# Devika
**Devika** (25 April 1943 – 2 May 2002), born **Prameela Devi**, was an Indian actress who worked mainly in Tamil and [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema), appearing in about 150 films in those two languages along with a few Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) A popular lead actress of the 1960s, she was known for her grace and beauty and appeared opposite the leading heroes of her era, including [Sivaji Ganesan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivaji-ganesan), M. G. Ramachandran, and [Gemini Ganesan](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemini-ganesan).[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) She was the granddaughter of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of Telugu cinema.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and dates | Prameela Devi, 1943 – 2002, Chennai; aged 59[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) |
| Output | About 150 films in Tamil and Telugu, plus a few Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) |
| Tamil debut | Mudhalali (1957), an AVM film opposite S. S. Rajendran, directed by Muktha V. Srinivasan; a box office hit that received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) |
| Best-known films | Nenjil Or Aalayam (1962), Mahamantri Timmarasu (1962), Sri Krishnavataram (1967), Saraswati Lakshmi Parvati (1975)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) |
| Family | Granddaughter of Telugu cinema pioneer Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu; married Devadoss, divorced 1990; daughter Kanaka, also an actress[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) |
| Death | Died in a private hospital in Chennai after being admitted with chest pain; survived by her husband and daughter[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/actress-devika-dead/articleshow/11692569.cms) |
## Early life and family
Devika was born Prameela Devi in 1943.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) Her family had deep roots in early South Indian cinema: her grandfather Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu is regarded as a doyen and pioneer of Telugu cinema, and one of her uncles served as mayor of Chennai (then Madras).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222160/bio) She adopted the screen name Devika, which she said proved lucky.[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/movie-actress/prameela-devi)
## Debut and rise
She made her debut in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) with *Mudhalali* (1957), an AVM production directed by Muktha V. Srinivasan in which she was paired with [S. S. Rajendran](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-s-rajendran).[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) The film, based on Ramanujam's stage play of the same name, became a box office hit and established the careers of [Rajendran](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajendran), Devika, and Srinivasan together; it also received a certificate as the best regional language film of the year under the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
**The 1960s peak.** Devika became a popular lead actress in the 1960s, and a Tamil-language retrospective of her career describes 1961 to 1965 as her golden period.[5](https://tamil.behindtalkies.com/actress-devika-death-anniversary/) Her screen image was the quintessential Indian woman, caring, modest, and sacrificing, and her looks made her a natural choice for historical and mythological films while she also left her mark in family dramas.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) She appeared in mythological films such as *Thiruvilaiyadal* (1965) and *Karnan* (1964).[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/movie-actress/prameela-devi)
## Notable films and collaborations
Devika is known for films such as *Nenjil Or Aalayam* (1962), *Mahamantri Timmarasu* (1962), *Sri Krishnavataram* (1967), and *Saraswati Lakshmi Parvati* (1975).[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) In C. V. Sridhar's *Nenjil Or Aalayam*, a romantic drama that won the [National Film Award for Best Feature Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-award-for-best-feature-film) in Tamil and the President's Award for Sridhar at the 10th [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards), her song *Sonnathu needhana*, written by [Kannadasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannadasan), became widely famous partly on account of the visual poignancy she brought to it onscreen.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
**Partnerships with the leading men.** With Sivaji Ganesan she acted in films including *Karnan*, *Kulamagal Radhai* (1963), and *Bale Pandiya* (1962), pairing with him in the last of these.[6](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/584603-devika) She was paired with Gemini Ganesan in *Sumaithangi* (1962), a [C. V. Sridhar](https://www.edgepedia.org/c-v-sridhar) film in which she played a teacher in a story of sacrifice that ends in tragedy.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) Her single film with [M. G. Ramachandran](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-g-ramachandran) was *Anandha Jothi* (1963), produced by actor P. S. Veerappa, for which she won praise from viewers.[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/movie-actress/prameela-devi) • [6](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/584603-devika) In Telugu cinema she played Rukmini in *Sri Krishnavataram* (1967) opposite [N. T. Rama Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/n-t-rama-rao).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222160/)
She also worked in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), appearing in *Ghar Sansar* (1958) with [Balraj Sahni](https://www.edgepedia.org/balraj-sahni), Nargis, and [Rajendra Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajendra-kumar); *Gharana* (1961), a box office hit with Raaj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, and Asha Parekh; and *Man-Mauji* (1962), part of the Krishnan–Panju directorial team's film with Kishore Kumar and Sadhana.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
## Later career
Her screen work ran into the 1980s. Among her later releases were *Adavallu Aligithe* (1983), *Aanandha Kummi* (1983), *Sri Madvirat Veera Brahmendra Swamy Charitra* (1984), and *Naanum Oru Thozhilaali* (1986).[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) A Tamil-language filmography database lists her active period as 1954 to 1986.[8](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE)
## Personal life and death
Devika married Devadoss in 1968 or 1972, and the couple divorced in 1990.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) • [4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/movie-actress/prameela-devi) • [8](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE) Her daughter Kanaka, born in 1973, became a film actress who worked in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu films.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika) • [8](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE)
She was hospitalized in Chennai on a Friday after complaining of chest pain and died in a private hospital early on the morning of 2 May 2002, at the age of 59; she was survived by her husband and daughter.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/actress-devika-dead/articleshow/11692569.cms) IMDb gives her death date as 25 April 2002, which conflicts with the 2 May 2002 date reported in the contemporaneous press obituary and most film references.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222160/) • [2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/actress-devika-dead/articleshow/11692569.cms)
## Assessment
Contemporaries remembered her for restraint as much as glamour. The poet and lyricist Kannadasan, who wrote for many of her films, said of her that she was a cinema actress yet possessed a character finer than that of many family women, and asked who else would remember Prameela as he did.[9](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema-poet-kannadasan-praise-to-about-actress-devika-tamil-1510133) Cinemaazi's profile places her among the leading heroines of a crowded era, noting that she made her mark at a time when Savithri, Padmini, and Vijaya competed for the top slot.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
The name Devika is shared by other performers, including a later Malayalam actress known for *Bali Umar* (2000) and *Sisiram* (2002), and the contemporary Tamil actress Devika Satheesh; this article concerns the 1943–2002 Tamil and Telugu actress.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13621274/)
## References
1. [Devika – Artists, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/devika)
2. [Actress Devika dead, The Times of India (PTI), 2 May 2002](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/actress-devika-dead/articleshow/11692569.cms)
3. [Devika – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222160/bio)
4. [Prameela Devi Biography, NETTV4U](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/movie-actress/prameela-devi)
5. [Actress Devika Death Anniversary, Tamil Behind Talkies](https://tamil.behindtalkies.com/actress-devika-death-anniversary/)
6. [Devika, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/584603-devika)
7. [Devika (1943–2002), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222160/)
8. [தேவிகா, Tamil Wiki](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE)
9. [Kannadasan's praise for actress Devika, Tamil Indian Express](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema-poet-kannadasan-praise-to-about-actress-devika-tamil-1510133)
10. [Devika (later Malayalam actress), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13621274/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Tamil film actors › Surnames symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license