Subsequently, she was noted by M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), who cast her as the female lead in "Nadodi Mannan" (1958), the movie that made her one of the most popular actresses in Tamil Nadu. She was then signed up for the Hindi film "Paigham" (1959), in which her co-stars included Dilip Kumar. She went on to work in other leading Hindi actors, including Rajendra Kumar in "Sasural" (1961), Sunil Dutt in "Beti Bete" (1964) and Shammi Kapoor in "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya" (1963). She also shot a few scenes with Raj Kapoor for "Nazrana" (1961), but was replaced by Vyjayanthimala after a conflict with the director C. V. Sridhar.