Of Poise And Restraint: Remembering B Saroja Devi

Such was the power and presence of B. Saroja Devi in my family that two of my aunts were named after her. Unlike the other heroines of her generation, —such as Padmini or Vyjayanthimala—who were chosen for their dancing skills, Saroja Devi was the equivalent of Madhubala in the south. She was revered for her poise, her graceful gestures and her mischievous energy. As my mother observed, her childish prattle—her trademark style of dialogue-rendering—was still alive in her interviews, even a few months before she died. She was fondly called Kannadathu Paingili (Kannada’s parrot) in Tamil.

While I remember watching some of her films on the Saturday evening regional slot on Doordarshan, and the beauty and warmth she brought on screen, she left a much deeper impact on my mother and aunts. “Losing Saroja Devi is like losing someone from our family,” my aunt Amrutham remarked, while reminiscing about her.

Whether it was the innocent charm of Kalyana Parisu or the chutzpah of Anbe Vaa or the mythological splendour of Seetha Rama Kalyanam, she owned every role—effortlessly moving between genres (period films, mythology, social dramas, romance and comedy) and languages (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi), always lighting up the screen with her radiance.

Her career spanned almost seven decades: she debuted at 17 with Mahakavi Kalidasa (Kannada, 1955) and her last film, Natasaarvabhowma (Kannada), was released in 2019.

A leading lady for over two decades, rare in her time, she shared screen space with giants like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Rajkumar, NTR from the south as well as Dilip Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar and yet held her own—luminous, graceful, full of poise.

Here’s looking at some of her iconic films through the decades:

Directed by BR Panthulu, this was the first Kannada film to complete a silver jubilee. The multi-starrer (featuring Panthulu, Dikki Madhava Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki and others) established Saroja Devi as the first female Kannada superstar.

This film marked Saroja Devi’s debut in Tamil cinema. Starring MGR in the lead, it was a hit at the box-office and established Devi as a Tamil star.

Kalyana Parisu (Tamil, 1959)

This was her breakout role—a tragic love triangle that cemented her as a major star. The film was remade as Nazrana (1961) in Hindi.

Directed by S.S Vasan, this film was her foray into Hindi cinema. She played a supporting role, while Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala played the leads. The film was remade in Tamil as Irumbu Thirai (1960) by the same director, which also featured Devi.

A romantic drama with Krishnakumari and Akkineni Nageswara Rao, this hit was a remake of the Tamil Kalyana Parisu.

In this melodrama opposite Sivaji Ganesan, Devi plays a nurse who falls in love with a doctor. The movie showcased her emotional depth, playing a self-sacrificing woman with grace and restraint.

A Hindi superhit with Rajendra Kumar, this role brought her pan-Indian recognition and showed that she could hold her ground in Hindi cinema too.

This blockbuster rural drama with MGR had Devi playing an arrogant and wealthy girl who marries a villager.

Another blockbuster comedy with NTR, this was inspired by the American film Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936).

A light-hearted, stylish romantic comedy with MGR, in which Devi played a strong, independent woman in the film, this was a role that received critical acclaim.

A remake of the 1974 Tamil movie Dheerga Sumangali, this family entertainer had B Saroja Devi and Rajkumar in lead roles.