Savitri was born on 6 December 1936 into a Telugu speaking family in Chirravuru, Guntur district, Madras Presidency, now a part of Andhra Pradesh. Her father was Nissankara Guruvaiya and mother was Nissankara Subhadramma. Her father died when she was six months old, after which her mother took Savitri and an older sibling, Maruti, to live with an aunt and uncle. Her uncle, Kommareddy Venkataramaiah Chowdary, enrolled her in classes when she began to show a talent for dance.
Savitri married Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan in 1952, having first met him in 1948. The marriage led to a permanent rift with her uncle because Ganesan was already married, had four daughters and was involved in an affair with Pushpavalli. Her marriage became public when she signed a photograph as Savitri Ganesh. Ganesan later acknowledged that he had two daughters with Pushpavalli while married to Savitri, with whom he had a daughter and a son.
