R. Balasaraswathi Devi, a beloved Indian singer and actress, has passed away.
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Devi performed in Telugu and Tamil cinema from 1930 to the 1960s. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in Telugu cinema, where songs are pre-recorded for films, and actors lip-sync on screen.
The 97-year-old veteran performer died Wednesday at her Hyderabad residence, according to India TV News. A cause of death was not reported.
The passing of 𝐑𝐚𝐚𝐯𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐮 feels like the silence after a timeless song.
— Lion Dr. Y Kiron (@LionKiron) October 15, 2025
Her voice in “𝐎 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢”, “𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐡𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐚” still echoes with warmth and nostalgia melodies that carried emotions deeper than… pic.twitter.com/LBqHZ2SQbx
Balasaraswathi was born in Venkatagiri in 1928. She trained in music under Allathuru Subbayya and, at just six years old, recorded her first solo gramophone album with the Indian record label His Master’s Voice.
In 1936, Balasaraswathi worked as a child artist under the screen name ‘Ganga’ in two films, Sati Anasuya and Bhakta Dhruva. She was then discovered by filmmaker K. Subramaniam, who cast her in the Tamil films Bhaktha Kuchela (1936), Balayogini (1937), and Thiruneelakantar (1939).
R. Balasaraswathi Devi Lands Her Breakthrough Role
However, according to the New Indian Express, the 1943 film Bhagyalaxmi solidified her place in Indian cinema. Directed by Pullayya and produced by Chittoor Nagayya, Bhagyalaxmi was the first Telugu film to feature a playback singer. Balasaraswathi sang “Thinne Meedha Sinnoda,” pictured on Kamala Kotnis and composed by Bhimavarapu Narasimha Rao, becoming Telugu cinema’s first playback singer.
A year later, Balasaraswathi married Raavu Pradhyumna Krishnamahipathi Surya Rao. She remained an active playback singer for over 25 years, lending her voice to both Telugu and Tamil films.
Telugu cinema’s first playback singer Rao Balasaraswathi Devi passed away at 97 at her residence in Hyderabad.
— Filmfare (@filmfare) October 15, 2025
A veteran and pioneer in light music, Rao Balasaraswathi Devi was one of the finest playback singers of the yesteryear. 🙏🏻#News pic.twitter.com/tSIYpvlNwk
Besides her film career as an actor and singer, Balasaraswathi was recognized for her radio work, earning the title “The Light Singer.”
Balasaraswathi received several prestigious honors, including the YSR Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and recognition from the Seetha Ramaiah Sangeetha Seva Trust in 2014. She was also awarded the Ramineni Foundation Award.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan mourned the passing of Balasaraswathi Devi.
“The demise of Balasaraswathi Devi, the first playback singer from the South who introduced classical music to the Telugu film industry, is an irreparable loss to the film industry,” the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office wrote on X, per India TV News.
The late singer is survived by her two sons, Gopalakrishna and Venkatakrishna, and her grandsons.