Hyderabad, Aug.21 (RAHNUMA): Veteran actress Sowcar Janaki, 94, who left an indelible mark on South Indian cinema, passed away on Friday while undergoing treatment at Kauvery Hospital following a prolonged illness.
With a career spanning more than seven decades, Janaki brought a wide range of roles to life as both a leading lady and character artiste, earning a special place in the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam film industries.
She began her acting career with Sowcar and went on to portray hundreds of characters in a career spanning more than 400 films. Her death has cast a pall of gloom over the film industry.
Born on December 12, 1931, in Rajahmundry in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Janaki’s original name was Sankaramanchi Janaki. She developed an interest in the arts at a young age and began her artistic journey through radio plays before entering the film industry.
Janaki made her silver-screen debut with director L.V. Prasad’s Sowcar in 1950. Her performance in the film earned her widespread recognition and the screen name “Sowcar Janaki”, by which she became popularly known.
She subsequently acted in hundreds of films across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, establishing herself as one of the most versatile artistes of South Indian cinema.
In Telugu cinema, she shared the screen with leading stars including N.T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao. In Tamil, she acted alongside prominent actors such as M.G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan.
Her notable Telugu films included Rojulu Marayi, Kanyasulkam, Jayam Manade, Panduranga Mahatyam, Doctor Chakravarthy, Akkachellellu, Badipantulu and Samsaram Oka Chadarangam, among others.
Over her illustrious career, Janaki received several honours for her contribution to Indian cinema. She was conferred the Kalaimamani award by the Tamil Nadu government and received Nandi Awards from the Andhra Pradesh government, besides several lifetime achievement honours.
In 2022, the Government of India conferred the Padma Shri on her for her contribution to the arts.
