Bengaluru, July 15 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that veteran Indian actress B. Saroja Devi will be accorded state honours during her final rites as a mark of respect from the government.

Speaking to reporters after paying his last respects to the actress in Bengaluru on Tuesday, CM Siddaramaiah said that he has directed officials to make the necessary arrangements.

Recalling his meetings with her, CM Siddaramaiah said he had met Saroja Devi many times and that she always spoke to everyone with warmth and affection. “She had a towering personality. I have watched many of her films. She acted in acclaimed movies with Kannada cinema legend Dr. Rajkumar, including ‘Mallammana Pavada’, ‘Kittur Rani Channamma’, ‘Bhagyavantaru’, ‘Babruvaahana’, and ‘Nyayave Devaru’,” he said.

The demise of Saroja Devi has shocked the entire film industry. She entered the film world at a young age and was active for nearly seven decades. She was known as “Abhinava Saraswati” early in her career, he added.

“She was a great actress who earned acclaim not only in Kannada cinema but also in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films. She acted alongside legendary actors such as Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, MGR, NTR, Nageswara Rao, and Sivaji Ganesan,” Siddaramaiah said.

“She breathed life into every character she portrayed and led a disciplined personal life. Her contribution to the Kannada film industry is immense. The industry has suffered a great loss with her passing. May her soul rest in peace, and I pray that God gives her family the strength to bear this loss,” he added.

The final rites of Saroja Devi will be held at her native village, Dashavara, near Channapatna town, close to Bengaluru. Her mortal remains will be carried in an open vehicle, allowing people to pay their last respects in Ramanagara and Channapatna towns, her son Gowtham said.

She will be laid to rest as per the traditions of the Vokkaliga community, he added.

Veteran South Indian actress B. Saroja Devi, a Padma awardee, who acted in more than 200 films in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu movies, passed away at her residence in Bengaluru on Monday.

The 87-year-old actress was known as “Abhinaya Saraswati”. Saroja Devi received the Padma Shri in 1967 and Padma Bhushan in 1992.

–IANS

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