title: Lakshmi Kanakala
text: # Lakshmi Kanakala
  
  Lakshmi Devi Kanakala (1939/1940 – 3 February 2018) was an Indian actress, chiefly known for her roles in Telugu cinema.
  
  Also an accomplished dancer, she worked as a trainer at Madras Film Institute and mentored such actors as Chiranjeevi, Allari Naresh, Subhalekha Sudhakar, and Suhasini. Chiranjeevi referred to her as "Saraswathi Devi (the goddess of knowledge)".
  
  ## Personal life
  
  Lakshmi Devi was married to Devadas Kanakala, a veteran Telugu actor, who appeared in numerous films over four decades. The couple had two children, Rajeev Kanakala (also an actor) and Sri Laxmi.
  
  ## Death
  
  Lakshmi Kanakala died in a private hospital in Hyderabad from cardiac arrest. She was 78 years old.
  
  ## Films
  
  * Prema Bandham
  * Police Lockup
  * Kobbari Bondam as Raju's mother
  