ANJALI
DEVI – Film Actress
Anjali
Devi - (24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was born in Peddapuram, East Godavari district
in Andhra Pradesh, India, as
Anjani Kumar. She changed her name to Anjani Kumari when acting in dramas.
Later, director C. Pullaiah changed her name to Anjali Devi.
She was a theater artiste before
venturing into movies. Her debut film role was as Lohitasya in Raja Harishchandra in 1936. Her
first movie as a heroine was Kashtajeevi by L. V. Prasad in
1940, but that movie was abandoned after three reels shooting. Later,
C.Pullayya discovered her and give her the opportunity to star as Mohini in
Gollabhama. Based on her acting ability and looks, she became a star overnight
in 1947. She eventually acted in more than 350 Telugu films and a
few Tamil and Kannada films
as the heroine.
In 1936 she appeared in a minor
role in Raja Harishchandra and
then played the lead role in L. V. Prasad's Kashtajeevi. She acted in Lava Kusha,
a milestone film and the first color film in the Telugu film industry in 1963.
She is well known for playing Sita in Lava Kusha and her performances in films like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali were also appreciated.
She has acted in nearly 500 films, which includes Telugu, Tamil and Kannada
language films. 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, angel, dancer, demon, goddess, traditional
woman and later in mother roles.
In
1955 she produced the film Anarkali, in which she herself
played the titular role of Anarkali, 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 her film Chandipriya alongside Shobhan Babu and Chiranjeevi. As a producer she
has produced 27 films. She was an ardent devotee of Sathyasai Baba. She
produced a tele-serial on Sathyasai.
She
married P. Adinarayana Rao, a music director, in 1940. 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.
She
died at the age of 86 on 13 January 2014 at Vijaya Hospital, in Chennai, having
donated her organs to Ramachandra Medical College.
Her movies include:
Year
|
Film
|
Language
|
Character
|
Co-Star
|
Remarks
|
1947
|
Gollabhama
|
Telugu
|
Krishnaveni, Sriranjani
|
||
1948
|
Balaraju
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, S.
Varalakshmi
|
||
Aadhithan
Kanavu
|
Tamil
|
T. R. Mahalingam
|
|||
1949
|
Keelu
Gurram
|
Telugu
|
Mohini
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
Maya
Kudhirai
|
Tamil
|
Mohini
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
||
Mayavathi
|
Tamil
|
T. R. Mahalingam
|
|||
Mangaiyarkarasi
|
Tamil
|
P. U.
Chinnappa, P. Kannamba
|
|||
1950
|
Palleturi
Pilla
|
Telugu
|
Santha
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, A. Nageswara Rao
|
|
Swapna Sundari
|
Telugu
|
Swapna Sundari
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, G.
Varalakshmi, S.
Varalakshmi
|
||
Swapna Sundari
|
Tamil
|
Swapna Sundari
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, G.
Varalakshmi, S.
Varalakshmi
|
||
1951
|
Nirdoshi
|
Telugu
|
Nirmala
|
Mukkamala Krishna Murthy, G.
Varalakshmi
|
|
Niraparadhi
|
Tamil
|
Mukkamala Krishna Murthy, G.
Varalakshmi
|
|||
Sarvadhigari
|
Tamil
|
M. G. Ramachandran
|
|||
Sarvadhikari
|
Telugu
|
M. G. Ramachandran
|
|||
Marmayogi
|
Tamil
|
M. G. Ramachandran, Madhuri Devi
|
|||
Marmayogi
|
Telugu
|
M. G. Ramachandran, Madhuri Devi
|
|||
Mayakkari
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
Mayalamaari
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
Strisahasam
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
Strisahasam
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
1952
|
Ezhai
Uzhavan
|
Tamil
|
|||
1953
|
Pakkinti
Ammayi
|
Telugu
|
Leela Devi
|
Relangi Venkataramaiah, A. M. Rajah
|
|
Inspector
|
Tamil
|
Veenai S.
