B Saroja Devi Birthday Special

B. Saroja Devi is an actress with more than 200 films to her credit. She became the first female superstar of Kannada cinema, having made her acting debut at the age of 17 in national award winning Kannada film, Mahakavi Kalidasa.

She made her Tamil debut in B.R. Panthulu’s 1957 film, Thangamalai Ragasiyam. Her career was given a boost when MG Ramachandran cast her in the female lead in the 1958 film, Nadodi Mannan – the first film to be produced and directed by MG Ramchandran.

This film opened many doors for her and she became a busy actress, acting in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. She starred opposite MG Ramachandran in 26 films, and opposite Sivaji Ganesan in 22 films. She was also booked to play the female lead in Ponniyin Selvan which MGR had planned to produce and direct, but the film was eventually shelved.

She was the undisputed fashion icon of the 1960s, inspiring many with her clothes, jewellery, hairstyles and even mannerisms. After her marriage in 1967, she stopped acting opposite MGR but continued with her acting career, starring mainly opposite Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. Her last released Tamil film was Aadhavan (2009).

B Saroja Devi turns 87 today. Sigaram wishes her good health and many more birthdays.

Enjoy our specially selected songs to mark the occasion. If the video is not automatically accessible, click on the button that states “CLICK HERE” to access the playlist.