Veteran Kannada Actress Saroja Devi Passes Away At 87

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Veteran Kannada actress B Saroja Devi passed away in Bengaluru on Monday, July 14. She was 87 years old.

According to news agency PTI, the veteran actress died due to age-related ailments at her residence in Malleswaram. Her final rites are expected to be performed in Bengaluru.

Ever since the news of her demise surfaced, tributes have poured in from across the country to honour her unparalleled contributions to Indian cinema.

About B Saroja Devi

Born on 7 January 1938, Saroja acted in over 160 films during her remarkable six-decade career. She has worked in cinema in five different languages: Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Sinhalese, and Kannada.

Fondly called 'Kannadathu Paingili' (Kannada's parrot) in Tamil, the actress got her first break at 17 in the Kannada film Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955). She is also known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema.

The actor went on to win a National Award for her performance in her debut film.

Her Tamil film, 'Nadodi Mannan (1958),' with another legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M G Ramachandran, made her one of the top actresses of Tamil cinema.

Although she married in 1967, Saroja Devi continued to be in demand, especially in the Tamil film industry. She was also called 'Abhinaya Saraswathi,' or the goddess of acting.

Saroja Devi won several accolades during her career

For her remarkable contribution to the arts, B Saroja Devi received numerous accolades. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992 - two of India's highest civilian awards.

Additionally, she was conferred an honorary doctorate by Bangalore University and received the prestigious Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu government.

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