She too made a few movies like ‘Mahadevi, ‘Parisu’ and ‘Vettaikkaran’ with MGR. Savithri proved to be good actress and clear dialogue delivery was her strong point but, she turned very bulky later and that turned out to be a great negative point. With Gemini who turned out to be her real life partner also made a charming pair with films like ‘Kalathur Kannamma’, ‘Parthal Pasi Theerum’, ‘Pasa Malar’, ‘Pennin Perumai’ and ‘Maya Bazaar’ among many others. ‘Pasa Malar’, ‘Anniyin Aanai’, ‘Navarathri’, ‘Thiruvilayadal’ were some successful movies with Shivaji. Later, she moved on to give hit movies with loads and loads of melodrama with Shivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. Savithri’s (1936-1981) entry with ‘Devadas’ was remarkable in the role of Paru. Saroja Devi spoke faulty Tamizh almost throughout her career anyway, it turned out to be her ‘beguiling’ point. Gemini also had successful movies with Saroja Devi like ‘Kalyana Parisu, ‘Panithirani’, ‘Kairasi’, ‘Panama Pasama’ etc. Saroja Devi clicked with Shivaji in ‘Palum Pazhamum’, ‘Parthaal Pasi Theerum’, ‘Bhaga Pirivinai’ and ‘Aalayamani’.
It was MGR who casted her as his heroine in many of his very successful movies like ‘Thirudathe’, the entire ‘Thai’ series of Devar Films, ‘Panathottam’, ‘Periya Idathu Penn’,’Anbe Vaa’, ‘Enga Veettu Pillai’ to name a few. Entered as a sacrificing heroine in Sridhar’s ‘Kalayana Parisu’ opposite Gemini Ganesan, she acted with ‘Nadodi Mannan’ with MGR. Saroja Devi was somewhat a lucky mascot for the trio in a way though she acted mostly with MGR, she was seen with Shivaji and Gemini also. Padmini was an intense actor which many times bordered on overacting that matched well with that of Shivaji Ganesan. With Gemini, Padmini made a mark with ‘Vanjikottai Valiban’, ‘Meenda Sorgam’ and ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’. Padmini’s roles with MGR and Gemini Ganesan were less nevertheless, MGR’s ‘Mannathi Mannan’, ‘Arasilankumari’, ‘Madurai Veeran,’ ‘Raja Desingh,’ and ‘Vikramathiththan’ were notable. Most of her films with Shivaji Ganesan like ‘Deiva Piravi’, ‘Thanga Pathumai’, ‘Thookku Thooki’, ‘Kalyanam Panniyum Brahmachari’, ‘Ethirparathathu’, ‘Uthama Puthiran’, ‘Amara Deepam’, ‘Pudayal’, ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ ‘Vietnam Veedu’, and ‘Iru Malargal’ were popular. Among her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, it was Padmini who could get all roles opposite to the popular trio of Shivaji, MGR and Gemini. Padmini (1932 -2006) a svelte girl with a beautiful face and trained in bharatnatyam turned out to be a hit with Tamizh audience with her entry in ‘Manamagal’. But, one cannot but accept that Bhanumathi carried a masculine demeanor. On her own mite, she was popular in movies like ‘Apoorva Sahodarargal,’ ‘Annai,’ and ‘Pathu Matha Bandam’. Her roles in ‘Malaikkallan’, ‘Madurai Veeran’, ‘Nadodi Mannan’ ‘Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum’ with MGR and ‘Kalvanin Kathali’, ‘Ambikapathi’, ‘Arivali’ and ‘Rangoon Radha’ with Shivaji Ganesan were notable.
She was also a singer and sang her songs in many of her movies. Bhanumathi had a way of acting with an air of confidence and her dialogue delivery was something remarkable. But, soon she was able to bag several offers opposite to MG Ramachandran who had been climbing the ladder of success as an action hero. She seemed to have made her entry into Tamizh movies in the year 1949 as female lead opposite to PU Chinnappa. It was P Bhanumathi (1924- 2005) who more or less a heroine who was very confident, demanding and multifaceted. My vision is only during those two decades the actresses who had an independent identity and charm in their own characteristic way of acting. Again, there were several heroines emerged during the 1950s or little earlier to late 1970s. The main stream Tamizh cinema was thriving on the glory of three popular actors of those periods on whom I have already written Shivaji Ganesan, MG Ramachandran and Gemini Ganesan.
This is absolutely my personal view as someone who had been an avid yet selective movie watcher from very young age.