Anjali_Devi

Anjali Devi

Anjali Devi

Indian actress

This article is about the actress. For the Indian athlete, see Anjali Devi (athlete).

Anjali Devi (pronunciationⓘ; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in Lava Kusa as well as for the title roles in movies like Chenchu Lakshmi, Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early life

Anjali Devi was born in Peddapuram, East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, India,[citation needed] as Anjamma. She changed her name to Anjani Kumari when acting in dramas. Later, director C. Pullaiah changed her name to Anjali Devi.[1]

Career

As actress

She was a theatre artiste before venturing into movies, her debut film role was as Lohitasva in "Raja Harishchandra" in 1936. Her first film as a heroine was Kashtajeevi by L. V. Prasad in 1940, but that film was abandoned after three reels shooting. Later, C.Pullayya discovered her and gave her the opportunity to star as Mohini in Gollabhama (1947). Based on her acting ability and looks, she became a star overnight in 1947. She eventually acted in more than 350 films, majority of them in Telugu films and a few in Hindi, Tamil and Kannada films as the heroine or in character roles.[2]

She acted in Lava Kusa, a milestone film and the first color film in the Telugu film industry in 1963. She is well known for playing Sita in Lava Kusa and her performances in films like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali were also appreciated. Brundavanam (1992), Anna Vadina (1993) and Police Alludu (1994) were the last few films of her career. In Balaiah's Police Alludu and Anna Vadina she appeared alongside Brahmanandam. She acted in various roles, such as a damsel, an angel, a dancer, a demon, a goddess, a traditional woman and later in mother roles.[3]

As producer

In 1955 she produced the film Anarkali, in which she herself played the title role, with Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Prince Salim. Then she produced V. Madhusudan Rao's Bhakta Tukaram and Chandipriya. Bollywood and Tollywood actress Jayapradha played the lead role in the latter alongside Sobhan Babu and Chiranjeevi. As a producer she has produced 27 films. An ardent devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba she produced and acted in Shirdi Sai Parthi Sai Divyakatha, a tele-serial on the life and avatar of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.[4]

Personal life

She married P. Adinarayana Rao, a music director, in 1948.[2] They settled in Chennai. They have two sons. Together, they produced many Telugu films under the banner, Anjali Pictures. Their granddaughter, Saila Rao, is also an actress.[citation needed]

Death

Devi died at the age of 86 on 13 January 2014 at Vijaya Hospital, in Chennai, due to a cardiac arrest.[2] Her organs were donated to Ramachandra Medical College.[5]

Awards

Filmography

Actress

More information Year, Film ...

Producer

  • Paradesi
  • Suvarna Sundari
  • Swarnamanjari
  • Chandi Priya
  • Sati Sakkubai
  • Shirdi Sai Sathya Sai Divya Katha (television series)
  • Anarkali

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Sita of many hearts, Anjali Devi dies at 86". The Times of India. 14 January 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. [2]
    "Veteran actor Anjali Devi dead". The Hindu. 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  3. [3]
    "Biography Movie Review - Home". Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  4. [4]
    "Sri Sai Baba- Shirdi Sai Parthi Sai Divya Katha". Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. [5]
    "Anjali Devi passes away". Filmcircle.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  6. [6]
    "Multilingual actress Jayanti wins B. Saroja Devi National Award". Uni India. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Sri Rama Katha (1969)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  8. [8]
    "Nindu Kutumbam on Moviebuff.com". Moviebuff.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Srivaru Maavaru (1973)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  10. [10]
    "Peddalu Maarali (1974)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Uttama Illalu (1974)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. [12]
    "Mallela Manasulu 1975 Telugu Movie Cast Crew,Actors,Director, Mallela Manasulu Producer,Banner,Music Director,Singers & Lyricists". MovieGQ. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. [13]
    "Padi Pantalu (1976)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. [14]
    "Raaja (1976)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Venkateswara Vratha Mahatyam (వేంకటేశ్వర వ్రత మహత్యం) 1980 | ♫ tunes". Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  16. [16]
    "Lanke Bindelu (1983)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  17. [17]
    "Police Alludu (1994)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
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