Actor Sathyaraj, who was among the several celebrities who mourned the demise of veteran star Saroja Devi, called himself one of her "millions of fans". In a video message, he shared his condolences and quoted lines from songs 'Naan Paartthathille' and 'Maanallavo Kangal' and stated that those were written exclusively for her.

"Those who were fans of 'Makkal Thilagam' (MG Ramachandran) and 'Kaadhal Mannan' (Gemini Ganesan) were also fans of Saroja Devi. Beyond Tamil, she ruled Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi languages, serving truly as an uncrowned queen. I am one among her millions of fans," he said

"Even today, I watch black-and-white films/songs at least once, especially songs of 'Makkal Thilagam' and Saroja Devi, and 'Nadigar Thilagam' (Sivaji Ganesan) and Saroja Devi. She had a great photogenic presence in films. She is a wonderful actor who had given several hit films in her career. I express my deep condolences to the entire Indian film Industry who is grieving her loss," he added.

Born on January 7, 1938, in Bengaluru, Saroja Devi was encouraged by her parents, especially by her father, a police officer, to learn dance, which led her to the silver screen. She debuted in 1955 with Mahakavi Kalidasa.

With a career that spanned over seven decades and more than 200 films, Saroja Devi ruled hearts across languages — Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. She was honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan for her immense contribution to Indian cinema. She breathed her last on Monday at the age of 87 due to age-related issues.