File photo of Rao Balasaraswati. | Photo credit: The Hindu
Veteran actress and singer Rao Balasaraswati, considered to be the first female playback singer in Telugu cinema, passed away on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) at her residence in Hyderabad of age-related ailments. She was 97 years old.
Rao Balasaraswati made her debut at the age of six and has sung over 2000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi, working with legendary music directors like S. Rajeswara Rao, CR Subburaman, KV Mahadevan, Susarla Dakshinamurthi, Ramesh Naidu–Ramamo and Vissarla Má also the distinction of being the first “light music” singer on All India Radio.
Balasaraswati was also an actress in Telugu and Tamil films during the 1930s and 1940s, balancing her acting and singing careers before devoting herself fully to music.
Condolences poured in from across the Telugu speaking states. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said Rao Balasaraswati’s death was an “irreplaceable loss to the film industry” and praised her as the first playback singer in the South to introduce classical music to a Telugu film.
Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Pawan Kalyan remembered her as a first generation singer and actress whose voice was heard across generations and earned her a special place in classical and light music.
Published – 15 Oct 2025 21:09 IST
