Movie Legend Dies of ‘Age-Related Ailments’: B. Saroja Devi Was 87

B. Saroja Devi, a titan of Indian cinema, died yesterday. She was 87.

The actress, who died of age-related ailments, was one of South India’s most celebrated leading ladies.

Devi began her career in the 1950s, where she became one of the country’s most prolific and beloved stars.

Her debut was in the 1955 Kannada-language film Mahakavi Kalidasa, but her breakout role came in 1958 with Tamil blockbuster Nadodi Mannan, where she starred alongside cinema icon M.G. Ramachandran (a.k.a. MGR). MGR would later become one of her most frequent collaborators, alongside other well-known names like N.T. Rama Rao and Sivaji Ganeson.

Devi’s streak of hits continued throughout the 60s and 70s, with hits like Puthiya Paravai, Kalyana Parisu, Anbe Vaa, and Paigham.

Paigham was especially notable as one of her first Hindi-language films: at the peak of her career, she was starring in films that spoke three of the four major languages in the region of South India. From 1955 to 1984, she received top billing on over 160 consecutive movies—a feat you’d be hard-pressed to see an actor from any country repeat.

Devi married engineering contractor Sri Harsha in 1967, and they remained together until his death in 1986. Her last on-screen role was in 2019’s Natasaarvabhowma, a Kannada-language film.

As part of her final wishes, Devi’s eyes were donated to science.