Anjali Devi

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

Early life

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

Career

As actress

She was a theatre 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 gave 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.