Veteran actor B Saroja Devi passed into the ages on Monday, July 14, in Bengaluru, film industry sources said. She was 87.
She died due to age-related ailments at her residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, according to sources.
She was fondly called 'Kannadathu Paingili' (Kannada's parrot).
Saroja Devi got her break when she was 17 in the Kannada film Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955) and won a National Award.
Her Tamil film with the other legendary actor M G Ramachandran, Nadodi Mannan (1958), made her among the top actresses of Tamil cinema.
She was also known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema.
She made her Telugu film debut with Pandurang Mahathyam (1957) and acted in several successful films until the late 1970s.
After her marriage in 1967, she remained among the most sought-after actresses in Tamil films until 1974, while she continued to be a top actress in Telugu and Kannada cinema from 1958 to 1980.
She also acted in Hindi films, starting with Paigham (1959) until the mid-1960s.
She acted in 161 films as the female lead between 1955 and 1984.
Saroja Devi was awarded the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992.
She received an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University and Tamil Nadu's Kalaimamani Award. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
'The news of the death of veteran Kannada actress B Saroja Devi is painful,' Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted on social media.
'She acted in about 200 Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada language films and was known as Abhinaya Saraswati. When we think of Saroja Devi, her soulful performances in films like Kittur Chennamma, Babruvahana, Anna Thangi come to mind,' he added.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar posted on X, 'A loving farewell to Abhinaya Saraswathi. The news of the demise of senior Kannada actress B Saroja Devi, popularly known as Abhinaya Saraswathi, is painful. She acted in five languages and served the film industry for 6 decades.'
'She had acted in many mythological and historical films and was a household name among Kannadigas,' noted former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai. 'Her portrayal of Kittur Chennamma is still remembered by everyone.'
With inputs from ANI
Photographs curated by Manisha Deshpande/Rediff
