Veteran South Indian actor B Saroja Devi passes away at the age of 87

Saroja Devi passes away

Veteran South Indian actor B Saroja Devi left the South Indian cinema, mourning after she died on Monday. Often known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema, she was 87 years old at the time of her death and reportedly succumbed to age-related ailments on Monday morning.

Saroja Devi's death

The actress reportedly passed away at the age of 87 at her residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru. Sources suggest that she has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru for some time now. Following the illness, she passed away at her Malleswaram residence at 9 am after reportedly battling age-related illnesses. She had been in and out of the hospital for quite some time before her demise.

Condolences pour in

Superstar Rajinikanth was among the first ones to mourn the death of the iconic actor. Taking to X, he wrote, "The great actress Saroja Devi, who won the hearts of millions of fans, is no longer with us. May her soul rest in peace (sic)."

Additionally, actress Simran Bagga, who had worked with Saroja Devi earlier, wrote, "The iconic Saroja Devi amma is no more, but her legacy in Indian cinema will remain eternal. I was blessed to share the screen with her in Once More, a moment of pride that feels even more precious today. My deepest respects and prayers. May her soul rest in peace. Om Shanti (sic)."

Similarly, actor Khushbu Sundar called Saroja Devi's death the end of an era, saying, "An era gold golden cinema comes to an end. #SarojaDevi amma was the greatest of all times. No other female actor in the 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 (sic)."

Who was Saroja Devi?

Saroja Devi debuted in the Kannada film industry at the age of 17, with the Kannada classic Mahakavi Kalidasa in 1955. She even went on to win the National Award for her debut film. Later, she featured in more than 200 films in languages like Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

During her course of her career, she earned the titles of 'Abhinaya Saraswathi' and 'Kannadathu Paingili'. In 1969, Saroja was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India, followed by Padma Bhushan in 1992. She was also the recipient of the Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu government and an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University.