Their most iconic romantic storyline remains Thillana Mohanambal (1968). This film is the gold standard of "enemies to lovers" in Tamil cinema. Saroja Devi played a classical dancer, Mohanambal, opposite Sivaji’s nadaswaram player. The romance here was a war of egos, a battle of art forms, and a slow-burn attraction that ended in one of cinema’s most famous reconciliations. The moment where Sivaji plays the instrument to win her back is etched in Tamil history.
For decades, rumors swirled of a deep, platonic intimacy between Sarojadevi and Sivaji Ganesan. They finished each other’s dialogues on set and reportedly had a private shorthand. When Sivaji Ganesan’s son, Prabhu, entered films, Sarojadevi was the first to bless him. Was there more than professional camaraderie? According to veteran journalist Vamanan, "Sivaji and Saroja shared a mana bandham (mental bond). He was a family man; she was a devoted wife. The romance was in their art. They used their real-life mutual respect to fuel the tragic romance on screen. To ask if they were lovers is to misunderstand old Tamil cinema. They were co-creators of a dream."