Industry mourns

Just when everybody seemed to be coming out of actor Uday Kiran’s suicide a fortnight ago, the death of yesteryears stalwart Anjali Devi on Monday came as a rude shock to the whole industry. Here is what the industry had to say about the legendary actress who is best remembered for her character of Sita in the classic ‘Lava Kusa’:

Iknew her since I was a child. Whenever I ran into her, she spoke to me with utmost love. Besides being a great actor, she is also a great human being. I met her a month ago and the news has come as a shocker to me. I would be visiting her mortal remains today. May her soul rest in peace. – Sharada, actor

We were like family. I used to take her blessings regularly. I’m at pains to know that she is no more. She was an artiste of immense potential and was the one who everybody looked up to. I will really miss her.

- Jamuna, actor

The news is a shock to me as I spoke to her 10 days ago. She is a soft-spoken woman and used to shower great affection on every artiste of a film’s set. She used to give tips to everyone. I’ve acted as her daughter in two films and I treasure those films till now. She made it a point to spend time with me whenever she spotted me on sets. She used to address me as Geetha affectionately.

- Geethanjali, actor

Istarted off my acting career as her son. Whenever I was felicitated, be it at Chennai or at Hyderabad, she dropped by the event and had kind words about me. I share a great relationship with her family. I don’t see an actress of her caliber taking birth in the industry again. I felt I’ve lost my mother. - Chandramohan, actor

She is my favourite actress. She enthralled everyone by portraying mother characters effortlessly. She was the ideal mother that every kid would have desired for. Being a numero uno heroine, she has also donned a wide-variety of roles that no Telugu actress has ever donned so far. In terms of her skills in front of the camera, she is equal to Savithri.

- Ranganath, actor

She was a roaring success as a human being, an actress, a producer and every other reel and real life role she donned. Not many are as fortunate as her! She is a great artiste and no wonder why she passed away on a day that is considered to be auspicious for Telugu people. She had high regards for actors on sets. She used to address everyone affectionately. I had lunch with her family in Chennai several times.

- Chalapathy Rao, actor

I’ve recently met her at the 100 years of Indian cinema at Chennai. I value the three minute conversation that I had with her. I consider myself lucky to see her before she left the world. She will remain in the hearts of Telugu people forever. - Paruchuri Venkateshwara Rao, writer

It’s a sad day for the Telugu fraternity as they celebrate Sankranthi. She, along with Bhanumathi and Savithri, remain to be three pillars of Telugu film industry. – Jonnavithula, lyricist