Remembering Saroja Devi: Legendary Actress Who Captivated Indian Cinema | Chennai News – Times of India

VamananReflecting in later times on his directorial debut ‘Kalyana Parisu’ (1959), in which Saroja Devi played the younger sister who sacrifices her love for her elder sibling, director Sridhar would remark that one of the greatest challenges in remaking the film was finding a young actress who could match that performance. What a tribute to Saroja Devi — that even in the early years of her long career, she delivered a portrayal so memorable that an auteur such as Sridhar would recall it with such admiration!This underlines the fact that Saroja Devi had acting talent, which, added to an expressive and photogenic face and good temperament to match, made for an eventful career as a lead actor in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. No wonder the Kannadigas, of whom she was one, hailed her ‘Abhinaya Saraswathi’, the goddess of acting. The Tamils, in keeping with their large-hearted appreciation of artistes from other states, called her ‘Kannadathu Paingili’, the lovely parrot from the Kannada region, perhaps referring to her child-like articulation of Tamil dialogues.Saroja Devi revealed in an interview that Sivaji Ganesan would comment adversely on her Tamil accent, though the duo went on to deliver hits together. Songs such as ‘Thangathile Oru Kurai Irunthalum’ from ‘Bagappirivinai’ (1959) and ‘Aalayamaniyin osaiyai’ from ‘Paalum Pazhamum’ (1961) , picturised on Saroja Devi and Sivaji to excellent effect, however, represent the pinnacle of the best Tamil diction and the benchmark of the best of Tamil film song.Saroja Devi’s Chennai visits unleashed a series of providential incidents which finally found her playing the heroine in MGR’s ambitiously mounted make-or-break film ‘Nadodi Mannan’ (1958). MGR had initially cast Bhanumathi as the heroine, but creative differences led to her walking out mid-shoot. To salvage the film, MGR phased out her character and introduced Saroja Devi in the second half, a spectacular debut for a newcomer. The film became a milestone, establishing MGR as not just a star but also a successful producer-director. While Bhanumathi had questioned his directorial skills, Saroja Devi praised him. In later years, especially after MGR’s passing, she would describe him as ‘En anbu deivam’ (My loving god). The MGR-Saroja Devi pairing seemed to viewers an ideal one, though there was a 20-year age gap between the two. Eastman colour films such as ‘Padagotti’ (1964), ‘Enga Veettu Pillai’ (1965) and ‘Anbe Vaa’ (1966), despite all their formula frills, clicked in many ways.In the first half of the 1960s, when MGR and Saroja Devi were gallivanting to scores of hit songs, the latter was as busy with MGR’s film world rival, Sivaji Ganesan, with whom she paired in 15 films up to the early 1970s. Saroja Devi revealed that it was possible only because MGR adjusted his dates to enable her to make the most of all the other opportunities she got.With Sivaji, Saroja Devi matched the great thespian’s acting skills with her own. Films such as ‘Aalayamani’, which presents a love triangle darkly told, and ‘Pudhiya Paravai’, in which Saroja Devi is a detective who feigns love only to expose the hero’s murderous past, are memorable. When the hero Gopal asks her finally whether all the love she showed him was only playacting, she says ‘Aamaam Gopal’; but goes on to add that while her intention at first was to deceive him, she had fallen in love with him. This climactic dialogue was spoofed by comedians Vivek and Baskar in ‘Guru En Aalu’ in 2009. But their spoofing only adds to the original’s appeal! Saroja Devi’s life and career had been guided by her astute mother Rudramma, with friendly patrons such as MGR also steering her course. She married Sri Harsha in 1967, and he encouraged her to continue acting. Around this time, directors such as K Balachander (‘Thaamarai Nenjam’, 1968) and K S Gopalakrishnan (‘Panama Pasama’, 1968) cast her opposite Gemini Ganesan, with whom she had first worked in 1959. She shared an easy rapport with Gemini, both on and off screen, and he stood by her in moments of grief, rushing to console her when her husband died in 1986.As one of the few stars who played a major part in the MGR era and was still alive, she was invited to events that gave fans the opportunity to revisit the past. She was also part of the circuit of the actresses of yesteryear who met up to share memories. With her passing at the age of 87, many of those who hearken to the remembrances of things past are bound to think that another glowing star of a glamorous past has disappeared from ever.Life and timesThe 1950s marked a shift in Indian cinema, with industries moving beyond theatre to discover fresh faces. Among them was 17-year-old B Saroja Devi (born Jan 7, 1938, the third daughter of Bhairappa, a police officer, and Rudramma)Her first release was ‘Mahakavi Kalidasa’ (1955) opposite Kannada-Tamil star Honnappa BhagavatarWithin a few years of her debut, Saroja Devi starred opposite MGR and Sivaji Ganesan in Tamil; Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Shammi Kapoor in Hindi; and N T Rama Rao in Telugu, in addition to her Kannada filmsBetween 1957 and 1967, she starredin 26 films with MGR, 22 with Sivaji Ganesan and 17 with Gemini GanesanBy the late 1970s, she acted as the female lead in more than 150 films across four languagesAfter the passing of her husband in 1986, Saroja Devi reduced her film appearances. The death of her adopted daughter, Bhuvaneshwari, was another personal blow. Her cameo in Puneeth Rajkumar’s 2019 film ‘Natasaarvabhowma’ was her last screen appearanceHer awards: Padma Shri (1969), Padma Bhushan (1992) (The writer is a journalist and author)