Thadiparthi Sarada was born on 12 June 1945[4] as Saraswati Devi in Tenali, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her parents Venkateswar Rao and Satyavathi Devi are farmers.She has a brother, Mohan Rao. Sarada was sent to Madras in her childhood to live with her grandmother Kanakamma. Sarada describes her grandmother as a "strict disciplinarian" who in the later days "wouldn't even let the heroes touch her" and allowed "rehearsals only on Sundays".[5] Sarada started to learn dance when she was six. She used to perform during Dasara and other temple festivals. Because of her mother's desire, she learnt dancing. Her mother wanted her to be a "big star in cine field". Though Sarada's father was not too interested in the idea, he did not stop her. Sarada married Telugu actor Chalam, the couple later divorced. Currently Sarada is living with her brother's family in Chennai.[5]
In 1959, she began her career as Sarada. The change in name was attributed to the presence of a few other actors in the industry with the devotional name, Saraswati.[5] She came under contract to L.V. Prasad, a Telugu producer.[3] Though she didn't get to act in any of his films, she got her formal training in acting under him, including the Navarasa lessons. She largely attributes her performances and growth in the field to this training.[5] Her first break came with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao starrer Iddaru Mitrulu, which was a major hit. Noted for the role in the film, she got chances from Tamil and Malayalam films as well.[1]
The year 1965 changed her career as Sarada carved her niche for herself in the Malayalam film industry with her performances in Shakuntala, Murappennu, Udhyogastha by P. Venu, Kattu Thulasi and Inapravukal.[3] After that, she focused in Malayalam films, acting only a few roles in other languages. Recognition came in 1967 in the form of a national honorary award for her performances in various films of 1966 including Iruttinte Athmavu.[3] The award was the predecessor to the National Film Award for Best Actress, which was instituted in 1968. In 1969, she won her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Thulabharam. She went on to win the award 2 more times, for Swayamvaram (1972, Malayalam) and Nimajjanam (1978, Telugu). She also won the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actress one time.[1] After 1993, she became choosy and accepted only a few films. Her major films of late were Mazhathullikkilukkam (2002, Malayalam), Rappakal (2005, Malayalam), Nayika (2011, Malayalam) and Stalin (2006, Telugu).
[3][1] She owns a chocolate factory named Lotus Chocolates. She was elected as a Member of Parliament on Telugu Desam Party ticket from her native town of Tenali.[3] She is one of lead WCC members for Hema Commtiete.[6]
