Biography

Devika or Prameela Devi (25 April 1943 – 2 May 2002) was a Tamil and Telugu actress. Devika is the granddaughter of Telugu cinema doyen Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu. One of her uncles was a Mayor of Chennai. Kanaka is her daughter. In Tamil, she has acted with all major heroes of the day. In Mudhalali, an AVM film, in which she made her debut, she paired with S. S. Rajendran. The film received a certificate as the (Best regional language film) for the year from the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. She paired with M. G. Ramachandran in Anandha Jodhi. She won accolades from viewers for the role she played in this film. With Sivaji Ganeshan she has acted in films like Karnan, Kulamagal Radhai and Bale Pandiya, pairing with him in the last mentioned film. Her role in Sumaithaangi was very moving. Though she is paired with Gemini Ganesan in this film, the relationship did not culminate in marriage and the end was a tragedy. This was a film by Sridhar. She acted in some other Sridhar films like Nenjam Marappathillai and Nenjil Or Aalayam. The song Sonnadhu Nee thaanaa in Nenjil or Aalayam became a hit because of her acting, apart from the lyrics and music.