July 15, 2025
NEW DELHI – On 14 July 2025, the curtains fell on one of Indian cinema’s most remarkable chapters. B. Saroja Devi, aged 87, was found unconscious at her home in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru. She was rushed to the hospital, but doctors confirmed her passing due to age-related health complications.
Her death has triggered an outpouring of grief. Fans and film personalities are remembering her immense contributions to Indian cinema.
But for many of today’s generation, the question arises: Who was Saroja Devi? Why is her name so significant in Indian film history?
Bangalore Saroja Devi was a phenomenal actress. Over the course of seven decades, she starred in around 200 films across Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi cinema.
From the late 1950s to the 1980s, Saroja Devi was the face of mainstream cinema in South India and beyond.
Her entry into films was almost like a fairy tale. At just 17 years old, she landed her first major role in the Kannada film ‘Mahakavi Kalidasa’ (1955). That debut set the tone for what would become a historic career.
In Telugu cinema, she made a mark with ‘Panduranga Mahatyam’ in 1957, becoming a household name in Andhra Pradesh.
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But it was in Tamil cinema that Saroja Devi’s stardom reached its peak. With ‘Nadodi Mannan’ (1958), alongside the legendary M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), she became one of the most sought-after heroines.
One of the most extraordinary facts about Saroja Devi is her unbroken streak of playing the lead heroine in 161 consecutive films between 1955 and 1984. This is a record no other Indian actress has managed to achieve.
Even after her marriage in 1967, a phase when many actresses of the time chose to retire, Saroja Devi continued to headline films. She worked steadily in Tamil cinema until the mid-1970s and extended her career in Telugu and Kannada films into the 1980s.
In Hindi cinema, she starred in notable projects like ‘Paigham’ (1959), opposite legends like Dilip Kumar.
The Indian government recognized her enormous contribution to cinema with some of the country’s highest honors.
Saroja Devi received the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992. She also received an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University and the prestigious Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu government.