Balachander
|
|||
Poongodhai
|
Tamil
|
A. Nageswara
Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Pandari Bai
|
|||
Paradesi
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, Sivaji
Ganesan, Pandari Bai
|
|||
1954
|
Rechukka
|
Telugu
|
Nana
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Devika
|
|
Naattiya
Thara
|
Tamil
|
Nana
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Devika
|
||
Penn
|
Tamil
|
Kamini
|
Gemini
Ganesan, Veenai S. Balachander, Vyjayanthimala
|
||
Sangham
|
Telugu
|
Kamini
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Veenai S. Balachander, Vyjayanthimala
|
||
Sorga
Vasal
|
Tamil
|
Thilagawathi
|
S. S.
Rajendran, K. R.
Ramaswamy, Padmini
|
||
Ponvayal
|
Tamil
|
Semba
|
T. R. Ramachandran
|
||
Rattha
Pasam
|
Tamil
|
T. K. Shanmugam, T. K.
Baghavathy
|
|||
1955
|
Anarkali
|
Telugu
|
Anarkali
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
Anarkali
|
Tamil
|
Anarkali
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
||
Kanavane
Kan Kanda Dheivam
|
Tamil
|
Gemini
Ganesan, Lalitha
|
|||
Kalam
Maripochu
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
Jayasimha
|
Telugu
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Waheeda Rehman
|
|||
Jayasimman
|
Tamil
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Waheeda Rehman
|
|||
Doctor
Savithri
|
Tamil
|
B. R.
Panthulu, Veenai S.
