Veteran actor Saroja Devi passes away at 87

Renowned veteran South Indian actress Saroja Devi, passed away at 87 on Monday, 14 July. The actor took her last breath in Bengaluru. She was reported to have been suffering from age-related illness. According to PTI, her final rites are expected to be performed in Bengaluru.

Saroja Devi has worked in cinema in five different languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Sinhalese, and Kannada. She got her first break with the Kannada film ‘Mahakavi Kalidasa’ (1955) when she was just 17 years old. She was also known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema. Saroja Devi also went on to win a National Award for her performance in her debut film. Later, she rose to fame in the Tamil industry in 1958 with the movie ‘Nadodi Mannan’ where she shared the screen with former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran. This made her one of the top actresses of Tamil cinema, and every Tamil director wanted to cast her. She was also called ‘Abhinaya Saraswathi,’ or the goddess of acting.

Saroja Devi has done more than 20 movies with MG Ramachandran, starting from 'Palum Pazhamum', 'Vazhkai Vazhvatharke', 'Aalayamani', 'Periya Idathu Penn', to 'Puthiya Paravai', 'Panakkara Kudumbam', 'Enga Veetu Pillai', 'Anbe Vaa', and others. She was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992.

Many actors paid their tribute to Saroj Devi on social media. Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar wrote a heartfelt post on X, “An era gold golden cinema comes to an end. #SarojaDevi amma was the greatest of all times . No other female actor in south has ever enjoyed the name and fame as her. Such a lovable adorable soul she was. Had a great rapport with her. My trip to Bengaluru was incomplete without meeting her. And whenever in chennai, she would call. Will miss her immensely. Rest in peace Amma. Om Shanti. #SarojaDevi.”

An era gold golden cinema comes to an end. #SarojaDevi amma was the greatest of all times . No other female actor in south has ever enjoyed the name and fame as her. Such a lovable adorable soul she was. Had a great rapport with her. My trip to Bengaluru was incomplete without… pic.twitter.com/gj8bQt0glq

— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) July 14, 2025

Fans are also disheartened to learn about her demise. A fan wrote, “An era ends with #SarojaDevi Amma’s passing. A true legend - loved, admired, and unforgettable. I’ll miss her deeply. Om Shanti.” Another wrote, “RIP Legendary Actress #SarojaDevi mam. Such a Beautiful Soul.. Deepest Condolences to her Family on behalf of @trishtrashers Fans.”

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