaluru, where she was involved in social work. She organized many donation camps in the name of her husband and her mother. She was also involved with charitable trusts, rehabilitation centres and health programmes.
Her latest film in Tamil was the filmAadhavan (2009), in which she played a judge's mother.[33]
Saroja Devi's last film,Natasaarvabhowma, was released in 2019. Devi acted in around 200 films over seven decades,[30][34] and was known as "Abhinaya Saraswathi" (Saraswathi of expressions) inKannada and "Kannadathu Paingili" (Kannada's Parrot) inTamil.[15][34] She was known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema,[35] and was one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema.[36]
In 2020, she participated in the game show, part of the finale week episodeKodeeswari, hosted byRadhika Sarathkumar.[37]
On 1 March 1967, Saroja Devi married Sri Harsha, an engineer,[11][38] who helped her overcome a financial crisis and income tax problems and taught her how to manage her finances.[30] He also supported Saroja Devi's acting career after they married. When she was asked in an interview why she did not stop acting after her mother's insistence in 1967, she said: "Dilip Kumar once said he has askedSaira Banu to not to stop acting profession. The story was mentioned byRajesh Khanna to my husband Sri Harsha, not to stop me from acting."[39]
Saroja Devi adopted her niece, Bhuvaneshwari, who died young;[30] she sponsored theBhuvaneshwari Award for literature in her memory.[40]
Saroja Devi, who suffered from an age-related illness, was found unconscious at her residence inMalleshwaram,Bengaluru, on 14 July 2025. She was rushed to hospital, but doctors confirmed that she had died. She was 87.[41][42][43][44]
National awards
State awards
Other awards
In 2010,Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan instituted "Padma Bhushan B. Saroja Devi National Award", a lifetime achievement award to honour artists in the field of performing arts, annually. The recipients of the award includingK. J. Yesudas,Vyjayantimala,Anjali Devi,Ambareesh,Jayanthi and others.[47]
In the 2021 Hindi-Tamil bilingual filmThalaivii, actressRegina Cassandra portrayed B. Saroja Devi.[48]