Balachander
|
|||
Mudhal
Thedhi
|
Tamil
|
Sivaji
Ganesan
|
|||
Town
Bus
|
Tamil
|
M. N. Kannappa, M. N. Rajam,
Thambaram Lalitha
|
|||
1956
|
Devta
|
Hindi
|
Gemini
Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala
|
||
Mathar
Kula Manickam
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, Gemini
Ganesan, K. Savithri
|
|||
1957
|
Allauddin Adhbhuta Deepam
|
Telugu
|
Yasmin, the Princess
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
1957
|
Alavudheenum Arputha Villakkum
|
Tamil
|
Yasmin, the Princess
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
Panduranga Mahatyam
|
Telugu
|
Rama
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Sowcar Janaki, B. Saroja
Devi
|
||
Suvarna
Sundari
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, Rajasulochana, Girija
|
|||
Manalane
Mangayin Baghyam
|
Tamil
|
Gemini
Ganesan, Rajasulochana, Girija
|
|||
Chakravarthi Thirumagal
|
Tamil
|
M. G. Ramachandran, S.
Varalakshmi
|
|||
Neelamalai
Thirudan
|
Tamil
|
Ranjan
|
|||
1958
|
Chenchu
Lakshmi
|
Telugu
|
Goddess Lakshmi
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
Chenchu
Lakshmi
|
Tamil
|
Goddess Lakshmi
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
||
Illarame
Nallaram
|
Tamil
|
Gemini
Ganesan, B. Saroja Devi
|
|||
Kanniyin
Sabadham
|
Tamil
|
K. R.
Ramaswamy, Rajasulochana
|
|||
1959
|
Jayabheri
|
Telugu
|
Manjulavani
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|
Kalaivanan
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
Naan
Sollum Ragasiyam
|
Tamil
|
Sivaji
Ganesan
|
|||
1960
|
Bhatti Vikramarka
|
Telugu
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Kanta Rao
|
||
Mannadhi
Mannan
|
Tamil
|
M. G. Ramachandran, Padmini
|
|||
Aada
Vandha Dheivam
|
Tamil
|
T. R. Mahalingam, E. V.
Saroja
|
|||
Adutha Veettu Penn
|
Tamil
|
T. R. Ramachandran
|
|||
Engal
Selvi
|
Tamil
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
|||
1961
|
Naganandhini
|
Tamil
|
K. Balaji
|
||
Pangaaligal
|
Tamil
|
M. R. Radha
|
|||
1962
|
Bhishma
|
Telugu
|
Amba
|
N. T. Rama
Rao
|
|
Mangaiyar
Ullam Mangatha Selvam
|
Tamil
|
Gemini
Ganesan
|
|||
1963
|
Lava Kusha
|
Telugu
|
Sita
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Kanta Rao
|
|
1963
|
Lava Kusha
|
Tamil
|
Sita
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, Gemini Ganesan
|
|
1965
|
Sati
Sakkubai
|
Telugu
|
|||
1966
|
Chilaka
Gorinka
|
Telugu
|
Krishnam
Raju, Krishna Kumari
|
||
Palnati Yudham
|
Telugu
|
N. T. Rama
Rao, P. Bhanumathi, Jamuna
|
|||
Rangula
Ratnam
|
Telugu
|
Ram Mohan, Chandra
Mohan
|
|||
1967
|
Bhakta Prahlada
|
Telugu
|
Leelavati
|
S. V. Ranga
Rao
|
|
Rahasyam
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, B. Saroja
Devi, G. Varalakshmi
|
|||
1971
|
Kalyana
Mandapam
|
Telugu
|
Shobhan
Babu, Kanchana
|
||
1972
|
Badi
Panthulu
|
Telugu
|
N. T. Rama
Rao
|
||
Bala
Bharatam
|
Telugu
|
||||
Tata
Manavadu
|
Telugu
|
S. V. Ranga
Rao
|
|||
1973
|
Bhakta
Tukaram
|
Telugu
|
Avali Bai
|
A.
Nageswara Rao, Kanchana
|
|
Jeevana Tarangalu
|
Telugu
|
Sobhan Babu, Krishnam
Raju, Vanisree, Lakshmi
|
|||
1974
|
Urimai Kural
|
Tamil
|
M. G. Ramachandran, Latha,
T. K. Bhagavathi
|
||
1975
|
Soggadu
|
Telugu
|
Sobhan Babu, Jayasudha, Jayachitra
|
||
1976
|
Mahakavi Kshetrayya
|
Telugu
|
A.
Nageswara Rao
|
||
1977
|
Shri Ram
Vanvas
|
Hindi
|
|||
1979
|
Annai Oru
Alayam
|
Tamil
|
Rajinikanth, Sripriya
|
||
1980
|
Ram Robert
Rahim
|
Telugu
|
Krishna, Rajnikanth, Chandra Mohan, Sridevi
|
||
Chandipriya
|
Telugu
|
Chiranjeevi
|
|||
Bhale Krishnudu
|
Telugu
|
Mohan Babu, Krishna, Jaya Prada
|
|||
1986
|
Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mahathyam
|
Telugu
|
Vijayachander, J. V.
Somayajulu, Kanta Rao
|
||
1986
|
Sri Shirdi Saibaba
|
Tamil
|
Vijayachander, J. V.
Somayajulu, Kanta Rao
|
||
1987
|
Srutilayalu
|
Telugu
|
Kaikala Satyanarayana, Rajasekhar, Sumalata
|
||
1987
|
Kadhal
Parisu
|
Tamil
|
Kamal
Haasan, Ambika, Radha
|
||
1993
|
Brundavanam
|
Telugu
|
Rajendra Prasad, Ramya
Krishna, Kaikala Satyanarayana, Gummadi
|
Her roles in Tamil movies also
include:
·
Annai Oru Alayam
·
Adutha Veetu Penn
·
Manalanae Mangayin Baghyam(with Gemini Ganesan)
·
Sarvadhikari (with MGR)
·
Kanavane Kankanda Theivam (with Gemini Ganesan)
·
Penn (with Vyjayanthimala)
·
Mangayarkarasi (with P. U. Chinnappa)
·
Marmayogi (with MGR as hero)
·
Eezai Uzavan
·
Adiththan Kanavu (producer: T. R. Sundaram)
·
Sorgavasal (as K.R. Ramasamy's sister
"Thilagavathy")
·
Chakravarthi Thirumagal (with M.G.R)
She has produced:
·
Paradesi
·
Suvarna
Sundari
·
Swarnamanjari
·
Chandi Priya
·
Sati Sakkubai
·
Shirdi Sai Sathya Sai Divya Katha (television series)
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