Veteran actress and singer R Balasaraswathi Devi, celebrated as the first playback singer in Telugu cinema, passed away at her residence in Hyderabad at the age of 97.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy condoled her death, calling it “an irreplaceable loss to the film fraternity.”
Born in Venkatagiri in 1928, Balasaraswathi’s musical journey began early under the tutelage of Allathuru Subbayya. At just six, she recorded her first solo gramophone disc with His Master’s Voice (HMV), becoming the first Indian woman to do so. The same year, she lent her voice to the song “Namaste Prananadha” for the film Sati Anasuya (1936), marking her debut as a playback singer, according to reports.
As a child artiste, she acted in several films, including Sati Anasuya and Bhakta Dhruva (1936), both directed by C Pullaiah, and continued to impress audiences with her singing talent. Director K Subramaniam later cast her in Tamil films such as Bhaktha Kuchela (1936), Balayogini (1937), Thiruneelakantar (1939), and Tukaram (1938), where she played Tukaram’s daughter.
Her landmark contribution to Telugu cinema came in 1943 with Bhagya Lakshmi, where she lent her voice to actress Kamala Kotnis for the song “Thinne Meedha Sinnoda.” This was the first instance of playback singing in Telugu films—ushering in a new era where singers performed songs for actors on screen.
Beyond cinema, Balasaraswathi also broke new ground as All India Radio’s first ‘light music’ singer, bringing her melodious voice to listeners across the country.
In recognition of her contributions, the Seetha Ramaiah Sangeetha Seva Trust felicitated her in 2014, where she once again sang her own timeless number “Ee Challani Rayi” after a gap of 45 years.