Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (28 August 1928 – 15 October 2025) was an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telugu cinema.
Early life Balasaraswathi was born in 1928 to Parthasarathi Rao and Visalakshi Amma at Venkatagiri in Andhra Pradesh.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/remembering-ravu-balasaraswathi-the-first-playback-singer-of-telugu-cinema/articleshow/124691261.cms She learned music from Allathuru Subbayya and lent her voice for the first solo gramophone by His Master's Voice at the age of six. In 1944 she married Raja Rao Pradyumna Krishna Mahipati Surya Rau, from the Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau family. She was his second wife, and the couple had two sons, Gopalakrishna and Venkatakrishna. Balasaraswathi was the daughter of Vijaya Nirmala's paternal aunt.https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2025/Oct/16/first-playback-singer-of-telugu-cinema-raavi-balasaraswathi-devi-passes-away
Career Balasaraswathi Devi acted as child actor Ganga and also sang in the films Sati Anasuya and Bhakta Dhruva, both directed by C. Pullaiah in 1936. Observing her talent, director K. Subramaniam invited her to act in Tamil films. In the following years, she acted in Tamil films like Bhaktha Kuchela (1936), Balayogini (1937), and Thiruneelakantar (1939). She played the role of Tukaram's daughter in Tukaram (1938). The Tukaram role was portrayed by Musiri Subramania Iyer in the Tamil version and by C. S. R. Anjaneyulu in the Telugu version. In 1940, she acted with S. Rajeswara Rao in Illalu, directed by Gudavalli Ramabrahmam.
In Bhagya Lakshmi (1943) of Sri Renuka Films of V. Nagayya, she sang for Kamala Kotnis on screen, this being the first instance of playback singing in Telugu cinema. The song Thinne Meedha Sinnoda was composed by Bhimavarapu Narasimha Rao.
Music composers she sang for Balasaraswathi Devi worked with G. Ramanathan, K. V. Mahadevan, C. R. Subburaman, S. V. Venkatraman, Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, Bhimavarapu Narasimha Rao, R. Chinnaiah, S. Hanumantha Rao, S. Rajeswara Rao, P. Adinarayana Rao, G. Aswathama, Ogirala Ramachandra Rao, Balantrapu Rajanikanta Rao, Adepalli Rama Rao, C. N. Pandurangan, V. Nagayya, T. V. Raju, Ghantasala, Naushad, L. Malleswara Rao, S. Dakshinamurthi, Vedha, M. Ranga Rao, Master Venu, R. Sudarsanam, Pamarti Krishna Murty, G. Govindarajulu Naidu and M. B. Sreenivasan.
With playback singers Balasaraswathi Devi sang duets mostly with Ghantasala and A. M. Rajah. She also sang with T. M. Soundararajan, T. A. Mothi, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, S. Rajam, M. S. Ramarao, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao and Subramanyam.
She also sang duets with Jikki, A. P. Komala, M. S. Rajeswari, K. Rani, P. Susheela and P. S. Vaideghi.
Personal life and death Balasaraswathi Devi lived for some years in Mysore, and then shifted to Hyderabad. After her husband's death, she lived with her son in her grandson's house in Secunderabad. Balasaraswathi Devi died at her residence in Hyderabad, on 15 October 2025, at the age of 97.
Filmography
Playback singer